Expert answer:
THE chicken pox during pregnancy can have consequences for the baby, depending on which week of gestation the contagion occurred:
- Catapora before 13 weeks of gestation: the risk of reaching the baby is very low and only about 0.3% of these develop some malformation. The changes that can occur in the baby are: low weight for gestational age, skin cicatricial lesions, limb hypotrophy, microphthalmia, cataract, chorioretinitis, optic nerve atrophy and mental retardation.
- Catapora between the 13 and 20 weeks of gestation: the baby may be low birth weight or he may have some difficulty developing properly.
- Catapora between 21 and 36 weeks of gestation: the risk of affecting the baby is very small, but the baby may have herpes as early as the first year of life.
- Catapora after 37 weeks of gestation: the baby may be affected and the obstetrician should indicate the use of a specific antiviral injection to decrease the risk of developing the most severe form of the disease, which can lead to disseminated chickenpox, hemorrhagic lesions, liver and lung involvement, and lethality around 35%.
O treatment for chicken pox during pregnancy also consists of relieving the symptoms. Only in specific cases where there is a high risk of infection of the baby, the obstetrician may prescribe the use of anti-varicella zoster immunoglobulin to protect the mother and the baby. Other than this, one should:
- Take cold or warm baths to lower the fever;
- Avoid scratching the wounds and keeping the nails short;
- Wash hands with antiseptic soap;
- Use antihistamines for relief of itching.
If the woman has not yet had chicken pox, the only way to prevent the disease is to avoid contact with the infected ones. The vaccine can not be given during pregnancy.
If you develop bullous lesions during pregnancy, you should seek your obstetrician immediately, or prompt care.
