TTC & Zika

[Geegee4]

So the official advice is to wait for 6 months if the male partner has travelled to a Zika affected country.

DH returned last week from a country with moderate levels of Zika. I am 42 and we struggled to conceive #2 and we really were hoping another LO was on the cards.

The thought of having to weight 6 months is really getting me way down. Have called for GP appt but know they will say little beyond whatever the official advice is?

Has anyone had a discussion with their GP about this? Ie what the real risk is? Any info on testing?

I holidayed in a moderate zika risk area earlier this year. We both got one bite on holiday and that was it, though admittedly all it takes is one!

We were too late to have the blood tests when we got around to organising them so that wasn't an option. I did a LOAD of reading and research and the general conclusion I came to was that it's a risk, but a very small one.

The guidance from any healthcare professional will always be to wait the full 6 months, they have to be cautious. I did ask a GP in an unofficial capacity and they said that although they would have to tell their patience to follow the guidance, in reality the risk is teeny tiny and in my circumstance I shouldn't worry about it. There are still millions of babies born in zika areas without defects and problems, and only a small percentage are affected. It's widely acknowledged that the 6 months is a cautious recommendation and that there is very limited knowledge of the virus, its lifespan and impacts on pregnancy.

I think yo have to personally weigh up whether waiting carries more risk than the zika risk.

We decided to go ahead and TTC anyway, thinking it would take us a while to be successful. Amazingly we were successful first time and I'm now 6 weeks pregnant. Only 4 months have elapsed since we went to the zika country but of all the pregnancy stresses and worries I have right now, zika is wayyyy down the list.

I wish you all the best whatever you decide x

Thanks teady-** and congratulations! I just got a cancellation about for Wednesday with my GP...we’ll have to see...