If chickenpox is caught after 20 weeks, there does not appear to be any risk of abnormality to the baby. However, if chickenpox is caught within seven days before birth, the newborn baby may develop a severe form of chickenpox.
Most pregnant women (about 90%) are already immune to the chickenpox virus because they had it as a child.
If you are pregnant and you develop chickenpox, or you have come into contact with someone with chickenpox and youre not sure if you had chickenpox when you were a child, you should speak to your GP or midwife immediately.
Erythema infectiosum (also known as Slapped cheek syndrome, parvovirus infection, or Fifth Disease) is an infection caused by the virus parvovirus B19. Research suggests that up to 60% of all adults in the UK have been infected with this virus at some point. One infection is thought to give lifelong immunity.
Most unborn babies are unaffected by exposure to parvovirus B19, but if a pregnant woman develops the infection in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, it increases the risk of miscarriage. As well as the increased risk of miscarriage, if infection occurs in weeks 9-20 there is also a small risk that the baby will develop hydrops fetalis. This is a rare condition that can cause heart failure and anaemia and can be fatal in about half of all cases.
Measles is now rare in the UK as it is routinely vaccinated against in childhood. However, if a pregnant woman does contract the measles virus, especially towards the end of her pregnancy, her baby will be at increased risk of being born premature. Measles caught earlier in the pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.
If you are pregnant and you develop measles, or you have come into contact with someone with measles, you should speak to your GP or midwife immediately.
German measles (also called rubella) can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or birth defects such as deafness, brain damage, heart defects and cataracts. Like measles, rubella is now rare in the UK as it is routinely vaccinated against in childhood.
If you are pregnant and you develop rubella, or you have come into contact with someone who has rubella, you should speak to your GP or midwife immediately.
Colds and flu viruses should not have an effect on an unborn baby, unless a secondary infection such as pneumonia develops which affects the health of the mother.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is caused by a virus from the herpes family of viruses. About 1 in 100 babies will catch this infection, but only 1 in 10 of these will develop any problems as a result. Potential problems can include learning difficulties, swollen liver or spleen, jaundice, or visual impairments.
Mumps in pregnancy is not known to cause problems for the unborn baby, but it can increase the risk of miscarriage during the first 12-16 weeks of pregnancy. Like measles and German measles, mumps is now rare in the UK as it is routinely vaccinated against in childhood.
If you are pregnant and you develop mumps, or you have come into contact with someone who has mumps, you should speak to your GP or midwife immediately.
Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is an infection usually caused by the coxsackie A virus. There is normally no risk to the unborn baby if HFMD is caught during pregnancy. However, if the virus is caught shortly before birth, it can pass to the baby and they may need hospital treatment once born to avoid developing further problems.
Genital warts are caused by a virus called the human papilloma virus (HPV). Genital warts can sometimes grow larger during pregnancy, making urination difficult and sometimes causing problems during birth. In rare cases, the virus can cause the newborn baby to develop a condition called laryngeal papillomatosis, when warts grow inside the larynx (voice box) or throat.
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