About 25% of newborns whose mothers fell ill with rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy are most often born with several congenital malformations. In medicine, this is called congenital rubella syndrome.
Such defects include eye diseases, mental retardation in development, heart defects, cerebral palsy, as well as loss of hearing and vision. Quite often, such children are not capable of thinking quickly and performing even the simplest tasks. But there are also cases in which children develop well. We can say that rubella and pregnancy are incompatible concepts. This disease should be feared, especially in the early stages.
Rubella is transmitted by airborne droplets, which makes it so dangerous. In addition, it does not appear immediately and in the early days of the disease you may not even feel any symptoms.
Rubella symptoms
If you have a pink rash on your body, then you should immediately consult a doctor. Most often it occurs in such parts of the body as the buttocks, elbows, back. But there are cases in which the rash is absent, and only elevated body temperature is observed up to 38 ° C.
Rubella and pregnancy: what is the danger?
Transmission of the disease during pregnancy from mother to child is the most negative factor. Since the consequences can be very serious, especially for an unborn baby. That is why rubella and pregnancy simply cannot be present at the same time.
Much depends on how long a woman is sick. The sooner the worse the consequences. According to statistics, 50% of pregnant women infected in the first trimester showed malformations of the fetus. In the second trimester, 11% of women, and the third - about 7%.
Rubella in the first trimester is considered the most dangerous. Since this threatens with a miscarriage or abortion. And a child who is born with rubella syndrome faces many serious illnesses. Most often, such children have deafness, congenital malformations, cataracts, damage to the spleen and liver, malformations of the skeletal system, as well as other congenital diseases.
As for the second trimester, the consequences may not be so severe, but still they are present, the cause of which is rubella. And pregnancy can be quite difficult in recent months. And if the newborn does not initially show any deviations, they can manifest themselves in the future. These can be mental illnesses, convulsions, mental retardation, and others.
Rubella during pregnancy in the third trimester also has serious consequences. These include miscarriage and placental insufficiency, which is necessary to be strengthened as quickly as possible using special medical procedures.
Pregnancy and rubella vaccine
Before planning a child, every woman needs to be checked for the presence of antibodies of this disease. Then, if necessary, get a vaccine that will help protect yourself from the disease throughout pregnancy.
If a woman does not have immunity, she should protect herself from contact with those who have rubella. In addition, if you did not have time to get the vaccine before pregnancy, you must definitely do it after the birth. Indeed, during breastfeeding it is quite safe and will not harm the baby in any way. It should be remembered that vaccination during pregnancy is not recommended. And in order to get pregnant after it, you need to wait about 3 months. After that, your body will be protected from rubella for as long as 20 years.
Remember that all children must be vaccinated against this disease if they do not have any medical contraindications. After all, vaccination at an early age will help prevent the spread of rubella among others, including pregnant women.