What are the risks of inadvertently having MMR vaccine in pregnancy?
A. Generally, live virus vaccines are contraindicated for pregnant women because of the theoretical risk of transmission of the vaccine virus to the fetus. MMR is not recommended in pregnancy and pregnancy should be avoided for one month after vaccination. However rubella vaccine and MMR vaccine have been given inadvertently to pregnant women with no ill effects observed. In particular there has never been a case of congenital rubella syndrome associated with a rubella vaccine virus. In the UK 123 births were reported to the National Congenital Rubella Surveillance Programme (NCRSP) between 1980-85 in which the mother had received rubella vaccine during the pregnancy and no congenital abnormalities were identified which could have been caused by the vaccine. Other countries have carried out similar evaluations of the impact of rubella vaccine and found no increased risk to children.
A. Generally, live virus vaccines are contraindicated for pregnant women because of the theoretical risk of transmission of the vaccine virus to the fetus. MMR is not recommended in pregnancy and pregnancy should be avoided for one month after vaccination. However rubella vaccine and MMR vaccine have been given inadvertently to pregnant women with no ill effects observed. In particular there has never been a case of congenital rubella syndrome associated with a rubella vaccine virus. In the UK 123 births were reported to the National Congenital Rubella Surveillance Programme (NCRSP) between 1980-85 in which the mother had received rubella vaccine during the pregnancy and no congenital abnormalities were identified which could have been caused by the vaccine. Other countries have carried out similar evaluations of the impact of rubella vaccine and found no increased risk to children.
