Study: Allergy Shots While Pregnant Cuts Child’s Risk for Allergies

How can a mother-to-be help prevent the development of allergies in her child? By getting allergy shots while pregnant, according to the research by Dr. Jay Lieberman, assistant professor of pediatrics at The University of Tennessee. The pilot study was presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). 

The procedure, also known as immunotherapy, has been discovered to lower the possibility of developing allergies to food, asthma, and skin conditions like eczema by as much as 16 percent. “Prior studies have suggested that mothers can pass protective factors to their fetus that may decrease their child’s chance of developing allergic disease, and these protective factors are increased with allergy immunotherapy,” explains Lieberman.