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Ob/gyn Is Closed. I Had A Varciella ( Chicken Pox
Question: Ob/gyn is closed. I had a varciella (chicken pox vaccine) before i knew i was pregnant. I was about 3-4 weeks along. The nurse that did it told me to notify dr immediately because live vaccines put mother and baby/fetus at risk. My question is...what are the risks,what is the likelihood of it affecting me or baby, and what information should i know that is relevant to my situation? Depending on risks, if theres treatment to reverse any possible effects, or what damages could have already happened i may want to terminate pregnancy. I just want as much factual information as possible.
Brief Answer:
The risks for the baby to be affected are very slim- details below
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service,
I carefully read your query and understand your concern.
Varicella vaccine is a live vaccine and as any live vaccine, it is not recommended during pregnancy.
On the other hand, studies related to varicella vaccine do not show scarry data.
Studies show that the earlier a pregnant women are in contact with the varicella virus the less likely birth defects are.
The highest risk is when the woman develops the infection. In this case, if a pregnant woman develops chickenpox within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the risk the infection will affect the baby is 0.4%. This means that the risk in your case, even if you had the active infection would be 1 in 250 that the baby would have problems. This risk would go to 2 in 100 after week 12 and almost 1 in 4 towards the end of the pregnancy.
In the case of exposure to the vaccine, this risk is almost insignificant, according to studies (almost 0%).
To conclude:
- the risks of the baby being affected while the mother got the vaccine in the first few weeks of pregnancy are almost insignificant. Studies showed the same rate of congenital defects as the general population. This means each pregnancy has a risk for congenital defects but these were not higher in the group that had the vaccine during pregnancy. Thus, due to this insignificant risk, when a woman is exposed to the varicella vaccine, routine abortion is not recommended.
- even in the case of chickenpox infection during the first trimester, the risk for the baby to be affected is only 1 in 250, which is considered very low risk.
As for the possible risks of chickenpox during pregnancy, these are two:
- congenital varicella syndrome (happens if chickenpox infection is contracted before week 20 of pregnancy). This may consist of skin scarring, growth retardation, brain atrophy, cataract, limbs may not develop well, small head, small eyes, low IQ index.
- neonatal varicella (happens if chickenpox happens after week 20 of pregnancy)- this is the active infection that may be affecting the baby causing a severe infection of the skin, eyes, lungs, etc and increased perinatal death risk.
I hope this answers your query.
I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
The risks for the baby to be affected are very slim- details below
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service,
I carefully read your query and understand your concern.
Varicella vaccine is a live vaccine and as any live vaccine, it is not recommended during pregnancy.
On the other hand, studies related to varicella vaccine do not show scarry data.
Studies show that the earlier a pregnant women are in contact with the varicella virus the less likely birth defects are.
The highest risk is when the woman develops the infection. In this case, if a pregnant woman develops chickenpox within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the risk the infection will affect the baby is 0.4%. This means that the risk in your case, even if you had the active infection would be 1 in 250 that the baby would have problems. This risk would go to 2 in 100 after week 12 and almost 1 in 4 towards the end of the pregnancy.
In the case of exposure to the vaccine, this risk is almost insignificant, according to studies (almost 0%).
To conclude:
- the risks of the baby being affected while the mother got the vaccine in the first few weeks of pregnancy are almost insignificant. Studies showed the same rate of congenital defects as the general population. This means each pregnancy has a risk for congenital defects but these were not higher in the group that had the vaccine during pregnancy. Thus, due to this insignificant risk, when a woman is exposed to the varicella vaccine, routine abortion is not recommended.
- even in the case of chickenpox infection during the first trimester, the risk for the baby to be affected is only 1 in 250, which is considered very low risk.
As for the possible risks of chickenpox during pregnancy, these are two:
- congenital varicella syndrome (happens if chickenpox infection is contracted before week 20 of pregnancy). This may consist of skin scarring, growth retardation, brain atrophy, cataract, limbs may not develop well, small head, small eyes, low IQ index.
- neonatal varicella (happens if chickenpox happens after week 20 of pregnancy)- this is the active infection that may be affecting the baby causing a severe infection of the skin, eyes, lungs, etc and increased perinatal death risk.
I hope this answers your query.
I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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