Worms and pregnant 😭

[Bozbiza]

I discovered on Sunday I have worms, was absolutely horrified! I’m 30 weeks pregnant and panicked and took an ovex and treated the whole house, been following super strict hygiene, cleaning constantly and washing to the point of having red raw hands! I’ve seen ovex isn’t recommended in pregnancy and read a lot conflicting information after but have been checked out and baby is absolutely fine thank goodness! It’s now day 5 after ovex and there are still a lot of worms in my poop, they look dead but I’m panicking why there is still so many! I must have been riddled with them! Did anyone else also succumb to ovex and need to take the second dose and if you did how soon did you take it? Any advice is welcome, I’m absolutely horrified and embarrassed by it all, never heard of anyone having worms before! Can only think I’ve caught them from my son or many hospital visits I’ve had lately! Although he seems to have to no symptoms but I treated him none the less! Please give me some positive outcomes! X

Unfortunately a second dose is normally needed - advised to have a second treatment after 2 weeks since it's not uncommon to become reinfected by the eggs that survived the initial treatment. Certainly do that for the rest of your family, discuss with your GP for yourself though.

There's no evidence of Mebendazole causing actual harm in pregnancy but there are some concerns regards toxicity in animal studies. It's not ethical to perform medicine studies in pregnancy so it's really difficult to prove anything is safe, so as with most medications it's advised to avoid in pregnancy. If you speak with your GP they might be more informed/could speak with the pharmacist as to whether it's worth waiting or to go ahead.

You have to take a second dose (from memory, two weeks after the first) due to life cycle of the parasites. I am not sure you would have caught it from hospital. much more likely poorly washed greens or rare beef/sushi which you may have had before pregnancy. Don’t feel embarrassed, it happens. I had them twice in my life - first time as a child and then in my 20th. With the last infestation it got so bad that I started experiencing severe stomach pains and GP diagnosed me with IBS (I self-diagnosed with parasites by using dr Google as IBS didn’t make sense to me and I confirmed I was right after the first dose)
As far as ovax being safe in pregnancy, I agree with the PP. A lot of medication is labelled as not recommended in pregnancy because the effects on foetus haven’t been studied (as it is unethical to use pregnant people, infants and children in RCTs). So it may well be OK but we just don’t know. What does your GP/OBGYN say?

You’ll have got them from your son, children constantly have them. It comes from them not washing their hands after the toilet. I had them in my first pregnant and took both doses of ovex, my pregnancy and baby were absolutely fine! As PP have said it’s more they haven’t tested it rather than being unsafe - I read lots of threads and no one ever reported anything negative happening. I know they look and feel horrendous but honestly so common place!

When my DD had worms when she was little I got rid of them by rough chopping a couple of cloves of garlic and having her eat them. I mixed it with honey to help it go down. It worked the first time.

Thank you this makes me feel better

It’s just mad because I’ve genuinely never had anyone mention them or tell me they’ve ever had them so I think this is why I feel like there’s such a stigma!

This is not typically what people discuss at mums’ weekly coffee catch up, though. I am sure plenty of people had them. Please don’t feel bad about it.

Kids are always putting their hands in their mouths so they pick up the eggs easily and they spread easily from there too. I can imagine many older family members have gotten them from their children. I haven't gotten them myself but I was paranoid for awhile after my DD did. If I did get them I wouldn't tell anyone! Nothing to feel bad about though. Just below this post is "similar threads" with lots of other posts saying the same.

I had them in the late stages of pregnancy and had to hold off any treatment till I gave birth , mind you that was 31 years ago now. I was made to feel disgusting in the maternity hospital. I have never forgotten it.

That’s the worry, the thought of giving birth and the midwife seeing worms is a very scary thought! Hopefully with the hygiene measures they will be gone by then, I really hope so anyway

Did you take the 2nd dose? I’ve just literally taken the second dose and nearly 17 weeks pregnant. Had a private scan and all was ok with baby so thought I’d be fine to take second dose as my gp said it would be fine?

Aw op please don't be embarrassed, contact your gp about having a second dose as I always thought that was needed too. Garuntee you others have this they just don't talk about it. A friend had worms after holidaying in the Dominican and is convinced the meat they eat over there may have had something to do with it. I know as we're close but doubt many others do. Hope you get better soon!

