Many women during pregnancy are afraid to catch the virus. And their fears are fully justified. After all, the illness of the expectant mother can adversely affect the health of the fetus. Chickenpox during pregnancy is an insidious ailment. In the article we will consider the symptoms of the disease, find out the methods of diagnosis and treatment, talk about preventive measures and vaccinations.
A few words about chickenpox
Chicken pox, or chickenpox, as they call it popularly, is an advantage in childhood. But with weakened immunity, an adult can also become infected with it.
Chickenpox is a viral disease that is provoked by herpes of the third type. You can get an illness by airborne droplets, with close contact with the patient. The virus enters the mucous membranes, gradually penetrating the blood.
You can also catch the disease by shaking hands or bodily contact with an infected person who already has papules on his body. The liquid from them, getting on the skin, penetrates through the pores into the blood.
Chickenpox during pregnancy is a rare occurrence (1 case per 1000 people). Every woman needs to remember that the virus can seriously harm the fetus and even lead to a miscarriage. In order to avoid irreversible consequences, with the first symptoms of the disease you need to consult a doctor for qualified help, and not self-medicate.
How to understand that a pregnant woman has contracted chickenpox
The insidiousness of chickenpox is that the incubation period of this disease is from 10 to 21 days. In this case, the person becomes infectious 1-2 days before the appearance of the first papules on the body.
It was previously believed that chickenpox can be sick 1 time in a life. But modern medicine rejects this theory. Often at a reception at the therapist you can hear that a woman fell ill with chickenpox a second time during pregnancy. Why is this happening?
The explanation is quite simple: immediately after conception, the body gives all its strength to the development of the fetus, the woman’s immunity weakens, so the viruses easily “cling”.
How to understand that a pregnant woman has chickenpox? Symptoms are as follows:
- An increase in body temperature to 38-39 degrees.
- Weakness, intoxication, dizziness.
- The appearance on the body of small pink spots that resemble mosquito bites. But after a couple of hours, the papules inflate, become much larger, change color, a liquid forms in them. As a rule, rashes occur in the head and on the back, gradually spreading throughout the body.
- After 3 days, the bubbles become smaller, covered with a small crust. It can not be removed independently, otherwise the scar will remain on the body.
On average, chickenpox in pregnant women can occur from 4 to 8 days. It all depends on the immunity of a woman. For 2-3 days, papules can spread to the mucous membranes and genitals. In this case, the doctor may recommend treatment in a hospital.
The consequences of chickenpox during pregnancy can be fatal to the mother and the fetus. The problem lies in the fact that almost all medicines are prohibited during this period.
Complications of chickenpox
In many cases , chickenpox during pregnancy for women goes away with complications. In this case, the rashes have the following forms:
- Hemorrhagic. Papules, in addition to a clear liquid, are filled with a sacrum. In addition, there are bleeding from the nose, the appearance of bruises on the skin, expansion of the veins.
- Gangrenous. In addition to papules, extensive growths that resemble gangrene appear on the skin. After the crusts fall away from them, the wounds begin to bleed.
- Generalized. Rashes are localized throughout the body and on the genitals. The general condition of the patient in this case is significantly worsened.
In these cases, a pregnant woman cannot do without inpatient treatment.
Diagnostic Methods
At the first suspicion of chickenpox, a pregnant woman should immediately consult a doctor. It is very important to inform the gynecologist about the symptoms in advance by phone. If the doctor confirms the diagnosis, then the woman should not come to the general reception so as not to infect other pregnant women.
How does a doctor diagnose the disease? There are several methods:
- Visual examination of the patient. An experienced infectious disease doctor, looking at the papules, can easily determine the disease.
- Analysis for chickenpox during pregnancy is prescribed only in cases where the symptoms are fairly lubricated and there are suspicions of joining other infections. The patient takes blood from a vein, the results determine the presence of the virus.
What do the results of the serological test:
- Positive. Chickenpox in a pregnant woman proceeds in an acute form.
- Negative. The virus is either absent in the body, or the incubation period is on.
- Doubtful. It is quite rare. As a rule, in this case, a mistake was made during blood sampling or in the laboratory. The analysis is repeated.
According to the results of the analysis, the doctor prescribes the woman the proper treatment.
Chickenpox in the first trimester
Many women are interested in whether chickenpox is dangerous during pregnancy. Some 20-30 years ago, with a similar diagnosis, doctors sent a woman to an abortion. With the development of modern medicine, with the ability to monitor the condition of the fetus using ultrasound and other procedures, experts say that the risks of an unsuccessful outcome are minimized. But still they are.
