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Can Fever During Pregnancy Harm The Baby?

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Posted on Mon, 12 May 2014
Question: My Wife is 7 weeks pregnancy, getting fever around 99.5F and its continuing for 5days, is there any problem to the baby or mother with the fever. currently she is taking crocin, do you suggest any anti antibiotics medicine?
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Answered by Dr. Madhuri N Bagde (47 minutes later)
Brief Answer: Detailed answer below. Detailed Answer: hello and welcome, I understand the problem. A fever of 99.5 does not pose much problem to the baby. Temperatures beyond 100 may cause harm. So just take crocin and sponge the body with XXXXXXX warm water to keep the fever down. For every pregnant woman with fever we prefer to investigate as high temperatures may be hazardous for the baby. Also certain infections like rubella, CMV are bad for the baby during pregnancy. Another reason for fever is increased body temperatures due to the effect of pregnancy hormone progesterone. so if there are no other localising signs like cough cold, gastric upset, urine problems then this may also be the reason for raised body temperature and it does not need any treatment. It would not be possible to prescribe antibiotics based solely on the history of fever alone. A source of infection needs to be documented. A Total and differential leucocyte count, urine examination and blood tests for malaria and dengue are the common baseline investigations. If there is a rash, a TORCH test will be needed. It is best to get examined by a doctor and look for the cause considering the pregnancy. Meanwhile continue the crocin and sponging religiously till fever decreases. Once the fever decreases [ especially if it is caused by viruses] then lower temperatures help control the viral load and help the body to fight them off. She may take crocin one tablet every 8 hours to bring the temperature down. Gelusil tablet may be used with crocin if there is acidity [ as she has a history of acidity] Check if she has sore throat, cough, cold as these are commonly caused by viruses and do not need antibiotics. If there are chills then malaria or urine infection are likely causes. If at all an antibiotic is needed then those of the penicillin group like amoxycillin or cephalexin or azithromycin are relatively safer and do not cause any harm to the baby. So do not worry, better see a doctor and get her tested and continue crocin meanwhile. Hope this satisfies your query. Thanks for using HCM. Feel free to ask any more questions that you may have. Dr Madhuri Bagde Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Madhuri N Bagde

OBGYN

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 1390 Questions

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Can Fever During Pregnancy Harm The Baby?

Brief Answer: Detailed answer below. Detailed Answer: hello and welcome, I understand the problem. A fever of 99.5 does not pose much problem to the baby. Temperatures beyond 100 may cause harm. So just take crocin and sponge the body with XXXXXXX warm water to keep the fever down. For every pregnant woman with fever we prefer to investigate as high temperatures may be hazardous for the baby. Also certain infections like rubella, CMV are bad for the baby during pregnancy. Another reason for fever is increased body temperatures due to the effect of pregnancy hormone progesterone. so if there are no other localising signs like cough cold, gastric upset, urine problems then this may also be the reason for raised body temperature and it does not need any treatment. It would not be possible to prescribe antibiotics based solely on the history of fever alone. A source of infection needs to be documented. A Total and differential leucocyte count, urine examination and blood tests for malaria and dengue are the common baseline investigations. If there is a rash, a TORCH test will be needed. It is best to get examined by a doctor and look for the cause considering the pregnancy. Meanwhile continue the crocin and sponging religiously till fever decreases. Once the fever decreases [ especially if it is caused by viruses] then lower temperatures help control the viral load and help the body to fight them off. She may take crocin one tablet every 8 hours to bring the temperature down. Gelusil tablet may be used with crocin if there is acidity [ as she has a history of acidity] Check if she has sore throat, cough, cold as these are commonly caused by viruses and do not need antibiotics. If there are chills then malaria or urine infection are likely causes. If at all an antibiotic is needed then those of the penicillin group like amoxycillin or cephalexin or azithromycin are relatively safer and do not cause any harm to the baby. So do not worry, better see a doctor and get her tested and continue crocin meanwhile. Hope this satisfies your query. Thanks for using HCM. Feel free to ask any more questions that you may have. Dr Madhuri Bagde Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist