Chickenpox is considered a childhood disease. However, it is quite possible to get sick as an adult. It can be provoked by the herpes virus type 3, which is very contagious. Chickenpox is especially dangerous for pregnant women. It is very important to know exactly what complications can occur, as well as how to properly treat and prevent the occurrence of this disease.
Feature of the disease
Chickenpox develops as a result of infection with the herpes virus, which also causes shingles. It is a highly contagious disease and has the following characteristics:
- not fully cured;
- spread by airborne droplets;
- virus sensitive to environment;
- needs direct contact to get infected;
- has a long incubation period.
Once appearing in the body, the herpes virus type 3 remains in it forever, localized in the nerve cells of the spinal cord. With negative factors, one of which is the deterioration of immunity, it is activated in the form of shingles. However, the body producesantibodies to the virus, minimizing the chance of reinfection.
The virus is spread by airborne droplets. Getting on the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx along with air currents, pathogens very quickly find themselves in the blood and lymph.
The virus is sensitive to low and high temperatures, as well as direct sunlight. Even under normal conditions, its viability is no more than 10 minutes. You can only get sick from an infected person a few days before the first rash appears, and also within a week after the discovery of residual rashes. The disease has a long incubation period during which no symptoms appear.
Is it possible to contact sick people
Can a pregnant woman get chickenpox is of interest to many women who did not suffer from this disease in childhood. Chickenpox is considered a highly contagious disease, and the risk of infection from a carrier of infection through close contact is almost 100%. The patient is contagious from the last days of the incubation period and as long as the rash remains on the skin. Only a week after the crusts fall off, the ill person becomes harmless to others.
That is why pregnant women are strictly contraindicated in contact with infected chickenpox and shingles.
Can a pregnant woman get chickenpox if she has already had the disease once? Yes. This is quite possible, despite the fact that there are antibodies in the body. They do not guarantee complete protection againstinfections, as they may lose their ability to neutralize the pathogen.
Disease symptoms
Answering the question whether it is possible for pregnant women to get chickenpox, it must be said that this disease is very dangerous, and it is important to carry out preventive measures in a timely manner to prevent infection. First of all, women who did not have chickenpox in childhood are at risk of becoming infected. The body's defenses during the bearing of the baby are reduced, so there is no easy course of the disease.
Chickenpox occurs in moderate or severe form. The symptoms are much more pronounced than in other adults. By the end of the incubation period, which lasts 2-3 weeks, the first signs appear. They are expressed in the form of a deterioration in well-being, which is observed with severe intoxication of the body, the temperature rises, headaches, weakness and loss of appetite appear.
After that, a rather specific symptom appears - rashes. Initially, the rash looks like pink and reddish spots of various sizes, which in a few hours turn into bubbles and blisters filled with transparent contents. On average, the formation of new rashes occurs within 2 weeks.
When the rash dries up a little, it becomes covered with crusts. They should disappear on their own in 2 weeks. Most importantly, do not rip them off, so as not to infect.
What is the danger of chickenpox for a woman and fetus
The consequences of chickenpox in a pregnant woman can be quite dangerous, which is why it is important to take appropriate measuresto minimize the risk of infection. In the expectant mother, the disease is quite difficult, and complications may occur, which should be attributed to:
- pathology of the organs of vision;
- encephalitis;
- myocarditis;
- anomalies of the joints;
- kidney damage.
Negative and dangerous consequences of the disease threaten the child. The degree of risk for a woman and a baby largely depends on the duration of pregnancy.
Early pregnancy
Chickenpox for pregnant women and the fetus, as already mentioned, is very dangerous, and especially in the early stages of bearing a child, during the laying of organs and until the placenta is formed. So, infection for a period of 6-12 weeks leads to pathologies in the development of the limbs in a child.
If the disease began to develop for a period of 12-20 weeks, then there is a high probability of damage to the eyes and brain of the baby. Damage by the varicella-zoster virus to nerve endings provokes a violation in the formation of the sphincters of the rectum and urethra.
Underdevelopment of the limbs is explained by the propensity of the virus to infect fast-growing tissues. Skin manifestations are the formation of zigzag scars. Often they cover underdeveloped limbs. Eye lesions are presented in the form of cataracts. In addition, the brain may remain in an underdeveloped state. During a biopsy, calcifications, areas of tissue necrosis and hemorrhage are determined in it.
Severe consequences of chickenpox in the first trimester canbecome an indication for termination of pregnancy. In some cases, spontaneous miscarriage occurs. If a woman falls ill with chickenpox while pregnant in the early stages, then she needs to be diagnosed in order to determine the prospects for further gestation. In some cases, children are born without pathologies, but with congenital chickenpox.
