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Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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Pregnant Soon after Hepatitis B Vaccination
QUESTION
Dear Dr. Greenfield,
I am an 18-year-old mother-to-be and two weeks pregnant. Before I got pregnant, I had a hepatitis vaccination and the doctor told me I needed to wait six months before getting pregnant. Well, I got pregnant on accident before six months and am wondering how this will affect the baby's health.

— Antoinette in Louisiana

ANSWER
November 6, 2001
Dear Antoinette,
I think that I have some good news for you. Your description sounds like you received the first of the three shots for hepatitis B. This vaccine is not made from a live virus, and is probably safe in pregnancy even if given when the woman is already pregnant. Your doctor may have told you not to get pregnant because the full immunization takes six months--usually with the second vaccine after one month and then another at the six month mark. He probably wanted you to complete the set before getting pregnant--which isn't a bad idea. But getting pregnant sooner probably doesn't pose specific danger to the baby. Your doctor will be able to address these concerns more specifically. I suggest that you give him a call to further calm your mind.

I hope this answers your questions. Don't forget to take your folate!

— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.

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