Vaccination for pregnant women
When you are pregnant, you can get vaccinated against influenza, whooping cough and RSV free of charge.
Vaccination during pregnancy protects both mother and baby
The purpose of getting vaccinated during your pregnancy is to protect either your unborn baby or yourself as a pregnant woman – or both.
When you are pregnant, you can get free vaccinations against:
Vaccination is important for the health of both mother and baby.
We recommend that pregnant women get vaccinated against influenza, whooping cough and RSV at the following times during pregnancy:
Influenza
Vaccination against influenza is recommended for pregnant women in the period from 1 October to 20 December.
Vaccination is recommended in the second and third trimesters and takes place at a regional vaccination centre or a private clinic.
You can book an appointment for vaccination at vacciner.dk
Whooping cough
Vaccination against whooping cough is recommended for pregnant women throughout the year.
Vaccination is recommended in pregnancy week 25 at the scheduled pregnancy check-up with your own doctor or in connection with contact with another health professional in the second or third trimester.
RSV (RS virus)
Vaccination against RSV is recommended for pregnant women who are due to give birth between July and March (the vaccine is given from May to January inclusive).
Vaccination is recommended in pregnancy week 32 at the scheduled pregnancy check-up with your own doctor or in connection with contact with another health professional in the third trimester. Vaccination against RSV is thus recommended for pregnant women who are in pregnancy week 32 from May to January inclusive.
First part of the childhood vaccination programme
Vaccination against RSV and whooping cough protects your newborn baby against diseases that can be serious, especially in the first months of life.
Vaccination against influenza protects you as a pregnant woman, your unborn baby and your newborn baby.
Vaccination against influenza
Influenza is common in the autumn and winter months and causes high fever, muscle and joint pain and general discomfort. Pregnant women may experience more severe symptoms than others if they are infected with influenza.
They are at greater risk of complications and hospitalisation, which can affect both the pregnant woman and the unborn baby. In rare cases, influenza in a pregnant woman can lead to premature birth or low birth weight.
Vaccination against influenza protects pregnant women from becoming seriously ill, protects the baby in the womb and protects newborns in their first months of life, because antibodies from the mother are transferred to the baby while it is still in the womb.
Vaccination against whooping cough
Whooping cough is a highly contagious childhood disease. Whooping cough is characterised by severe coughing fits, where the child makes a “whoop” sound when breathing after a coughing fit.
The disease is usually harmless to older children and adults, but can be serious and potentially life-threatening in very young children because they may have difficulty breathing. The disease often lasts about two months and can be exacerbated by pneumonia, among other things.
When pregnant women are vaccinated against whooping cough, antibodies are transferred from the pregnant woman to the foetus. This protects the baby against whooping cough in its first months of life, until the baby is old enough to be vaccinated itself at 3 months of age.
Vaccination against RSV
RSV is a respiratory virus that occurs frequently in the autumn and winter months. Infants can become seriously ill if they contract RSV because their immune systems are still immature and therefore cannot fight off viruses as well as older children, and because their small airways can become blocked due to inflammation and mucus. This makes it difficult for them to breathe.
Every autumn and winter, RSV causes many hospitalisations among infants under one year of age, especially among the youngest infants under three months of age. They may need both oxygen therapy and help breathing.
When pregnant women are vaccinated against RSV, antibodies are transferred from the pregnant woman to the foetus, protecting the baby against RSV disease in the first months of life.
Questions and answers about vaccination for pregnant women
1. Why should pregnant women be vaccinated?
When pregnant women are vaccinated against RSV and whooping cough, they protect their unborn baby against serious illness in the first months of life.
Vaccination against influenza protects pregnant women from becoming seriously ill in the latter part of their pregnancy, when their breathing may be difficult, and reduces the risk of premature birth or low birth weight in the newborn baby.
In addition, the newborn baby is protected against influenza in the first months of life.
2. Are there any side effects from the vaccines?
All vaccines have side effects, and this also applies to the vaccines against influenza, whooping cough and RSV. Pregnant women may experience the same side effects as others after vaccination.
Common side effects are fever, headache or tenderness at the injection site. These are completely normal side effects that go away on their own.
Serious side effects, such as severe allergic reactions, are very rare. If you have previously had a severe allergic reaction after a vaccination or injection with another medicine, you should talk to your doctor before getting vaccinated.
Vaccination with the three vaccines during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of harm to the foetus or newborn baby.
3. What vaccinations are available for pregnant women?
The following vaccinations are currently available for pregnant women:
Whooping cough vaccination is offered in pregnancy week 25 by your own doctor throughout the year.
RSV vaccination is offered in pregnancy week 32 by your own doctor from May to January (starting in October 2025).
Influenza vaccination is offered in the second and third trimesters from 1 October to 20 December, for example at regional vaccination centres as part of the seasonal vaccination programme. You can book an appointment at vacciner.dk.
If you have a chronic disease or condition that puts you at risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, you are also eligible for vaccination against COVID-19 from 1 October to 20 December, regardless of whether you are pregnant or not.
4. Should you be vaccinated with each new pregnancy?
The Danish Health Authority recommends that pregnant women be vaccinated against influenza, whooping cough and RSV with each new pregnancy, even if they have been vaccinated previously.