According to US News and World Report, researchers have found a possible link between the flu vaccine and miscarriage for some women.
The study was published in the journal Vaccine. It is the first study to identify any link between the flu vaccine and miscarriage.
The study examined women who had experienced a miscarriage between 2010 and 2012. The results showed that these women were more likely to have had the flu vaccine at least two years in a row.
The authors of the study urged caution and said more data were required. They also emphasized that this study did not show that vaccines caused the miscarriages.
James Donahue, Ph.D., the lead author of the study, said, “We are not saying this is a causal relationship.” He later added, “There’s no biological basis for this phenomenon, so the study represents something that wasn’t expected.”
This research is not sufficient for the Centers for Disease Control to change their recommendation that all pregnant women receive the flu vaccine.
The CDC funded Dr. Donahue’s study. Amanda Cohn, senior adviser for vaccines at the CDC, said, “I think it’s really important for women to understand that this is a possible link, and it is a possible link that needs to be studied and needs to be looked at over more [flu] seasons.”
The CDC also warned the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to expect a wave of panicked expectant mothers. Even though the work of vaccine opponents has been discredited, a number of people still believe in their theories and doubt the safety of vaccines.
Dr. Laura Riley, an obstetrician who chairs a committee on maternal immunization, stressed that all pregnant women should continue to get vaccinated. She said women would be putting themselves in greater danger by not getting the flu vaccine.