Chicken pox exposure in pregnancy

Can chicken pox be harmfull to my unborn baby? What is a good age for chicken pox exposure? What are the long-term effects of chickenpox? Is chicken pox dangerous in adulthood? If chickenpox develops during the first weeks of pregnancy — particularly between weeks eight and — the baby faces a slight risk of a rare group of serious birth defects known as congenital varicella syndrome.

A baby who has congenital varicella syndrome might develop skin scarring, and eye, brain, limb and gastrointestinal abnormalities.

If you have not had chickenpox before and are pregnant , you may receive the shot of zoster immune globulin (ZIG) when you come in contact with someone who has chickenpox. ZIG must be given within days of first exposure. You can get a chickenpox vaccine if you do not have the chicken pox.

Although birth defects from chickenpox exposure can be severe (congenital varicella syndrome), the risk of a baby having birth defects due to chickenpox exposure in the first half of pregnancy is between 0. Exposure in the second half of pregnancy would not be likely to result in birth defects. It may also cause fetal varicella syndrome (FVS) and varicella infection of the newborn, which includes congenital varicella syndrome (CVS) and neonatal varicella. If a pregnant woman gets varicella in her first or early second trimester, her baby has a small risk ( to ) of being born with congenital varicella syndrome. Risks of chickenpox in pregnancy.

Defects of muscle and bone.

This is called the congenital varicella syndrome. Malformed and paralyzed limbs. Intellectual disability. This syndrome is rare with an infection that occurs after weeks of pregnancy.

These antibodies are transferred to the infant through the placenta throughout the pregnancy. But in the worst cases, complications of chickenpox during pregnancy can include pneumonia, encephalitis and hepatitis and can cause fatalities. The risks of developing complications increase if you smoke, have a lung condition, have taken steroids in the last three months or are over weeks pregnant.

If you are infected with chickenpox during the first weeks of your pregnancy, there is a risk that your unborn baby could develop a condition known as ‘foetal varicella syndrome’. The risks of FVS depend on when during your pregnancy you get chickenpox: Before weeks in the womb (uterus), the risk that your baby develops FVS is small. After weeks, your baby is unlikely to be affected by FVS. But he may develop shingles in his first few years of life.

If a susceptible pregnant woman is exposed to someone with chicken pox , prophylactic treatment is indicated. The most well-studied method of prophylaxis is administration of varicella zoster immune globulin (VZIG). People usually get it during childhood. Its symptoms include an itchy rash, blisters and fever. These symptoms show up about weeks after you get the chickenpox virus.

The infection usually isn’t dangerous in children. Chickenpox is caused by a virus. If the mother is infected by varicella during and weeks of gestation a serious condition called congenital varicella syndrome affects the fetus.

You can, however, develop shingles during your. The revised guideline from RCOG covers prevention of chicken pox in pregnancy , management and treatment of pregnant women with chicken pox , mode of delivery, infant risks, and breast-feeding. It can spread to the baby during birth. If you’re pregnant and think you have been exposed to chickenpox, you should have a blood test to check whether you’re immune. Preterm delivery (delivery before weeks of pregnancy ) is more common in women who have chickenpox in the first half of their pregnancies.

However, most babies born to women who have chickenpox in pregnancy are healthy. In pregnancy , severe maternal chickenpox and fetal varicella syndrome. In later pregnancy , varicella can result in neonatal chickenpox infection.

In immunocompromised people, severe disseminated chickenpox with varicella pneumonia, encephalitis, hepatitis, and haemorrhagic complications.