- Risks of chickenpox in pregnancy
- Chickenpox symptoms in pregnancy
- Prevention of chickenpox in pregnancy
- See other ways of not catching chicken pox at: How to avoid contagion of chickenpox and How not to catch chicken pox from your child.
Chicken pox in pregnancy can be a serious problem when a woman catches the disease in the first or second semester of pregnancy, as well as in the last 5 days before delivery.
Generally, depending on the woman's gestational age at the time she catches chicken pox, the baby may be born with low weight or with malformations of the arms, legs or brain, for example.
Risks of chickenpox in pregnancy
The risks of catching chicken pox during pregnancy depend on the woman's gestational age and include:
| Gestational age | Risks of chicken pox for the baby | Complications of chickenpox in the baby |
| Less than 13 weeks | The risk of reaching the baby is very low, but Congenital Varicella Syndrome may appear in the baby in some cases. | Scar damage to the skin, hypotrophy of the arms and legs, vision problems or mental retardation. |
| Between 13 and 20 weeks | It is the period of greatest risk for the baby. | Most babies are born with low weight and delayed development. |
| Between 21 and 36 weeks | The risk of affecting the baby is very low. | Some babies may have herpes in the first year of life. |
| After 37 weeks |
The risk of drinking becoming infected is great when the mother has chicken pox in the 5 days before delivery until 48 hours after. |
The baby may get chickenpox during or after delivery, and must be admitted to the hospital for treatment. |
To decrease the risk of the baby developing chickenpox complications, the obstetrician may recommend, in some cases, the injection of antiviral specific for chickenpox.
Chickenpox symptoms in pregnancy
The main symptom of chickenpox in pregnancy is the appearance of hives on the face and upper body that spreads to the rest of the body in a few hours. However, other symptoms include:
- Headache; Fever above 38ºC; Severe itching in the body; Vomiting; Diarrhea.
The pregnant woman with chickenpox symptoms should immediately consult the obstetrician who is following the pregnancy or go to the emergency room to start the appropriate treatment, avoiding serious complications, such as dehydration, which can also affect the baby.
Prevention of chickenpox in pregnancy
If the woman has not yet had chicken pox, the best way to prevent the disease is to avoid contact with infected patients, as the chicken pox vaccine should not be administered during pregnancy.
See other ways of not catching chicken pox at: How to avoid contagion of chickenpox and How not to catch chicken pox from your child.
