Hi ladies,
I already posted this on Health and fitness but not sure that gets many visitors! I just wonder what everyones opinion is on the swine flu vaccine? I don't know whether to have it or not. I realise they will have tested it but as far as I am aware no pregnant woman has been given it and had there baby yet so they can't be sure there is no detrimental effact on the baby.

I had the vaccine yesterday, was also in 2 minds but decided to go for it. Quite reassuring that the clinic was jam packed!

Anuahs, Can i ask which vaccine you had? i'm giving this a lot of thought too at the moment but not sure what to do!

I'm also trying to decide at the minute what to do! I got my letter about the vaccine this week
x

My brother is having his next week (he takes immunosuppressents) and I think I will have it as I am in 2 of the high risk groups (front line medical staff).

As far as i'm aware the vaccine is a modified version of the old tried and tested flu vaccine.

X

I'm taking it. But I'm in one of the seasonal at risk groups too! (I'm getting the seasonal on Thurs haven't got my date for the swine flu one yet)

It was called celvapan as far as I remember

Thanks Anuahs, did you get a choice of which one you wanted? x

I really don't know what to do. My GPs surgery has sent me a letter with an appointment time for next Saturday so I've got less than a week to decide. I am in one of the high risk groups so ordinarily have the vaccicine every year. What did not fill me with confidence was the letter which said "the vaccine is thought to be safe in pregnancy". So in otherwords, it hasn't been proven to be safe.

My sister in law is a GP so I am going to ask her for advice before I make the decision.

After reading everything I have decided not to have it. unless it can be guranteed to be safe I don't want to risk it.

I know the high temperature can be dangerous if you do get swine flu but their is a drug (that as far as i know is safe) that pregnant women can inhale instead of tamiflu.

Did anyone else see the live webchat today? It was supposedly about swine flu vaccine, among other topics, but none of the questions on swine flu were answered. It was very bizarre. And confusing!

No, we didn't have a choice of which one we wanted.

Yes Posy I noticed that she only mentioned it in passing and a complete cop out as in talk to your GP and consultant about it.. Like we hadn't thought of that ourselves!

I don't think I'll have it. As some of you girls say it's not proved to be safe, and I also always hear stories about people who have the normal flu vaccine who have never had flu in their lives suddenly coming down with it the year they immunise!
In any case, I'm going to discuss it fully with my consultant at my scan and appt next Monday. If they can give me 3 pieces of wonderful, infallible evidence, I may change my mind!
xxx

Yeh cop out today by Miriam! pointless!

It seems like everyone is giving us the brush off with this vaccine!

I spoke to my sister in law (who is a GP, but because she is family, she was completely honest with me) yesterday evening and she was really helpful.

She said she did not envy me having to make the decision whether or not to have the vaccine and offered the following advice:

1. Try not to get sucked into the media reports about the swine flu vaccine as the media generally portrays a negative view of immunisation and scaremongers. If you are searching for advice make sure it comes from a trusted, expert source eg NHS, or medical journals (although those would not be the most accessable read for most of us!)

2. Swine Flu is affecting a different demographic to ordinary seasonal flu. It is affecting more of the young, fit people than ordinary seasonal flu. So we are more likely to get it than seasonal flu

3. Pregnant women are disproportionately more likely to suffer from complications from swine flu. Complications can include requiring intensive care, respiritary problems and miscarriage

4. The reason that there has been no large scale test of the vaccine on pregnant women is because it is not considered ethical to test any drug on pregnant women. With any drug trial, the sample group is nearly always fit, young and disproportionately male, and the effects of any drug on that group may be different to other groups of people.

5. The swine flu vaccine has been produced in the same way as the seasonal flu vaccine (it is grown in eggs and there is a separate version available for people allergic to eggs)

6. The seasonal flu vaccine has been used in pregnant women for many years. Although there is not any wide scale study that she is aware of, no ill effects to the babies have been reported.

7. There is no danger of catching salmonella from the vaccine (because it is grown in eggs I was worried about this)

8. The effects of Tamiflu in pregnancy are even less well known than the flu vaccine (consider what you would do if you got swine flu or husband did, would you then feel comfortable taking Tamiflu?). Incidentally, my sister in law said she would feel less comfortable prescribing Tamiflu in pregnancy than the swine flu vaccine.

9. Try not to make an emotional decision about it, but consider the options carefully.

Ultimately it is up to each of us to decide what we think the greater risk is to us individually and I think the risks can be summarised as below:

1. Have the vaccine with the knowledge that there has been no large scale study on its' safety in pregnancy.

2. Don't have the vaccine with the possible risk that you may catch swine flu and get complications.

I think it is a really tough one to call, and I still haven't fully made my mind up, but I am leaning towards having it, and only have until Saturday to decide!

I hope that I've been able to report that information in as objective way as possible, and that it helps.

Thank you Mrs Bear, thats really helpful. I thought i'd made up my mind not to have it - now i have no idea!! lol x

I just wanted to share something with you that I hadn't considered until i spoke to a guy today who told me his wife has just given birth 6 weeks early to twins, she got swine flu and didn't realise, the babies caught swine flu through her breast milk. Its going to be tough for them so keeping everything crossed.
I am having the vaccine for sure x

I'm stillv unsure about it, haven't heard anything about it being distributed in my area yet. But was chatting to one of the doctors at my work today who told me as of Oct30th new info has been released showing the vaccine seems to be safe in pregnancy, apparantly the data has come from abroad ?Australia, where they have already had their winter and major influx of swine flu and jabs.

Need to look into it in much more detail, but certainly sounds like it could be interesting and possibly reasurring

x x

I am also undecided. This is the information I have found.

*Australia just started vaccinations a little more than a month ago, Sept 30th.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/30/2701128.htm

In my opinion that is not enough time to know of any side effects.

Here, in the US they started trials 2 weeks ago with 120 pregnant women. Strangely, they are 14 weeks to 34 weeks pregnant. So none are in the first trimester. Also, completion date of the study is July 2010. That's past my due date. So no one has given birth to a swine flu vaccine baby.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00963430

Lastly, the insert warning states:
"8.1 Pregnancy
Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or AFLURIA. It is also not known whether these vaccines can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed."

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM182401.pdf

Also, why is it not allowed in infants under 6 months but in allowed an unborn, developing baby it's okay ?

I still haven't made up my mind yet and I am not in my second trimester yet so I have a few more weeks to think about this. Either way I will be scared of my decision. I wish I wasn't in the first group =( I wish I could say so and so had the vaccine and look their baby is healthy. It's a hard one to decide on. Just thought I'd give you all the links especially the one where the study will not be complete until July 2010 and that it just started.

double post

[Modified by: BABYSN0W on November 04, 2009 10:01 AM]