Ask the Experts

Our Medical Board has requested that we post this warning to protect you. This applies to all pregnant women, regardless of whether or not you may have or get preeclampsia. You also may have heard the H1N1 virus mistakenly referred to as "swine flu."

1) Strongly consider vaccination.

• The H1N1 vaccine is produced like the seasonal flu vaccine.
• The injected vaccine is not alive - it is considered safe for pregnant women.
• Vaccination is the BEST strategy to avoid H1N1.
• It will also help protect your unborn baby when he/she is born.

2) Do you have a FEVER and COUGH or SORE THROAT?

• You may already have H1N1 - Act NOW!
• Call your doctor NOW.
• Immediate treatment with an antiviral drug such as Tamiflu® (oseltamivir) may be life saving and is recommended by the CDC.

o Treatment must be started early.
o Do not wait for H1N1 confirmation.
o Tamiflu® is thought to be safe in pregnancy.
o Tamiflu® 150 mg twice per day (dose is increased during pregnancy)

3) Have you been exposed to H1N1?

• Call your doctor.
• Consider starting an antiviral drug such as Tamiflu®.

Want more information?
• You can read more about this issue in the article entitled "H1N1 Influenza in Pregnancy: Cause for Concern" in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
• You may want to print out this statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website to take to your doctor.
• The March of Dimes also has more information, explaining, for instance, why pregnant women are at higher risk.

Please take our short survey.
The Preeclampsia Foundation is interested in finding out how pregnant women are dealing with this virus. Please take a minute to answer 7 short questions by following this link. It is completely anonymous.