News release

From: PLOS

Reddit reveals what pregnant women really want to know about the Tdap vaccine

Most posters were seeking information to clarify concerns and better understand healthcare provider advice

An analysis of Reddit posts about the maternal Tdap vaccine made by pregnant women reveals expectant mothers turning to Reddit to seek advice and reassurance—with fewer outright instances of vaccine hesitation/refusal than has generally been observed for other types of vaccines, according to a study published on August 12, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Soojung Jo from Purdue University, United States, and colleagues.

Pregnant women are recommended the maternal Tdap vaccine (which protects against tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis) during the third trimester pregnancy to pass antibodies to their fetus, as children younger than 1 are ineligible for the vaccine themselves. However, Tdap vaccination rates for pregnant women in the US remain low, with 55 percent of eligible pregnant women receiving the vaccine in 2023. To better understand the needs of pregnant women regarding the maternal Tdap vaccine, the researchers turned to Reddit.

The authors searched all of Reddit for posts written in English containing the words “Tdap (or pertussis or whooping cough)” and “pregnant” from October 2020 through October 2023. The authors then further refined their criteria to look for posts that were 1) from the perspective of the pregnant woman 2) written prior to delivery 3) with the maternal Tdap vaccine as the primary concern of the post. They included 86 Reddit posts in their final analysis.

Many posters sought additional information or clarification of information from their healthcare provider:

“I’m wondering does a 6 year old tdap shot provide any antibodies during pregnancy”

“[M]y doctor …concluded that I didn’t need the TDAP during my pregnancy since I got it right before. Now I’m nervous that my baby won’t be protected… I’ve been looking online and can’t find any resources or guidance about this specific situation.”

Some posters sought reassurance around vaccine safety or their choice to refuse the vaccine, though the authors noted that few posts contained discussions of vaccine hesitancy or negative perceptions of the Tdap vaccine compared to social media conversation around other vaccines:

“I just got the TDAP shot at my routine 28-week appointment on Friday… Anyway, I woke up yesterday to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and chills on and off all day. The major symptoms probably lasted about 12 hours… My question to you all is… has anyone else reacted this way to the TDAP while pregnant?”

“I’m 34 weeks pregnant. My doctor keeps urging me every appointment to get the Tdap. I deny it every time.”

Posters also frequently wanted to know if family members/friends planning to meet the new baby should also get the Tdap vaccine:

“Husband and I have a disagreement … our newborn seeing an unvaccinated person… But I feel like it isn’t as high compared to having our newborn see an unvaccinated relative who does not want to get the flu, TDAP, and Covid vaccines… I view a newborn getting whooping cough or a fever more severe than me eating deli meat. What are your thoughts?”

“Now my husband is struggling to get his mom to get it (the vaccine) as well. Except in her case, she got it about 1 year ago for another infant in the family. She cited the cdc website which simply says adults around an infant who already had the shot don’t need to get it again before the 10 year window… My question is where to draw the line on this one.”

It’s important to remember this is a qualitative study, and that Reddit posts likely do not capture the views of all pregnant women in the U.S. (especially since only English-language posts could be included in the analysis) and could not be independently verified.

Regardless, the authors have several recommendations based on their findings, noting that healthcare providers should promote maternal Tdap vaccination for pregnant women while also addressing maternal concerns around safety, timing, and the rationale for the vaccine. They also that public health campaigns should focus on raising awareness for the maternal Tdap vaccine for both pregnant women and those in close contact with newborns, to enhance general understanding and alleviate the burden on pregnant women to educate and convince others.