I had a conversation with a pregnant patient the other day.  She said her OB was pushing her to get the pertussis vaccine to protect her unborn baby.  She was very reluctant and hesitant but asked me what I thought?

You know what?  It’s doesn’t really matter what I think.  Let’s go to the literature. Here is a link to look up any vaccine insert.

When someone asks if they should get it, especially when it comes to pregnancy and unborn children, they are asking, “is it safe?” I can only answer, “I don’t know…but neither do they?”

Section 8.1 of these inserts will contain a statement concerning testing in pregnancy.  They will read something like this.

Pregnancy Category C Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with XXX vaccine. It is not known whether XXX vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproductive capacity. XXX vaccine should not be given to women of childbearing age.

I want you to key in on the ‘post-approval’ phrase as these are reported by you, the parent, to the VAERS database.  The real study for these vaccines happens when they are unleashed on millions in the general public, where they can’t control for certain factors.

The events were reported due to the seriousness or frequency of reporting.  It’s estimated only 10% of adverse reactions are ever reported.  There are many more reactions that get swept under the table.

You or your fetus might be fine after getting this shot.  You or your kid might not be fine after getting this shot.  It’s your job as a parent to weigh the risks of the chances of getting Diphtheria, Pertussis, or Tetanus vs. the chances of having an adverse reaction like purpura, SIDS, autism, and seizures (notice how they use the word convulsion instead of seizure?).

I personally don’t care if you get shots or not.  What I care about is that you don’t make decisions blindly nor go into these decisions lightly.