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Risk Of Chickenpox During Pregnancy

One of the most deadliest viruses to attack a pregnant woman is chickenpox. If you are attacked with this virus during pregnancy, it can cause complications, both for the mother and the unborn baby. When you are pregnant, it is important for you to stay healthy at all times so that your unborn child is not affected by any sort of virus.

Women, who are not immune to the disease and if by chance you develop it at the time of pregnancy, it is important to contact your doctor immediately.

FOODS TO AVOID WHEN YOU HAVE THE POX!

The risk of chickenpox during pregnancy attracts a lot more other diseases as your immunity is low. When you are pregnant and develop varicella, the highly contagious viral illness, you and your foetus can face serious health risks, one of the potentially serious complications being pneumonia.

If you are pregnant, the two ways you can protect yourself from chickenpox is by consuming certain foods and by staying away from the infected.

If you are already infected with chickenpox, here are some risks of the chickenpox during pregnancy. Take a look:

Baby Develops The Pox

Baby Develops The Pox

If chicken pox occurs within five days or less of delivery or 1-2 days after delivery, there is a 20-25 percent chance that your baby will develop chicken pox, known as congenital varicella.

Birth Defects

Birth Defects

If you are infected with chickenpox during pregnancy, chances are that your foetus might develop eye problems, a small head size and mental retardation.

On The Internal Organs

On The Internal Organs

Chances are that the baby can develop foetal varicella syndrome (FVS). It is a syndrome which can damage the baby's skin, eyes, legs, arms and brain.

Birth Weight

Birth Weight

If you are infected with the virus when pregnant, it will lead to a lot of problems, one of them being birth weight. The child may be born with a low birth weight, since the pregnant woman is consuming only foods to help deal with the virus.

Skin Scaring

Skin Scaring

CVS (chickenpox) is characterised by birth defects, one of them being skin scarring on the unborn foetus.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia

One of the most common risks of chickenpox during pregnancy is pneumonia. At this stage, your body becomes weak and therefore, you might develop pneumonia.

Miscarriage

Miscarriage

The growing foetus, who is infected with CVS, may suffer from seizures which could lead to miscarriage.

Preterm Labour

Preterm Labour

Some studies show that chickenpox in the first 20 weeks of a pregnancy increases the risk for preterm labour. This is one of the risks of chickenpox during pregnancy, which women should be aware of.

Story first published: Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 18:02 [IST]
Read more about: pregnancy prenatal