Boostrix is the brand name for the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine. I have heard of some MG patients blaming the development on this vaccine but there is no real evidence to support that claim. This vaccine is essentially an update on the "regular" tetanus/diphtheria shot that your get about every 10 years or 5 years if you are injured. Since whooping cough has made quite a come back they started adding a "booster" dose of the pertussis. Whooping cough can be quite deadly to children and was nearly extinct in the US. It didn't start coming back until parents started to refuse vaccinations for their children.

I actually had mine in 2009 but my MG really kicked into gear well before that. I don't believe that it had any impact on my MG at all. All it did was hurt my arm for 2-3 days afterward.

I hope this information helps. I think that it is important for you to get the vaccine given that you are pregnant. You can be a carrier and never know it and you wouldn't want to pass it on to some other child that you came in contact with in passing. Pertussis is highly contagious too. I am a very big advocate for vaccinating ourselves and children.

Please let us know how you did with the vaccine, if you choose to get it. Also, congratulations on your pregnancy.
Angie

for the first year or so after I was diagnosed, my neuro advised me against getting vaccines because my disease wasn't stable. I don't know where you are in treatment or how your symptoms are, but you might want to ask your neuro if you're allowed to get vaccines in general (s/he would know better than any of your other doctors). mine cleared me to get vaccines about two years ago, and since then I've gotten the flu shot twice and once I got something that might have been a pneumonia/pertussis booster vaccine. It's a bit hard to remember now, but I'm pretty sure I felt a little more tired than normal for the rest of the day after getting the shot, and some of the times noticed slightly increased MG symptoms--nothing too disruptive, I just noticed my face was a bit weaker. it didn't last longer than a day, and I also have been well enough that I don't take mestinon, so it's possible that with mestinon I wouldn't have even noticed the extra weakness. And it wasn't enough to make me want to avoid taking vaccines in the future. And i'm not convinced that it was not pyschosomatic. haha. I'm sure you want to do everything you can to protect your baby, so maybe see if you can get the shot on a day when don't have a lot to do, just in case. :)

I'm sorry but I should have told you to check with your Neurologist just to be sure. In general, you shouldn't receive any vaccine if you have a fever or for those of us with MG, on days when you aren't feeling strong or stable.

Those with MG should never get the live vaccines such as the chicken pox vaccine, shingles vaccine or the nasal version of the flu shot without an in-depth conversation with your neurologist. Due to our weakened immune system, the live vaccines can be dangerous and cause an exacerbation of the MG.

Angie