I turned down a tetanus booster today...

[oregongirlie]

and said I wanted to read up on it. I'm 7 weeks pregnant. Would you get one? Is tetanus really such a big risk? Thanks!

[Outofmymindyo]

The way I understood it is that getting vaccines during pregnancy means it's gonna end up in your child's body as well. If you don't like the idea of putting that stuff into your unborn child then I wouldn't get it either.

My question really is why did they want to give you one? Just to keep you up to date? I'm not sure about you, but the last time I actually needed to be updated due to the nature of an accident was about 3 years ago. I would wait if I were you.

[JBaxter]

My sister is an ER nurse manager and we were just discussing the tetnus shot last week. She said there has never been a documented case of adult/child tetnus in anyone who has had ONE tetnus shot( I guess that blows the you need a booster theory out of the water huh). I thought that was amazing.

[boscopup]

Good to know! Thanks for that info! It's something that my doctor might bring up, since my last booster was 11 years ago, I think. I do live on a farm, so there is a greater chance of exposure for me.

[JBaxter]

boscopup- My mother has a farm as doesn my sisters IL's ( large dairy) We have both come to the conclusion that if one of our sons has a deep cut that requires stitches or puncture from some rusty thing in the barnyard or field then we will get a booster AT THAT TIME and only then ( our boys are 14, 11, 12, 8 & 2 all currently vax'd ).

[snuffles]

I would go to the vaccinations forum here at Mothering and read about it. I have read things here that say you are not increased risk living on a farm-- the bacteria are everywhere.

[sohj]

I would go to the vaccinations forum here at Mothering and read about it. I have read things here that say you are not increased risk living on a farm-- the bacteria are everywhere.

And that the actual risk is fairly small. Years ago I downloaded a thread that had links to several medical articles with stats of tetanus in World War I (trenches, mud, poor hygene, cavalry and therefore horses and their manure). Even then, the risk factor was surprisingly low. The danger is anaerobic situations, like puncture wounds.

[alegna]

No way no how.

-Angela

[boscopup]

boscopup- My mother has a farm as doesn my sisters IL's ( large dairy) We have both come to the conclusion that if one of our sons has a deep cut that requires stitches or puncture from some rusty thing in the barnyard or field then we will get a booster AT THAT TIME and only then ( our boys are 14, 11, 12, 8 & 2).

Yeah, that's what I'd probably do.

As far as living on a farm being more or same risk... I think the fact that there are rusty metal objects on a farm kind of ups the risk, KWIM? When I'm out working with the goats, I might get scratched or stabbed by the point of a wire mesh fence. There's alot more rusty metal objects to hurt myself on out here than there were when I lived in the city. :lol

[HerbLover]

Good for you! Check out www.vaccinetruth.com and www.vaclib.org Vaccines contain more than what they want you to know, so research, research, research. Anyway, if your body is healthy and your immune system strong your chances of even having a cold or a worse problem is slim. We come into contact with viruses and bacteria constantly ( We couldn't survive without bacteria) The vaccine industry is a huge money maker, so of course the medical field will offer them to you. I was recently in the hospital for an emergency (placental abruption) and they were trying to push the rubella vaccine on me!
Again, good for you!
Sara

[blessed]

She said there has never been a documented case of tetnus in anyone who has had ONE tetnus shot...Not true, I'm afraid. See excerpted abstract below.

Vaccines for women to prevent neonatal tetanus.

Demicheli V, Barale A, Rivetti A.

BACKGROUND: Tetanus is an acute, often fatal, disease caused by an exotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani. It occurs in newborn infants born to mothers who do not have sufficient circulating antibodies to protect the infant passively, by transplacental transfer. Prevention may be possible by the vaccination of pregnant and/or non-pregnant women with tetanus toxoid, and the provision of clean delivery services. Tetanus toxoid consists of a formaldehyde-treated toxin which stimulates the production of antitoxin.

MAIN RESULTS: Two trials (10,560 infants) were included. One study (1919 infants) assessed the effectiveness of tetanus toxoid in preventing neonatal tetanus deaths. After a single dose, the relative risk (RR) was 0.57 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.26 to 1.24), and the vaccine effectiveness was 43%. With a two or three dose course, the RR was 0.02 (95% CI 0.00 to 0.30); vaccine effectiveness was 98%.

[blessed]

Not defending tetanus vaccine for pregnant women necessarily. Just pointing out that a single shot is proven less effective than series, and also that there have indeed been many cases of tetanus that occurred after immunization.

These trials are conducted in areas with high levels of endemic tetanus. Extrapolation to use in developed nations might not be appropriate. I haven't looked into this much.

[TechnoGranola]

boscopup- My mother has a farm as doesn my sisters IL's ( large dairy) We have both come to the conclusion that if one of our sons has a deep cut that requires stitches or puncture from some rusty thing in the barnyard or field then we will get a booster AT THAT TIME and only then ( our boys are 14, 11, 12, 8 & 2).You do realize that a booster at that time will do nothing for the current wound? I believe the booster takes 3 weeks or more to do its thing and tetanus spores can create problems in 2 weeks or less. So if there is tetanus in the wound, it's going to cause problems before the shot even takes effect.

If you think you need to protect the current wound, you need the tetanus immunoglobin which consists of another person's blood that has immunity (that is it in general terms, I don't have my reference handy right now as to the exact content of this shot).