I haven’t dared take it yet to be honest, it’s been over two weeks now and there’s no sign of anything so I’m in two minds whether to take it or not!

Its was 2 weeks for me on Tuesday and I’ve only just taken it. Gp told me it’s pointless taking first one if I don’t follow up with the second dose so I caved in this evening. Doesn’t stop me sitting her panicking now tho! But I have piles and a fissure anyway so have the odd itchy feeling with that

I only saw 4 in 2 weeks before taking any medication and then I caved and took the first dose on the 19th when my children had their second dose and then took the second one today because I could really do without cleaning my hands constantly they’re so sore but now my anxiety is playing up😭

thread worm is really common, we’ve all had them once as a family including me and my ds has had them several times which has meant treating us all even though we didnt have symptoms. Only a medical professional can advise you on treatment in pregnancy but I believe it is possible to get rid of them by following strict hygiene measures as the infection can only persist if you keep reinfecting yourself due to the way their life cycle works. If it makes you feel any better I once read a theory that having worms is actually the normal biological state for humans and it’s bad for our immune systems not to have them.. no idea how true that is though!

I totally get it, my hands are still red raw and every little itch freaks me out! It’s my last day at work tomorrow before maternity leave so I was thinking I might take it tomorrow night because I’m worried about a funny tummy, the first dose did make me need to go more! I think I most likely will take it as there were no ill effects to baby and the thought of them coming back when I need to give birth terrifies me more at this point! It’s just such an unpleasant thing to deal with! I’m constantly checking for signs and it’s making me a bit paranoid!

Thank you I’ve seen it say that somewhere too but it’s just a horrible thought them being in there isn’t it 🤣

Hi!!! I'm 23 weeks pregnant and have caught worms this week!!!!!

I feel your pain! Wtf even isn't his? I have ovrex being delivered tomorrow and reading the bumps website tonight, it's mostly safe post 12 weeks pregnant. I will absolutely be taking it, and the second dose! And burning my house down!

Never got nits as a kid but got worms a few times. You can pick them up from toilet seats. My primary kids have brought them home too. Boke

It's more all the bed and towel washing and hoovering that annoys me than the actual worms

Hi friend with wisdom...

When do you recommend I do this?

Tomorrow after I take the dose? Or now?

And how often to repeat? Daily until worms gone?

I'm so, glad I've seen this thread, I've been freaking out so much the last two days x

This is going to sound totally and utterly grim but if it helps anyone in the same situation....
When I was suffering from your exact predicament, I was worried about taking the Ovex. I read around the subject and learned that the worms crawl down to your anus at night and lay their eggs there and, once hatched, the new worms crawl back inside your intestine.
I figured if I could break the lifecycle, they would die off naturally. So, each night before bed I took a wad of baby wipes and cleaned around my anus very thoroughly. The eggs and worms stick very effectively to the baby wipes - sorry, I said it was gross! Anyway, wipes bagged and chucked in outside bin, hands washed. It worked extremely effectively!

Sorry can't help you with the safety of the meds while pregnant, but I wanted to reassure you how common they are. I must have had them over 15 times in my lifetime, from child to adult. Because of this became OCD with washing my hands as a child. Our house was a clean and tidy house, parents were clean etc.. but I always seemed to get them. I still wash my hands my hands obsessively now, 40 years later. I dont sit on, or touch toilets, including doors or handles at all - and if I have to, I use a piece of toilet roll or my foot, to get in or out of the toilet! My mum and I could never fathom out why I kept getting them - the Dr just said I was 'susceptible'. In latter years, own towels, keeping nails short and no nose poking (I can't recall being a nose picker!), seems to be the advice and keeping my nails short seems to have done the trick.

I do first bedding wash after I dose everyone.

Towels are washed after one use until after second dose.
Toilet a quick wipe after each use and making sure kids wash hands after toilet.
Make sure the kids have pants on at all times and pj's on at night - mine tend strip lol.

No double wearing clothes all washed after one use.
More handwashing
Daily hoovering