Every expectant mother wonders whether external medications will harm her developing baby. Perhaps one of the most curious ones is vaccines. Some diseases exposed during pregnancy can be much more harmful to the mother and baby than external drugs.
Although diseases such as rubella and chickenpox, especially those experienced in childhood, do not pose a great danger when contracted during childhood, they can seriously affect the baby in the womb when contracted during pregnancy. They can cause illness, birth defects, or cause miscarriages and premature birth. Fortunately, since most of these diseases are overcome in childhood, the probability of encountering them for the first time during pregnancy is very low. On the other hand, exposure to the tetanus microbe by the mother may have fatal consequences for the mother who does not have immunity.
In fact, the best thing to do is to consult a doctor before getting pregnant and get information about these diseases, to determine the diseases you have had, and to get vaccinated for those who have not had them. If you do not know for sure whether you have encountered a disease before or whether you have immunity, your doctor will test your blood for substances called antibodies in the first months of pregnancy, and this test will be repeated at regular intervals if necessary.
Vaccinations for diseases such as rubella, chickenpox, and mumps. Since they contain live virus, they should be administered at least 1 month before pregnancy and are not recommended during pregnancy.
Hepatitis B, tetanus and flu vaccines are vaccines containing dead viruses or bacteria, which are safe to be administered during pregnancy. Tetanus vaccination is given between the 20th and 24th weeks of pregnancy in our country. It is implemented by Family Health Centers during the week. Hepatitis B application is optional. As for the flu vaccine, while it is recommended for pregnant women with special problems such as heart disease, diabetes or immune system problems, it is debatable whether it should be administered to all pregnant women.
Some important diseases such as toxoplasmosis and CMV do not have a vaccine. To protect against these diseases, avoid raw meat during pregnancy, wash vegetables and fruits very well, wash your hands frequently, avoid upper respiratory tract infections. Precautions should be taken, such as not staying in very close contact with people who have the infection...
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