How does chicken pox affect pregnant women

Varicella chickenpox is an acute infectious disease. After the primary infection, VZV stays in the body in the sensory nerve ganglia as a latent infection. Primary infection with VZV causes varicella. Reactivation of latent infection causes herpes zoster shingles. The average incubation period for varicella is 14 to 16 days after exposure to a varicella or a herpes zoster rash, with a range of 10 to 21 days. A mild prodrome of fever and malaise may occur 1 to 2 days before rash onset, particularly in adults.

In children, the rash is often the first sign of disease. The rash is generalized and pruritic. It progresses rapidly from macular to papular to vesicular lesions before crusting. Lesions are typically present in all stages of development at the same time. The rash usually appears first on the chest, back, and face, then spreads over the entire body. The lesions are usually most concentrated on the chest and back. Symptoms typically last 4 to 7 days. Infants, adolescents, adults, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people are at risk for more severe disease and have a higher incidence of complications.

Recovery from primary varicella infection usually provides immunity for life. In otherwise healthy people, a second occurrence of varicella is uncommon. Second occurrence of varicella may be more likely to occur in people who are immunocompromised. As with other viral infections, re-exposure to natural wild-type varicella may lead to re-infection that boosts antibody titers without causing illness or detectable viremia. Breakthrough varicella is infection with wild-type varicella-zoster virus VZV occurring in a vaccinated person more than 42 days after varicella vaccination.

Breakthrough varicella is usually mild. Patients typically are afebrile or have low fever and develop fewer than 50 skin lesions. They usually have a shorter illness compared to unvaccinated people who get varicella.

The rash is more likely to be predominantly maculopapular rather than vesicular. Since the clinical features of breakthrough varicella are often mild, it can be difficult to make a diagnosis on clinical presentation alone. Laboratory testing is increasingly important for confirming varicella and appropriately managing the patients and their contacts.

Breakthrough varicella occurs less frequently among those who have received two doses of vaccine compared with those who have received only one dose; disease may be even milder among two-dose vaccine recipients, although the information about this is limited.

Varicella is highly contagious. The virus can be spread from person to person by direct contact, inhalation of aerosols from vesicular fluid of skin lesions of acute varicella or zoster, and possibly through infected respiratory secretions that also may be aerosolized. A person with varicella is considered contagious beginning one to two days before rash onset until all the chickenpox lesions have crusted.

Vaccinated people may develop lesions that do not crust. These people are considered contagious until no new lesions have appeared for 24 hours. It takes from 10 to 21 days after exposure to the virus for someone to develop varicella. People with breakthrough varicella are also contagious.

However, people with breakthrough varicella with 50 or more lesions were just as contagious as unvaccinated people with the disease.

After the birth, your GP may consider treating your baby with chickenpox antibodies called varicella zoster immune globulin VZIG if:. Read the answers to more questions about pregnancy. Page last reviewed: 17 October Next review due: 17 October Home Common health questions Pregnancy Back to Pregnancy. How is chickenpox treated during pregnancy? Your treatment will depend on the stage of pregnancy and your symptoms. Antiviral medicine You may be offered aciclovir, an antiviral medicine, which should be given within 24 hours of the chickenpox rash appearing.

If you get chickenpox between 2 weeks before birth to 2 weeks after birth, you can pass the infection to your baby. If this happens, the infection in your baby usually is mild. If you get chickenpox immediately before or right after birth 5 days before birth to 2 days after birth , your baby may have an increased risk for a serious infection called neonatal varicella.

This infection can be life-threatening, but treatment is helping more babies survive. If you have a preterm birth , your newborn may be at higher risk of complications from chickenpox.

Preterm birth is birth that happens before 37 weeks of pregnancy. The varicella vaccine can protect you from chickenpox. In fact, this vaccine prevents more than 3. But the vaccine is not safe to get during pregnancy. You get the vaccine in two doses. In the meantime, stay away from anyone who has chickenpox or shingles. Your provider can treat you with medicine that has chickenpox antibodies. Antibodies help the body fight infections. And tell your provider if you come in contact with a person who has shingles.

Your provider can decide if you need treatment to help prevent you from getting infected. Your provider can tell you if you have chickenpox by doing a physical exam. If you get chickenpox during pregnancy, your provider may give you an antiviral medicine such as acyclovir or valacyclovir. An antiviral is a medicine to treat infections caused by viruses. These medicines are safe to use during pregnancy. They work best when given within 24 hours of the chickenpox rash appearing.

If you have chickenpox and develop signs or symptoms of pneumonia, your provider may want you to stay in the hospital and be treated with acyclovir through an IV through a needle into a vein. The medicine can help prevent chickenpox in your baby or make it less dangerous.

If your baby gets chickenpox in the 2 weeks after birth, your baby may also be treated with antiviral medicine.

If a vaccinated person gets chickenpox, they can still spread it to others. But the vaccine is more than 90 percent effective at preventing chickenpox. Providers recommend that children get their first dose of the varicella vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age and the second dose at age 4 to 6. Get expert tips and resources from March of Dimes and CDC to increase your chance of having a healthy, fully-term pregnancy and baby.

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