Which vaccines are considered safe in pregnancy, and which are dangerous?
There are four types of vaccines. These include toxoids, inactivated virus, immune globulin preparations, and live virus vaccines. Only the fourth type, the live virus vaccines are considered dangerous in pregnancy because of a theoretical risk of infecting the fetus.
Some well known live virus vaccines include the measle, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, and the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine. These should be avoided in pregnancy.
Some examples of vaccines that are generally considered safe in pregnancy include the influenza vaccine and the tetanus/diphtheria vaccine. As there are many vaccines, discuss your particular case with your doctor to decide what is right for you.
