What if a pregnant woman inadvertently got the MMR vaccine?
Women are advised not to receive any live virus vaccine during pregnancy as a safety precaution based on the theoretical possibility of a live vaccine causing disease (e.g., rubella virus leading to congenital rubella syndrome [CRS]). Because a number of women have inadvertently received this vaccine while pregnant or soon before conception, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collected data about the outcomes of their births. From 1971 1989, no evidence of CRS occurred in the 324 infants born to 321 women who received rubella vaccine while pregnant and continued pregnancy to term. As any risk to the fetus from rubella vaccine appears to be extremely low or zero, individual counseling of women in this situation is recommended, rather than routine termination of pregnancy.
