Can being vaccinated against rubella around the time of conception harm the fetus?
Babies of women who were inadvertently vaccinated around the time of conception are very unlikely to be harmed by the vaccine. Between 1971 and 1989 the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied hundreds of women who were vaccinated from three months before to three months after they conceived. At the time they were vaccinated, the women did not know they were pregnant or would conceive in the near future. None of these women’s babies had birth defects that resembled the ones that rubella causes. However, the CDC continues to recommend postponing conception for four weeks after vaccination because there is theoretically a very small risk of fetal harm. Who else should be vaccinated? All children should be vaccinated against rubella, unless there is a medical reason why they should not. Widespread vaccination of children helps prevent the spread of this illness to others, especially pregnant women. The first vaccine dose is routinely given at 12 to 15 mo
