So I'm not immune to rubella after all...

[coolpink101]

I had a blood test done at the docs before I got pregnant to check my rubella immunity - and they told me I was fine and immune.

Just got home from work to find a letter from the NHS telling me that I'm not immune to rubella after all (I'm now 15 weeks pregnant). I'm a mixture of angry (could have got the jab before I got pregnant if they had got it right) and scared. Is this a common occurrence? Or have the NHS just been incompetent? Is it even something I should be scared about?!

Is it fairly low risk in your area anyway? Ask your gp? In my area they haven't had a case of measles since 1984, so it might be similar for rubella in yours. Have you got other children? Do you need to mix with children at all?

I'm not sure about my area - will ask the mw next week. I had measles as a child, and we thought i'd had rubella too, but obviously not!

This is my first pregnancy, so haven't got any other children yet. I do see my nephews and nieces quite a lot though (I'm guessing they've had the MMR) - should I stay away from them?

I got tested for rubella immunity thinking all would be well as I'd had the vaccine as a teenager, about seventy-twelve years ago. Tests came back and I was not immune. Got the vaccine done and waited the required 3 months. Had DS...
Erm....got pregnant again a couple of years later without warning and tests showed...no rubella immunity! Had DD...
DD fine, DS not fine. That's the gamble with becoming a parent.
Just don't worry about it.

Hi coolpink I had a horrible load of stress from am-I-aren't-I immune to rubella when I was TTC so I can completely empathise with you. I won't bore you with the whole long saga but at one point my GP apparently did the "wrong" rubella test so told me I wasn't immune when I actually might have been so the NHS can definitely make mistakes.

Try not to panic, easier said than done I know but there's nothing you can do about it until you give birth and you don't want it to mar the rest of your pregnancy.

I did quite a bit of research during my GP misinformation trauma as I was trying to decide whether to carry on TTC (we were quite some way in) or stop for a few months to immunise myself. The most important thing I found out is that rubella is INCREDIBLY rare. 6 confirmed cases in the whole of england and wales in 2011. See www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733833790 for other years.

The best way to protect yourself is to tell everyone you know that you aren't immune so if in the very unlikley event that any of them come in contact with rubella they know to warn you to avoid them.

But neither myself, nor anyone I know after canvassing friends, has ever heard of anyone they know having had it. There's great protection in herd immunity, so take heart from that.

No you shouldn't need to avoid them if they've had the MMR. It would be pretty bad luck if you caught it really as it is quite rare. If you're in an area where the take up for MMR is high, then you should be absolutely fine anyway.

Fab, thanks for the info guys - it helps a lot!

I am another that was vaccinated and is not immune. In fact I also had it as a child so no idea how I am not immune but apparently it is possible! There is quite a useful section on rubella immunity in "what to expect when you are expecting" which really helped to put my mind at rest. As others have said it is a very rare illness and it is most harmful in the very early stages of pregnancy. At 15 weeks you are already past the most risky bit for rubella. Agh the worries of pregnancy!

I'm not immune either! Even though I've had my MMR vaccinations when I was younger and I'm 18! Ive been around those who've had chickenpox, german measles and mumps over the past year and ive never picked anything up! But it's rather bizarre!
Never mind, more bloody needles to put up with over the next 26 weeks and many after :(