Chickenpox during pregnancy - trimester treatment!

Varicella is a widespread viral disease, diagnosed primarily in school-age children. In most situations, the ailment proceeds without any complications and passes quickly enough. Along with this, an adult can also develop chickenpox if he did not have this "experience" during the growing up period. Here, the prospects are not so bright: the older the patient, the more difficult he experiences the disease.

A particularly dangerous situation is if a pregnant woman gets sick with chickenpox. And although such cases are diagnosed extremely rarely, it is not worth it to write off such a probability completely. After reading the information below, you will learn how chickenpox manifests itself in pregnant women, what kind of danger the disease poses for a future mother and developing fetus, as well as receive recommendations and important accompanying comments on the need and procedure for seeking medical help.

Features of the manifestation of the disease

The disease begins to progress after infection of the patient with the herpes simplex virus type III.

The causative agent is transmitted mainly by airborne droplet or through household fluids. The first signs of the disease appear on average for several days( sometimes up to 3 weeks) after infection.

The list of early symptoms of chickenpox includes the following:

• general deterioration of well-being;
• loss of appetite;
• temperature increase;
• headaches.

A couple of days after the appearance of the first signs, the skin becomes blistered with a clear liquid. Every day the amount of rashes increases. The peak is reached about 5-7 days.

The key danger of chickenpox in the case of pregnant patients is that the immunity of the latter is seriously weakened in most situations, which causes the disease to occur with medium or high severity and is accompanied by an increased intensity of unfavorable symptoms. The likelihood of complications is not excluded. About them will be told in the following sections of the publication.

Possible consequences for the mother and child

General information

As noted, during the pregnancy period the disease studied today can take atypical forms. About them in the table.

Table. Possible atypical forms of chickenpox in pregnant women

Forms of the disease	Features
Hemorrhagic	The fluid contained in the blisters, includes impurities of blood. Possible coughing up of blood, vomiting with blood, as well as bleeding from the nose and other adverse manifestations.
Gangrenous	In addition to the characteristic blistering of chickenpox, dry crusts appear on the skin, subsequently progressing to ulcers.

In accordance with the averaged statistics, more than 30% of pregnant patients with chickenpox develop complications such as herpetic pneumonia. This secondary disease is characterized by a very severe course and requires qualified medical intervention. Otherwise, the consequences can be catastrophic - even to the point of death.

Also the list of possible complications includes the following provisions:

• miscarriage at the initial stages;
• infringements of formation of a bone system of the kid;
• developmental disorders of the main sense organs;
• pathology of the nervous system;
• formation of gross scars on the skin of the mother and fetus;
• intrauterine death of a developing fetus;
• Infection of the child with congenital chickenpox;
• various pathologies, provoking violations of the development of the baby after his birth.

The list of complications and the overall level of danger of chickenpox for mom and baby vary depending on the period of pregnancy the woman fell ill. So, during the III trimester this disease does not represent practically no significant threat and proceeds in the same way as in non-pregnant patients. Information regarding the first two trimesters requires more detailed study.

Chickenpox in the I trimester

During the first 12 weeks, the main organs and tissues of the future baby are laid. That is why absolutely any diseases during this period represent an increased danger. The placenta as such remains underdeveloped, read - not able to provide adequate protection for the child.

Statistically, infection of the fetus is extremely rare, but if the intrauterine chickenpox still began to progress, it will not pass without a trace with almost 100% probability.

Consequences can be very diverse: from disrupting the development of tissues, organs and systems to severe pathologies of the nervous system, various deformities and even fetal death.

Fetal status is assessed by ultrasound methods. If a specialist identifies severe pathologies and deformities that pose a threat to the fetus or can significantly impair the quality of life of the baby after birth, the question of the artificial termination of pregnancy will be raised.

There is no confirmed information on the presence of the relationship between chickenpox and the probability of a natural miscarriage or pregnancy fading.

Chickenpox in the 2nd trimester

After the 12th week, the chances of contracting the fetus with chickenpox are almost completely excluded. By this time, the placenta is already able to provide adequate protection for the fetus that develops, which reduces the risk of various complications to almost 0.

If you are sick with chickenpox in the second trimester, to assess the baby's condition and personal calm,.

What should a future mother do?

In most situations, the results of an external examination are sufficient for the diagnosis. If the disease takes an atypical form, resort to the use of additional laboratory methods of diagnosis. Traditionally, this is a serological study, the essence of which is reduced to determining the presence in the patient's body of antibodies to the causative agent of chickenpox. The possible results are described below.

1. If the test is positive, it indicates the presence of chickenpox in the acute stage or indicates that the patient has recently had the disease.
2. If the analysis gives a negative result, the disease either is absent, or is in the incubation stage, or the earlier periods of the disease progression take place.
3. If the results are questionable / smeared, the analysis must be re-submitted after a few days.

Features treatment of chicken pox in the case of pregnant women

Basic information about the characteristics of chickenpox treatment in pregnant patients is shown in the table.

Table. Treatment of chickenpox

Features of the course of the disease / pregnancy	Treatment order
Normal course	If chickenpox flows without complications and does not pose a threat to the mother and fetus, no specific treatment is used. In such situations, they are limited to the treatment of blisters with a green or other suitable means( a doctor will recommend). Important! As a rule, rashes with chickenpox are very itchy. Combing them, of course, you can not - you can put an infection. To get rid of itching, you can, for example, apply lotions of calamine lotion. If the infection occurred during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy or on the eve of delivery, the doctor may prescribe an injection of immunoglobulin.
Severe	If chickenpox takes atypical form and / or gives serious complications, more serious treatment will be required. As a rule, special antiviral drugs are prescribed, for example, acyclovir. The use of such is resorted exclusively up to the 20th week of the term and only during the first day after the initial symptoms of chickenpox are revealed. In case of non-observance of the above rules, the use of acyclovir will not give any positive results and, moreover, will harm the baby.

Important! During pregnancy, a woman should take double responsibility to take care of her health. Any uncontrolled self-treatment is strictly excluded - drugs for fighting chickenpox are prescribed only by a qualified doctor.

For a better understanding of the procedure for finding out the symptoms of chickenpox during pregnancy, we suggest you read the information below.

So, you got chickenpox. The first thing you need to do is to go to the doctor to take your pregnancy. In the absence of complications and a serious threat to the fetus, treatment with a high degree of probability will be limited to the treatment of rashes with the help of a green tooth or other remedy recommended by a doctor.

The decision regarding the need for additional medications is taken only by the doctor and only after a thorough examination of the patient and a comprehensive assessment of the possible risks.

Prophylactic recommendations for expectant mothers

First, responsibly approach the planning of pregnancy. Visit the doctor and give an analysis for antibodies to chicken pox.

A list of additional examinations and studies will be provided by a specialist. If necessary, the administration of immunoglobulin and other drugs that promote immunity and eliminate existing health problems will be prescribed.

Secondly, avoid visiting crowded places, especially hospitals, schools and preschools. Contact with strangers should be kept to a minimum. Remember: chicken pox is easily transmitted by airborne droplets even during the initial incubation period, i.e.a person may not have any symptoms of the disease, but already be contagious.

Thirdly, if you do not save yourself and made contact with a sick person, be sure to go to the doctor. In the absence of risks for the baby, the specialist will inject the immunoglobulin. This will prevent infection.

This injection is effective only if performed within 3-4 days after the virus enters the body. In the rest, adhere to the medical recommendations that are relevant directly to your case - every organism, especially if it is an organism of a pregnant woman, is individual.

Be Healthy!

Video - Chickenpox during pregnancy