Slapped cheek and pregnancy. Advice please.

[bambino1]

I run a nursery and one of the children has been diagnosed with slapped cheek. I am almost six weeks pregnant. Please any advice to those who know about this.

I was in a similar position, though further on in my pregnancy (over 30 weeks). Most people are immune to the virus, particularly if they work with children. You'll need a blood test straight away to find this out. I wasn't immune, although I work in schools, which was a surprise, and was told by my GP and midwives to avoid going into the school concerned for a couple of weeks. It can be contagious even without visible symptoms in a child. The risks are minimal but particularly because you're early in your pregnancy you should take care.

i'm sorry you do need to get tested. the virus can cross the placenta until 20 wks. giraffe is right though you already probably have immunity.

sounds like your GP and midwives advice was a bit like shutting the stable door once the horse was well away but I suppose once they are aware they can't let you have any further exposure (and they are covering their own backs)

Erythema infectiosum

the risk is small. hth and good luck.

If you look it up on NHS direct on line it explains that you do need to be tested. Most people are immune, and the chance of catching it in the circumstances you describe are remote I am sure. Even if you did catch it, there is only a tiny risk of it affecting the baby, and even then there are treatments available (in vary rare cases it can lead to iron problems in the baby, so if you have caught it you may need further ultrasounds during your pregnancy). I am pretty sure my son had it while I was pregnant, so I was tested, but I was already immune. Don't worry, but I would go and talk to your GP. (Though I was glad I had looked it up first on NHS Direct, as my GP didn't know that it could be dangerous for pregnant women, and had to phone a specialist at the hospital, who confirmed what I had said.)

Thanks for all your fab info. I have a blood test booked first thing tommorow. how long will it take to get blood results back? I'm off work until I find out if i'm immune or not.

umm, the risk isn't small. I would certainly stay away from work until you have your blood results. A v good friend recently lost a baby at 20+ weeks - she's a teacher and some of her pupils had this.....was very very tragic.

oh just read - you are off work, that's good.

Good luck bambino1. I had a slapped cheek scare too, and was immune. It is very important that if you turn out not to be immune, your pregnancy is carefully monitored, in case of the small risk to your baby.
I think the chances are very high that you are immune, given your line of work.

ok little less worried. how long do blood tests take to come back normally?

Mine took a week, but I am not sure if they whizzed them through because unfortunately I had had a stillbirth in my previous pregnancy
Apparently most women born and brought up in the UK are immune. (Unlike, eg, apparently, Australia, where it is much less prevalent).
Best of luck. The risk is statistically small, remember

Thank you marina.
Unfortunatly i'm a workaholic and if I have to be off for ages i will go mad! Should be trying to enjoy the rest but my 2yr old dd is a bit of a handful at mo so by next tues i will prob be climbing walls!

Mine only took 48 hours- the thing is that when I got it they were able to compare my antibody status to my booking bloods and show that I had serocoverted (i.e. I had just been exposed and had been infected)- without that they would only be able to tell you have antibodies, and that could be because you are already immune or because you have just become infected. That's my understanding, anyway- if they can actually detect the virus now then that would be better, of course.

Am quietly LOLing in a wry sort of way at how a week's turnaround was presented to me as special service for a bereaved pregnant lady tamum (but this is SE London for you).
I am pretty sure that Slapped Cheek is NOT routinely checked at booking-in in England...I can remember commenting to my consultant that for many mothers it would be a sight more relevant than the routine syphilis check...

I haven't had my booking in bloods done yet so need to have this one tomo. I ahte needles so that is stressing me out enough let alone the thought of actually having it!
This pregnancy buisness is so not easy!
Tamum was you ok even though they found you were infected?

Marina, they don't check here either, you're right, but they still had the booking blood, so they tested that at the same time as the new sample. There was a good reason why they took it so seriously here- they lost a baby at the hospital the week before I was infected, so they were all pretty worried My consultant said it was the first case he'd even known where this had happened though, in 30 years.

I was fine thanks bambino, but I had to have weekly scans to check for hydrops. I was much later on than you though.

My friend and deputy is 18wks pregnant and she obviously is in the same situation although she is a lot more worried. she had cancer in her teens so she has a very weak immune system, does this mean she is more than likely to not be immune to it.

My understanding is that if she's ever been exposed to it then she will be immune- I think you'd have to have an outstandingly bad immune system not to raise antibodies to it (like severe combined immunodeficiency, something that's not really compatible with life). I have to say that 18 weeks is not a great time to get it, but as people have said, the vast majority of adults in this country have been exposed to it as children and are immune. It must be worrying for you all, though.

we will just have to wait and see what happens after our bloods are done. they will prob do her test from her booking in bloods.
I will let you know more when I know. Thank you al for your support. Much appreciated.

Good luck to you both- I'll keep an eye out for your messages. I do know exactly how you feel even though dd is now a thriving 9 year old.
xxx

Had bloods taken today by some horrid nurse. I asked when I would know the results and she said tommorow! Really shocked but pleased because if I am immune I can go back to work fri.

Any news bambino?

Results weren't ready yest so have to try again today. I will keep you updated.

Results came back that I'm not immune! Went to see my midwife. She is going to do another blood test in two weeks to find out if I contracted the virus or not. If i have then she will refer me to the hospital. Very worrying.

Hi,

I knows its been a long time Bambino since you had the worry of slapped cheek and no doubt your baby is all grown up by now

I just wondered what was the outcome of your blood test result as you werent immune from slapped cheek?

I am in the same situation - I am 13wks pregnant, not immune and my bloods show a mild infection