[jenny-g]

and said I wanted to read up on it. I'm 7 weeks pregnant. Would you get one? Is tetanus really such a big risk? Thanks!

I think it depends on where you live and what you do. I would definitely have gotten a booster *before* I got pregnant. I'd probably not get it *while* pregnant, however. Did they have a specific reason for suggesting you get this, like that it's endemic in your area? If not, I'd be extra careful with safety precautions so I didn't get an injury that could lead to it. If you get tetanus, it *is* really bad for the baby- please, let's not ignore that fact in this discussion. However, for most of us, it's so unlikely to happen that the risk of the vac. may be higher than the risk of actually getting it- so you have to balance those issues for yourself.

[boscopup]

If you get tetanus, it *is* really bad for the baby- please, let's not ignore that fact in this discussion.

Yep. Some of the diseases vaccinated for ARE life threatening either for mom or unborn baby or both. And you don't know if your immune system is healthy enough to handle it until it happens! That doesn't mean the vaccines are safe necessarily, but that disease is not something we should just say "Oh, it won't hurt us". Many people have died of things like tetanus.

Another question about tetanus... When they do pregnancy bloodwork, I know they check for antibodies to rubella and other things. Do they check for antibodies to tetanus as well?

[blessed]

Yup, they're right about the booster only working on previously immunized people. It's because your body's machinery to fight the tetanus is already in place. The booster causes rapid antibody production which helps fight off the tetanus.

If you've never been immunized, it would take about 2 - 3 weeks for your body to rev up a new system to make antibodies against the tetanus, typically well after the tetanus toxin did it's dirty work on your system.

So inadequately immunized people receive tetanus immunoglobulin - actual preformed antibodies from another person. They can work right away, but have more side effects and risks than does boosting your own immune system.

Your docs would understand and recommend the correct treatment at the time (one hopes, anyway).

[Yulia_R]

boscopup- My mother has a farm as doesn my sisters IL's ( large dairy) We have both come to the conclusion that if one of our sons has a deep cut that requires stitches or puncture from some rusty thing in the barnyard or field then we will get a booster AT THAT TIME and only then ( our boys are 14, 11, 12, 8 & 2).

Not saying anything this way or another about the vaccination I just wanted to say that it doesn't have to be a deep cut that requires stitches or puncture from some rusty thing in the barnyard to catch tetanus it can be just a scratch that gets dirty....

[TechnoGranola]

blessed, thanks for explaining the immunoglobin better than I! :)

[sohj]

Not saying anything this way or another about the vaccination I just wanted to say that it doesn't have to be a deep cut that requires stitches or puncture from some rusty thing in the barnyard to catch tetanus it can be just a scratch that gets dirty....

But it does have to be anerobic, like in a puncture wound. And it isn't rusty things that are the problem, but exposure to the toxin which is in the bowels of mammals. That includes us.

I don't have the references with me, they are at home; however, when I was doing a lot of tetanus research several years ago, it was very interesting to note that the majority of cases in the US I was reading about were a complication of surgery for haemorrhoids. In other words, it was in our intestinal tract (an anerobic environment) and came in contact with an open wound.

[oregongirlie]

You do realize that a booster at that time will do nothing for the current wound? I believe the booster takes 3 weeks or more to do its thing and tetanus spores can create problems in 2 weeks or less. So if there is tetanus in the wound, it's going to cause problems before the shot even takes effect.

If you think you need to protect the current wound, you need the tetanus immunoglobin which consists of another person's blood that has immunity (that is it in general terms, I don't have my reference handy right now as to the exact content of this shot).

That's what I was trying to find out, but all she would say is, "I've been trained to offer it to pregnant women." -- 3 times! :irked: I was just seeing her to establish care with a gp with my new insurance. I have the 1st ob appt. next week so I thought I'd think about it until then. Thanks so much everyone :) . It appears that only about 20-50 people per year get tetanus in the US and only 10% of those die from it.

[blessed]

Looked up some stats. In the United States between the years of 1991 and 1997, there was one (1) case of neonatal tetanus recorded.

Makes sense since neonatal tetanus is associated with contaminated conditions at the time of delivery. Unless you're planning on giving birth in the back of barn sitting in a rusted out watering trough, you're probably pretty safe.

Not to mention, I presume that you've had tetanus prophylaxis during your lifetime? So chances are you may already be fully immunized (as would your baby via plancetal transfer). If not, you're certainly at least partially immunized and risks would be correspondingly lower.

I can't see much justification for you to undergo an vaccination now that you're already pregnant and subject your child to those unknown risks.

[huggerwocky]

Wi will not get vaxed when I'm pregnant and I'm not even totally anti-vax or anything.

No way.

[boscopup]

Unless you're planning on giving birth in the back of barn sitting in a rusted out watering trough, you're probably pretty safe.


:lol I actually joked about doing that when we were acting as goat midwives back in January... :) None of the goat kids got tetanus, but we do give them tetanus anti-toxin orally within 12 hours of birth.

Luckily, I don't plan to give birth in a barn :wink, and I have had tetanus vaccinations as a kid - the regular schedule. I remember getting one at age 5 and again at 19 (when I was going to college). My arm HURT after that one. :p So I think if my OB brings it up, I'll pass on it. I don't feel comfortable with vaccinating during pregnancy. I do vaccinate my child(ren), but I don't believe they're totally safe either. We all just have to choose which risks to take!