Flu Season
Vaccines don’t make you invincible. They lower the odds of things going sideways—especially during pregnancy. This is about risk management, not fear or compliance.
Category:
Vaccines
Author:
Tyler Lloyd, MD
Read:
4 mins
Date:
Jan 21, 2026
Why Flu Season Actually Matters
Influenza isn’t just a rough week in bed. It’s a systemic illness that increases hospitalization, pneumonia, cardiac strain, and—in pregnancy—preterm labor and fetal stress. Pregnancy shifts immune response and lung capacity. That makes “I’ll just tough it out” a different calculation than when you’re not pregnant. Vaccines aren’t a moral stance. They’re a tool to reduce severity when exposure happens—which it almost always does during flu season.
Pregnant vs. Not Pregnant: Different Bodies, Different Stakes
If you’re pregnant: Inactivated flu vaccines are considered safe in all trimesters. They reduce the risk of severe illness and offer passive antibody protection to newborns for the first several months of life. Side effects are usually limited to soreness or short-lived fatigue. If you’re not pregnant: The benefit is lower illness severity and fewer lost days—not just for you, but for people around you who are vulnerable. Alternatives like masking, hygiene, and early antivirals help, but they don’t replace prevention. Bottom line: vaccines don’t eliminate risk. They lower consequence. That’s the whole job.
