Q&A: Danger of Vaccines While Trying to Get Pregnant?

The yellow fever vaccination is what’s known as a live virus vaccine. A live virus vaccine is a vaccine that contains a living virus and is able to create immunity without getting the patient ill. Live virus sounds sort of creepy, but for people with healthy immune systems, they’re usually safe and effective. While it’s recommended to wait a month after receiving live vaccines before trying to conceive, the CDC says that two weeks is a safe waiting period after the yellow fever vaccination. Although the yellow fever vaccine isn’t known to cause any birth defects in pregnant women, the CDC recommends pregnant and breastfeeding women  avoid traveling to countries where yellow fever is a risk.

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