Second trimester
Chickenpox for pregnant women in the 2nd trimester is also fraught with dangerous consequences. The disease can lead to brain damage. A child may be born outwardly normal, but after a while signs of mental retardation will be noticeable. Sometimes after childbirth, there are pathological neurological symptoms, and there may also be convulsions.
During this period, the risk of infection of the child is low, since the formed placenta protects against the penetration of viruses. A newborn may have pathologies such as:
- lung disease;
- violation of the function of the excretory system;
- vision deterioration;
- skin scars or lack of epithelium in some parts of the body;
- deviations in physical development.
Probably also brain damage with signs of mental retardation and neurological symptoms. However, death is rare.
In the 3rd trimester
If a pregnant woman has contracted chickenpox in the 3rd trimester, then the disease poses the least danger to the fetus. Its internal organs are already well formed, the placenta functions normally and protects the child from the penetration of the virus. The danger issymptoms of the disease that appeared in the mother 5 days before the birth or 2 days after them.
During the neonatal period, the baby does not have its own protective antibodies, and the mother becomes a source of infection. The child is very difficult to tolerate such an infection, and death is observed in about 20%.
Chickenpox causes very serious complications, such as inflammation of the respiratory and liver organs, encephalitis. If a woman is injected with immunoglobulin, then the course of chickenpox will be easier, and the newborn will receive the required protection from complications.
Features of treatment
In the case when a pregnant woman gets sick with chickenpox, you should immediately visit a doctor who will prescribe the diagnosis and the required treatment. For therapy, antiviral agents are required, as well as antiseptic solutions for treating rashes. Potent drugs are prescribed only in emergency situations in the presence of complications. Often, treatment for chickenpox is aimed at relieving symptoms and discomfort. That is why medication is required:
- to relieve itching;
- eliminate inflammation;
- immunity boost;
- temperature normalization.
A pregnant woman should take the drug "Acyclovir", which suppresses the action of viruses, according to the scheme. Be sure to treat the skin with antiseptics, for example, potassium permanganate or brilliant green. Calamine and Fukortsin are also considered an effective remedy.
To normalize body temperature and reduce pain, it is allowed to take Paracetamol. Immediately after the birth of a child, a woman needs an injection of immunoglobulin. It is necessary to strictly follow all the recommendations of the attending physician. Any of the drugs used can have a negative effect on the fetus.
Daily hygiene is required, but without the use of irritating cosmetics, and it is also forbidden to rub the skin with a washcloth. To eliminate itching, antihistamines are prescribed. Among the safest and most effective are Suprastin and Fenistil.
Can I get vaccinated while pregnant
Can pregnant women get chickenpox or not - largely depends on the period of pregnancy. In order to prevent infection, it is necessary to resolve the issue of vaccination in a timely manner. The thing is that the vaccination period can occur at a time when a woman is already pregnant. In this case, vaccination is strictly prohibited.
To avoid problems in the future, you need to take care of this in advance and consult a doctor. If in childhood a woman did not have chickenpox, then you need to be vaccinated and only after 3-4 months plan a pregnancy. After vaccination, you do not need to contact people who did not have smallpox, as the woman temporarily becomes the source of infection herself.
If she had chickenpox in childhood, then you need to be tested for the presence of antibodies to the causative agent of the virus in the blood. You should not terminate the pregnancy if conception occurred before the expirationthe allotted period after vaccination. However, you need to tell your gynecologist about this, as the consequences can be negative.
Pregnancy after chickenpox
The consequences of chickenpox in a pregnant woman can be very dangerous for the fetus. That is why you need to take appropriate measures to prevent infection. Those who had the disease before pregnancy should not be afraid for their condition and the consequences for the baby. A woman develops specific antibodies that protect her from the causative agent of the virus.
If the mother became infected after childbirth, then it is necessary to protect the baby from infection, especially in the first months after birth, until the child begins to develop its own immunity.
Prophylaxis
Chickenpox for pregnant women, if a woman was ill in early childhood, is not so terrible. Despite the fact that in most cases the disease does not develop a second time, it is still necessary to take appropriate preventive measures and not communicate with an infected person.
To prevent chickenpox from developing, you must adhere to the following rules:
- limit contact with small children;
- you should not communicate with people who have rashes on their bodies;
- if there are those in the family who have never had chickenpox, you need to get vaccinated.
A pregnant woman can get infected in places where there are large crowds of people, so she needs to avoid such places.
