The new swine flu vaccine was not responsible for pregnant women suffering miscarriage and stillbirth, according to a major national study.
But pregnant women who contracted the H1N1 swine flu virus did risk losing their babies, according to the research in Norway.
Researchers studied more than 117,000 births in Norway taking place during the height of the swine flu pandemic in 2009. Some 26,000 women agreed to try the newly-developed flu vaccine.
The finding is significant as health services have struggled to persuade pregnant women to agree to flu vaccination.
Latest figures for the UK show that just under 40% of pregnant women are now vaccinated – compared with 72% of pensioners.
The UK figures show that overall rates of flu remain "low" but four deaths were linked to flu in the second week of January and 44 people needed intensive care treatment. Parts of the USA have declared a flu emergency amidst an outbreak of the H3N2 strain of the virus.
The Norwegian researchers reported their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researcher Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, director general of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said: "It is reassuring that such a large and comprehensive study did not find any evidence that vaccination increased the risk of foetal death.
"The results suggest that influenza during pregnancy can be detrimental for the foetus, even if the mother is not seriously ill and admitted to hospital."
Håberg SE, et al. Risk of fetal death after pandemic influenza virus infection or vaccination. N Engl J Med 17 January 2013; 368:333-40. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1207210.
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