Can You Get Adacel While Pregnant?
Adacel® (
Tdap vaccine) is a booster vaccine for pertussis (
whooping cough), diphtheria, and tetanus in people ages 11 to 64. At this time, it is not clear if the product is safe for use during pregnancy. In most cases, it is usually recommended to wait until the baby is born before giving this vaccine to the mother.
Because giving Adacel to a new mother can help prevent
spreading whooping cough to the newborn, it is often recommended that women receive this vaccine soon after giving birth.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a pregnancy category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that have not been studied in pregnant humans but do appear to cause harm to the fetus in animal studies. Also, medicines that have not been studied in any pregnant women or animals are automatically given a pregnancy Category C rating.
This vaccine has not been adequately studied in pregnant animals or humans. Preliminary studies in rats did not suggest that the vaccine caused any problems when given during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Currently, it is recommended that women who have never received the Tdap booster (either Adacel or
Boostrix®) should get the vaccine as soon as possible after childbirth, ideally while still in the hospital. This helps to prevent exposing the newborn to pertussis.
Adacel can be given in this situation as soon as two years after the previous Td (tetanus and diphtheria) booster. It is a good idea for other family members to get Adacel too, if they have not yet received it.
If a pregnant woman has not been adequately vaccinated for tetanus or diphtheria, there are two recommended solutions. First, the Td vaccine (without the pertussis component) can be given during pregnancy. Or, if desired, vaccination can be delayed until after childbirth, so that the woman can receive Adacel.
