VACCINE, MUMPS

Fetal Risk Summary

Mumps vaccine is a live attenuated virus vaccine (1,2 and 3). Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with the vaccine.

Mumps occurring during pregnancy may result in an increased rate of 1st-trimester spontaneous abortion (1,3). Although a fetal risk from the vaccine has not been confirmed, the vaccine should not be used during pregnancy because fetal infection with the attenuated viruses may occur (1,2,3 and 4). Moreover, the manufacturer and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend avoiding pregnancy for 3 months following vaccination (1,3). A shorter interval is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (5). They recommend that women who receive the mumps vaccine should avoid becoming pregnant for 30 days (5). However, no cases of congenital malformations attributable to infection with mumps vaccine virus have been reported (5).

Breast Feeding Summary

No data are available.

References

1. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Immunization during pregnancy. Technical Bulletin. No. 160, October 1991.
2. Amstey MS. Vaccination in pregnancy. Clin Obstet Gynaecol 1983;10:13–22.
3. Product information. Mumpsvax. Merck, 2001.
4. Linder N, Ohel G. In utero vaccination. Clin Perinatol 1994;21:663–74.
5. CDC. Measles, mumps, and rubella—vaccine use and strategies for elimination of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome and control of mumps. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR 1998;47(No. RR-8):1–57.