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How Does Exposure To Chicken Pox During Pregnancy Impact The Woman?
Question: My 2yr old granddaughter just broke out with chicken pox. My daughter is in her 2nd trimester of pregnancy. We were together this past Saturday. What are the implications for my pregnant daughter?
Brief Answer:
VZIG vaccine can help.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for trusting us with your health concern.
Chickenpox during pregnancy can cause complications, both for the pregnant woman and the unborn baby. However, the actual risk of any complications occurring is low - less than 5%.
It’s rare to get chickenpox when you’re pregnant. It’s estimated that just 3 in every 1,000 women (0.3%) catch chickenpox during pregnancy less than 20 weeks even if they are exposed to a patient.
Most pregnant women who get chickenpox recover, with no adverse effects on the baby.
At less than 20 weeks if your daughter gets chicken pox from the exposure there’s a small risk the baby can develop foetal varicella syndrome (FVS). FVS can damage the baby’s skin, eyes, legs, arms, brain, bladder or bowel.
If she is not immune, she can have an injection of VZIG to protect her and her baby. VZIG will lessen the severity of the infection, but she must have it within ten days of exposure to chicken pox for it to be effective. It's not known, though, whether the shot does anything to help protect the baby. The VZIG vaccine provides protection that lasts only about three weeks. If she has never had chicken pox and is not vaccinated then she can get VZIG vaccine after consulting her gynecologist.
Please feel free to discuss further. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Rakhi-Tayal
VZIG vaccine can help.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for trusting us with your health concern.
Chickenpox during pregnancy can cause complications, both for the pregnant woman and the unborn baby. However, the actual risk of any complications occurring is low - less than 5%.
It’s rare to get chickenpox when you’re pregnant. It’s estimated that just 3 in every 1,000 women (0.3%) catch chickenpox during pregnancy less than 20 weeks even if they are exposed to a patient.
Most pregnant women who get chickenpox recover, with no adverse effects on the baby.
At less than 20 weeks if your daughter gets chicken pox from the exposure there’s a small risk the baby can develop foetal varicella syndrome (FVS). FVS can damage the baby’s skin, eyes, legs, arms, brain, bladder or bowel.
If she is not immune, she can have an injection of VZIG to protect her and her baby. VZIG will lessen the severity of the infection, but she must have it within ten days of exposure to chicken pox for it to be effective. It's not known, though, whether the shot does anything to help protect the baby. The VZIG vaccine provides protection that lasts only about three weeks. If she has never had chicken pox and is not vaccinated then she can get VZIG vaccine after consulting her gynecologist.
Please feel free to discuss further. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Rakhi-Tayal
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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