Tetanus Shot During Pregnancy

[GoMamaMel]

I am 36 weeks pregnant with #2. My care provider today said all pregnant women need to get tetanus shots during pregnancy. I told her I would look into it before deciding, which she was okay with. 

Then, this evening, I stepped on a rusty tack. I have NO idea when my last tetanus shot was. I must admit I am not very knowledgeable AT ALL about vaccinations. I did very limited vaccinations in the beginning with my son, and then decided to stop because I just didn't feel very comfortable with it. I tend to be on the low-intervention side of things, but I want to avoid something serious happening during my pregnancy.

What is your opinion about whether or not I should get the dtap vaccine now?

[dalia]

Clean the wound very well. If it were me, I would not do it, but I honestly don't have any science for you right off hand. I make all my vaccine decisions by reading the literature provided with the vaccine. You could find out what brand of vaccine they are giving and start from there.
I don't think it would be dtap, though. It is probably just tetanus.

[prosciencemum]

The NHS does recommend tetanus injections for pregnant women who have injuries which break the skin and are not up to date with tetanus shots. They say it is safe during pregnancy. 

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/can-i-have-vaccinations-if-im-pregnant.aspx?CategoryID=67&SubCategoryID=151

[Marnica]

I would never get injected with anything while pregnant. No way no how, not if you paid me. 

carefully read the ingredients of what they want you to inject into your body and ask yourself if you want your fetus to have all those ingredients in his/her body? 

[MMF03]

I am almost 28 weeks and had my TDaP yesterday. I wanted to be protected from whooping cough and unfortunately you have to get the tetanus to get the protection from pertussis. My OB (a DO) assured me it was safe and I had gathered as much from reading beforehand. Even so, I completely understand where Marnica is coming from. I'm passionate about what I put in my body when I'm not pregnant. While I'm not totally anti-vaccine (obviously), I wish I'd had the foresight to get vaccinated before conceiving. A lesson learned for next time.

[Jennifer Harris]

There is no such thing as a "safe vaccine". They have side effects-just read the manufacture's inserts. 

Also, they have NOT been tested on pregnant or nursing Mothers (also stated on manufactures insert). 

Did the wound bleed? Keep wound clean and tetanus can not live in a oxygenated environment. I would use hydrogen peroxide. 

Tetanus does not come from rusty nails-It comes from soil and manure. 

[Rrrrrachel]

When we say vaccines are safe we mean they're safe in the sense that riding in a car is safe. Not that they're completely risk free.

Vaccines HAVE been studied in pregnant women. The vaccine inserts refer to a limited pool of studies, the prelicensing clinical trials commissioned by that particular manufacturer.

[Jennifer Harris]

Originally Posted by Rrrrrachel 

When we say vaccines are safe we mean they're safe in the sense that riding in a car is safe. Not that they're completely risk free.

Vaccines HAVE been studied in pregnant women. The vaccine inserts refer to a limited pool of studies, the prelicensing clinical trials commissioned by that particular manufacturer.

I would rather ride in the car 5,000 times before getting one vaccine. 

Some vaccines such as the flu shot have not been tested on pregnant or nursing Mothers. 

Looks like they don't know or it has not been tested.....>>>>.". It is also not known whether Tetanus Toxoid Adsorbed manufactured by Aventis Pasteur Inc. can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction 

 capacity"  

 

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM142732.pdf

[Rrrrrachel]

The flu shot absolutely has been studied in pregnant and nursing women. To say otherwise is simply innacurate.

As I already explained, the statement you quoted refers to a limited pool of studies. It means it wasn't studied during the pre licensing clinical trials for that particular brand of vaccine. It's not at all the same as saying it hasn't been studied, period. I can see how it would be confusing.

[Rrrrrachel]

Here's some info on the study of tdap in pregnancy.

Quote:

In prelicensure evaluations, the safety of administering a booster dose of Tdap to pregnant women was not studied. Because information on use of Tdap in pregnant women was lacking, both manufacturers of Tdap established pregnancy registries to collect information and pregnancy outcomes from pregnant women vaccinated with Tdap. Data on the safety of administering Tdap to pregnant women are now available. ACIP reviewed published and unpublished data from VAERS, Sanofi Pasteur (Adacel) and GlaxoSmithKline (Boostrix) pregnancy registries, and small studies (7,8). ACIP concluded that available data from these studies did not suggest any elevated frequency or unusual patterns of adverse events in pregnant women who received Tdap and that the few serious adverse events reported were unlikely to have been caused by the vaccine.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6041a4.htm?s_cid=mm6041a4_e%0D%0A

[girlspn]

I had a tetanus shot during my pregnancy. We lived in India during that time, and it is routine to give pregnant women 2 doses of tetanus vaccine. The first shot was given to me before I knew what was happening (we were in rural India, and they administer these vaccines very quickly without asking for consent). I never had the second dose. Nothing happened to me, and baby was fine.

[MissCee]

Do you know what brand of the shot would be given to you? If not, I would ask for it and read the package insert. It would tell you right in there whether or not it's recommended for pregnant women and I would go with that (meaning what the manufacturer of the vaccine recommends) over what your doctor recommends IMO. Personally, I would never get a vaccine during pregnancy. You have no way of knowing how your unborn baby will react to it and if, God forbid, there is a reaction, how would doctors even treat it? 

[Rrrrrachel]

Again, the recommendation in the package insert is based on a limited pool of information.

[prosciencemum]

Originally Posted by Rrrrrachel 

Again, the recommendation in the package insert is based on a limited pool of information.

Also put there by the manufacturer to cover their ass more than through any real expectation of harm.

Very little of the minuscule levels of "toxins" included in the vaccine will cross the placenta anyway. It's an amazing organ.

[prosciencemum]

Ps before i get jumped on, I put toxins in quotes because I don't agree all of them are that at the levels in the vaccine.

[BeckyBird]

I thought the vaccine manufacturers are exempt, so what are they covering their asses from?

[Rrrrrachel]

There not exempt. They are protected from certain kinds of law suits.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by Rrrrrachel 

There not exempt. They are protected from certain kinds of law suits.

So under what circumstances can an individual sue a vaccine manufacturer? 

I get why package inserts list every possible side effect - its more about informed consent isn't it. But I would still like to know about my above question as I am curious

[maos211]

I think you have to go through the vaers system and cannot suit directly.

[Rrrrrachel]

After you go through vicp (different from vaers) you can generally sue directly if you're not pleased with the outcome. I'm not an attorney, obviously. I'm trying to find some specific info so you dot have to take my word for it.