The CDC reported that as of the end of August, they had 28 confirmed deaths of pregnant women due to H1N1. They admit that they haven’t tracked deaths of pregnant women from seasonal flu, but obstetricians are saying that this seems unique to H1N1 from their perspectives. So it’s not a gigantic percentage, but it definitely seems to be uniquely dangerous in this case.
PeskiPiski, I think what may be the main major difference is you were in your first trimester. That’s when all the major organs are forming (among other things), and when my OBs have been most militant about Not Taking Anything If I Can Help It. Now that I’m in my third trimester, all Baby Boy’s organs are already formed–they’re just developing further to prepare for use. I’m just guessing here, but I think that might be part of the reasoning. None of my docs so much as blinked at urging me to take the Tamiflu.
Marconi & Schmeese, I appreciate your get well wishes and understand your “It’s just the flu” comment in that, well, normally that would be my thought. But, with H1N1 and being pregnant, the parameters are a little different. I’m sick, but not terribly so, and normally wouldn’t be so concerned or confused about it. It seems so silly that I’m calling my OB nurse and fretting over mild fever, headache, cough, body aches–but the circumstances have changed.
My fever has backed down a touch to closer to normal (in the normal range, in fact, just still higher than my normal). I have a headache, but I have some energy. I’m hoping to go to work tomorrow; it’s an easy teaching day in that it’s a shorter schedule to allow for a staff meeting that’s first thing in the morning, and my actual classes will be just 3 classes of review and then 2 classes of tests. Tests are the best for being sick, because outside of watching for wandering eyes and the like, I can sit and rest in quiet. As with all things, we shall see. Since there’s a meeting in the morning, if I’m not feeling well enough, I can go to my classroom during the meeting time and prep for my sub. Gah, that’s the worst about being a teacher and sick–preparing for a sub, and then cleaning up after the sub, and then dealing with how it throws off pacing and such…geez, it’s such a PITA. But of course–there are worse things.
I have a question about the H1N1 flu vaccine as well - here in Australia they are urging all pregnant women to take the vaccine, particularly in their 2nd and 3rd trimesters. I’m currently 36 weeks along, and am trying to work out whether I should get vaccinated before I give birth. In particular, does this transfer immunity to the fetus? (I will be asking my Ob at our next appointment next week, so hopefully not asking for med advice here - just how the vaccine works). I’ve already had the seasonal flu shot in my 2nd trimester.
You shouldn’t need it but it won’t hurt if you do get it.
Your urgent care doc did not yet have the information about how risky this flu is for pregnant women at that time, so he gave the standard line about avoiding a class C drug in the 1st trimester. That’s my guess as to why he said what he did.
Pregnancy class C means there is insufficient clinical experience with oseltamivir to confirm its safety in pregnancy, and there’s probably some data on animal studies showing an effect on embryos when the drug is given at 10 to 100 times the recommended dosage.
The official line on tamiflu has been: Until additional data are available, caution should be exercised with the use of oseltamivir in pregnant women.
But with the known high risk of bad outcomes from H1N1, known benefits of tamiflu outweigh known risks.
Ah, you know what? I had forgotten until you just mentioned it, but those were the words he used. Something to the effect of “Tamiflu is a class C drug, so it’s not recommended for pregnant women.”
I’m sure your guess is pretty spot on.