Pregnant women should be given priority in the distribution of the swine flu vaccines when these become available

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said “The World Health Organisation have stated that pregnant women should be prioritised to receive the swine flu vaccines when these are available. Currently, in the UK, pregnant women are advised to be immunised against the seasonal flu. The recommendation to immunise pregnant women from swine flu is an extension of this principle”

The Health Department said that pregnant women with swine flu were at increased risk, but most were likely to have a mild illness and make an uncomplicated recovery.

Why pregnant women are more at risk?

In pregnancy, the immune system is naturally suppressed. This means that pregnant women are more likely to catch swine flu, and if they do catch it, they are more likely to develop complications. There is, however, no need to panic if you are pregnant. The immune system does still function and the risk of complications is very small. Most pregnant women will have only mild symptoms.

Symptomes and risks

If you catch swine flu whilst you are pregnant the symptoms should be similar to regular flu. Typical symptoms are a fever and a cough, but you may also have:

Tiredness,  Headache, Aching Muscles, Runny Nose, Sore Throat, Nausea, Diarrhoea.

Most pregnant women will have mild symptoms and will recover within a week. However, there is evidence from previous flu pandemics that pregnant women are more likely to develop complications such as:

Pneumonia, Difficulty Breathing, Dehydration.

These are more likely to happen during the second and third trimester. If a pregnant women develops a complication of swine flu, there is a small chance this will lead to premature labour or miscarriage. It is therefore important to be well prepared and to take precautions against swine flu.

Special precautions

·    Reduce your risk by avoiding unnecessary travel and crowds where possible.

·    Good hygiene is essential.

·    If a family member or other close contact has swine flu your doctor may prescribe you an antiviral medication as a precaution.

·    If you think you may have swine flu call your doctor immediately, informing him you are pregnant. You will probably be prescribed an antiviral to take as soon as possible.

·    Unless you have swine flu, continue to attend all your antenatal appointments to monitor your pregnancy.

Swine Flu treatments

Even when you are pregnant it is safe to take antiviral medication.  You will usually be given Relenza, which is inhaled using a disk shaped inhaler. This is recommended for pregnant women because it easily reaches the throat and lungs and does not reach significant levels in the blood or placenta. Relenza should not affect your pregnancy or your growing baby. In more severe cases Tamiflu may still be prescribed. The risk of taking an antiviral is considered less than the risks of swine flu symptoms.

You can also take paracetamol based pain killers, as paracetamol is safe in pregnancy, but pregnant women should not take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen (Nurofen).

As yet we do not have a vaccine, one will probably be available in the autumn, and you should take up the vaccine as soon as it is offered, it will not harm you or your baby.