An interesting review of policies recommended by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) challenges the safety of flu vaccines given to pregnant women, not surprisingly, based on its own highly debatable and unsupportable evidence.
For one, the ACIP cites only two scientific studies to justify its claim pregnant women really need to be vaccinated, although neither one demonstrated contracting the flu during pregnancy was more health-harming than at any other time.
Moreover, the true impact of being inoculated for the flu during pregnancy, by the ACIP's own admission is marginal: At best, two hospitalizations were prevented for every 1,000 women vaccinated. And, the very narrow way the committee interpreted vaccine safety numbers -- considering most administered during the most recent flu season contained thimerosal -- is, at best, highly debatable.
Despite what the "experts" say, the package inserts for Fluzone, Fluvirin, Fluarix and FluMist state that no reproductive studies have been done on the safety of vaccines given during pregnancy, nor have risks to the fetus been investigated.
All the more reason, you should carefully weigh the great risks associated with vaccines against its highly debatable benefits before putting your family's health at risk.
Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Vol. 11, No. 2, Summer 2006: 41-47 Free Full Text PDF