I don't know the answer but its a good question to ask. There have been a few media reports about fatalities amongst pregnant women however there is generally more to the various stories than this ie they have other problems. Unfortunately any flu epidemic will claim lives - we just don't hear about them.

I'll certainly be grilling my GP next week about this as I fall into this high risk category but i am not sure I will get anything back other than the standard risk averse response. My hospital consultant is recommending pregnant women to have it. I do believe the risks to unborn children depend on at what stage in the pregnancy its administered. Having been ill last week with something other virus it made me think how I might cope with the flu symptoms of d+v- pregnancy seems to make this worse as pregnant women have little resistance and if they catch something it hits them harder. The attraction is that it seems to offer 3 months protection for new born babies post birth who are likely to be born in Nov/Dec, which is another argument.

Like you I think the press reports and even official views are giving out very mixed messages and I am also confused however I don't know if anyone will get satisfaction as to the answer- the truth of the matter is that this particular vaccine has not been around long enough for its true effects to be realised. Pregnant women do not get the standard flu vaccine anyway as its felt that the risks of the vaccine are greater than the risks of the flu- here the balance seems to be tipped the other way.

The other question is whether to vaccinate very young children- another issue for parents.

I think its a question of who or what you choose to believe and trust at the end of the day and your own approach to risk. I do feel that there has been so much pressure to produce a vaccine in a tight timescale that corners may well have been cut but in any case, there are always bad outcomes in any vaccination programme and 'acceptable' levels of fatalities, such as in the case of the recent vaccination programme against cervical cancer where a young girl died as a result.