In many respects everything depends on the timing. In the first weeks of pregnancy, chickenpox is the most dangerous. It is at this time that the laying of the internal organs of the baby takes place. Taking medications during this period is strictly contraindicated.
What can chickenpox virus threaten in the first trimester:
- The placenta remains thin, underdeveloped.
- The virus can get to the baby. In this case, serious deviations in the fetus are not ruled out.
- Fading pregnancy.
- Intrauterine fetal death.
- Disproportionate development of the baby's body (short arms, legs too long).
Chickenpox during pregnancy in the first trimester with timely diagnosis and proper treatment in 90% of cases proceeds without complications for mother and fetus.
It is very important even after the illness to observe the condition of the baby using ultrasound. If there are risks of developmental abnormalities, doctors can prescribe a procedure for amniocentesis for a woman. In this case, a pregnant woman is given a small puncture in the abdomen to collect amniotic fluid. Based on them, one can judge the condition of the fetus.
Chickenpox in the second trimester
From the 12th week, the risk that the virus passes through the placenta to the baby is almost zero. During this period, doctors can prescribe a woman to take medications that will improve her condition.
But nevertheless, in order to be completely sure that everything is fine with the baby, it is necessary to do ultrasound and screening periodically.
Chickenpox in the third trimester
The risks in the last stages of bearing the baby increase again. Moved chickenpox in the third trimester of pregnancy can be fatal to the baby.
If a woman is infected literally before childbirth, doctors try to postpone the delivery process for at least a week to protect the baby. At this time, she is placed in an infectious block, and treatment is under the supervision of specialists.
5-6 days will be enough so that after the first rashes, the woman develops antibodies to chickenpox and is transmitted to the child through the umbilical cord.
If there is no opportunity to postpone delivery, an emergency cesarean section is performed. Immediately after it, immunoglobulin is administered to the mother and child.
But in this case, the risks of complications are quite large. Among them:
- damage to the central nervous system of the fetus;
- hypoxia;
- lag of crumbs in development;
- the death of the baby.
According to statistics, such complications happen 1 in 100 cases.
Chickenpox treatment
If treatment is not started in time, the consequences of chickenpox during pregnancy for the fetus and woman can be quite serious.
Preparations should be prescribed only by a specialist, without his recommendations, no means can be used.
The standard treatment for chickenpox during pregnancy is as follows:
- Smear the papules with fucarcin or brilliant green. Thus, they dry faster.
- Take antihistamines. It is prescribed if the patient complains of severe itching.
- Antiviral drugs.
If a woman has no complications, then the treatment for chickenpox ends.
Vaccination: the pros and cons
Many doctors offer a vaccine against chickenpox. Let's look at periods when it is better to inject the vaccine:
- If you probably don’t know if you had chickenpox in your childhood. In this case, the specialist should recommend taking an antibody test. If they are absent, be sure to make a vaccine 3-4 months before the proposed conception.
- If the pregnant woman had close contact with the patient. In this case, they do not put the vaccine at all, but the immunoglobulin (“Varienta” or “Varicellon”). These funds are effective only in the first three days after communication with the carrier of the virus.
Remember, vaccination does not provide 100% protection against chickenpox.
Preventive measures
Prevention of chickenpox during pregnancy should be as follows:
- Mandatory vaccination (3-4 months before conception).
- Try to avoid children's groups. As a rule, babies from 3 to 7 years are susceptible to the virus.
- Exclude contact with a sick person.
- Try to visit the clinic only at the time prescribed by the doctor, so as not to sit in lines. After all, the chickenpox virus is transmitted by airborne droplets.
Other preventive measures (airing the premises, wet cleaning, and others) are ineffective.
Chickenpox during pregnancy: reviews of women who have had a disease
Women who have had the disease during pregnancy respond quite negatively about the disease. During illness, many have to go to hospital, because at home they can’t cope with the virus.
The insidiousness of chickenpox is that symptoms resembling acute respiratory viral infections can occur. But in the first and last trimester, most drugs are banned.
Therefore, even banal runny nose and cough for pregnant women can be a big problem, not to mention a sharp increase in temperature. In this case, alternative methods of treatment can come to the rescue.
Chickenpox during pregnancy is an insidious ailment. At the first symptoms of the disease, you need to seek medical help. After all, at this time you need to think not only about yourself, but also about the health of the future baby.
Chickenpox in the first trimester can be an indicator for abortion. If the virus has passed through the placenta to the fetus, then with a probability of 75%, the baby will have serious developmental abnormalities.
To prevent such situations, doctors advise to think in advance about preventive measures, for example, about vaccination.