Chickenpox Exposure During Pregnancy

[BabiesEverywhere]

Nothing is ever straight forward...tell me I have no chance of getting chickenpox.

Sister visited at the weekend.
According to our mum she definately had chicken pox's as a child

Today her DH-to-be has developed chickenpox.
According to his mum he definately had chicken pox's as a child

I have only had contact with sister NOT DH-to-be and I'm 13 weeks pregnant.
According to our mum I proberly (but not 100% sure) had chicken pox's as a child

I have spoken to NHS direct, they suggested going to the doctors if I develop a rash...derr. But that doesn't stop me worrying.

When I was in contact with someone who had chicken pox during my last pregnancy, I got in contact with my GP who told me to go the midwifery unit and ask them for their advice.

At unit, had blood taken which was checked for antibodies (I think!), and it came back to say that I had it when I was younger - even though I have never had the spots etc.

HTH

As long as youve had it your protected. If your unsure ask your midwife for a blood test-they usually come back showing that people who think they havent had it actually have but had no symptoms.
Best to check though.

www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068941/

www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=97

Articles from Rubberduck..looks like my sister would have had to show signs of spots by today in order to have infected me at the weekend...yeah.

I am still going to ask them to test my blood to check if I have the chickenpox antibodies in my next blood test.

www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068941/

www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=97

Articles from Rubberduck..looks like my sister would have had to show signs of spots by today in order to have infected me at the weekend...yeah.

I am still going to ask them to test my blood to check if I have the chickenpox antibodies in my next blood test.

it's a good idea to know your status before getting pg obviously. The "danger" time is the 2nd trimester apparently.

No - the safe time is after 20ish weeks til a couple of weeks before delivery.

Hope you stay spot free Babies.

GP friend told me middle trimester

Actually, the risky time is before 20 weeks (risks of congenital varicella syndrome) and leading up to delivery (chance of the baby developing chickenpox while still in the womb).

That said, there are still lots of options:

VZIG is an antibody injection that you can be given (but you have to act fast - I think the recommendation is between 72 and 96 hours of infection at the latest - this is why it helps to know your immune status). Even if you do end up catching the pox it can reduce the severity of the infection.

Acyclovir, is an anti-viral drug that helps lessen the effects should you catch chickenpox but ideally the course should be started within 24hrs of the rash appearing to be the most effective.

Anyway, looks like you're in the clear, BE, which I'm very relieved at for you Probably best to chase up a blood test though, just to put your mind at rest or give you quicker reaction times if you do have a potential exposure again.

I had it at 26 weeks. Deffo safer in the middle.

Risk of being born with CP/CP related pneumonia if mum has it at term, risk early on of birth defects, CP syndrome although tis quite rare I believe.

Have a blood test it will tell you if anti bodies are present - if not you will have to be innocualted - the bottle of serum is huge and they have to stick the needle in your arse!

HTH

Just heard from the hospital, my other test results are back and they want more tests cry.

She had no details, just a line of text on a computer, dropped a bombshell and couldn't understand why I want someone to read all the results to em.

Waiting for a call back

If you aren't immune they can give you an antiviral. I'll look up the details, I have them saved somewhere...

Thanks ladies, any information will be gratefully received. I'm going to get my mum to go though the photo albums and see if they can find a spotty picture of me.

I am going to ask the hospital to test my blood to see if I'm immune.

Phone call re other blood test was another mistake, second results not back until Friday... Grrr. That is the 3rd flipping call in error I have had about my blood work. Doesn't make me very confident about th e hospital.

Sigh, Then I'm going to the shop to buy chocolate, I have had enough today

Found the information I had saved:

If you are exposed to chicken pox when pregnant and you're not immune, you should be treated ASAP with varicella-zoster immunoglobulin (VZIG). This should trigger an immune response against the chicken pox virus.

If you actually develop chicken pox during pregnancy you should be treated with intravenous acyclovir (Zovirax) and be observed in the hospital.

Thanks P&L.

My mum has rung and she is now sure we both had chickenpox's as little girls, within a few weeks of each other. Lets hope she remembers correctly.

if you get chicken pox before 12wks, it can be dangerous.

also if you are exposed from 36+wks, it also can be dangerous.

if you think you are at risk, thay can take blood and test and ring you back within 5hrs.....you will then, if early pregnancy, be prescribed anti-viral drugs.

if late pregnancy you will be given a vaccine to hopefully prevent it being passed onto the newborn. also, if you do then go inot labour while still within the incubation period, you will need to go into isolation to prevent you possibly apssing it on to other vunerable mum/newborns.

I am not a medic, I was exposed during pregnancy with DC3 early on, and tested negative to having had it, and then when I was 38wks pregnant with DC3, DD2 caught it and so they retested me, and again no antibodies. Got given the vaccine (which is 4 jabs!!), but still DD3 was born with it, and I also got it, leaving her with crap immune system and she and I STILL are NOT immune to it and she gets it again and again!