slapped cheek/fifth disease/parvovirus - potential exposure in pregnancy

[bossykate]

hello everyone

i know we have talked about this before - but i couldn't find it when searching on any of the keywords above.

anyway, i'm supposed to be going away for the weekend with a friend tomorrow. she phoned me last night to say her little boy has been off sick with slapped cheek this week. she doesn't know her immune status for this virus. the virus is infectious before any visible symptoms appear and the incubation period is between 3 days and 3 weeks. Therefore, it is possible that she could be infectious at the moment.

This is what I have read on the net this morning about the risks. If pregnant women contract this prior to 20 weeks the risks are between 1% and 10% of stillbirth and damage to foetus.

Given that I am 19 wks and know that I am not immune to this virus and that my friend could be infectious, I am proposing to cancel our trip.

Just thought I would open this one up to the wisdom of Mumsnet before doing the deed.

Any thoughts?

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Me too. Also, you'll only end up worrying about it all the time if you go

Definately cancel if you are sure you are not immune - it's not worth taking the risk.

thanks for the messages so far

i'm sure i'm not immune - i asked for a test when they did the rest of my "booking in" blood tests.

I would definitely cancel. I got really annoyed when I was pregnant, because someone brought their kid to toddler group when he had slapped cheek, and it's just not worth the risk. Can you reschedule the weekend?

bk, I had a scare on this one. It is only risky to the baby until you are out of the second trimester, and the risk is a lowish one statistically (I can try and find the info I posted on this after my experience if you want). Unlike some other illnesses, it does not cross the placenta readily.
But basically, in your position, I would definitely cancel. As others have said, why expose yourself and your baby?
Good for your friend for being clued up enough to let you know, there seems to be some confusion and lack of information amongst health professionals about how risky parvovirus is and when it stops being a risk. At least one midwife assured me it wasn't risky after 13 weeks, an assertion my consultant was quick to correct.
Sorry about your spoilt weekend though .

marina and everyone else, thank you.

i would appreciate it if you could find what you found out previously, like i say, i did search before starting this new thread - but couldn't find anything, despite the fact i knew it had come up before.

Can't find that thread bk, but this is the link I found most helpful at the time.
My consultant took my concern very seriously, unlike ?Bells'? GP, who was pretty dismissive when she was exposed. (I think it was Bells!)

My midwife didn't know what it was Marina - and tested my blood for rotavirus - which hospital refused to test for as it's so common ! It was your link above which I quoted to her

thank you everyone. i have just spoken to my friend and cancelled the weekend. she was very understanding about it and we are now going to try and think of some alternative plans. i'm feeling pretty damn sorry for myself now though

I only just saw this- sorry about your weekend, bk, but you are definitely doing the right thing. It may not be statistically very risky but I was exposed when I was pregnant with dd, and a baby had died here the previous week after the mother was exposed (she was 28 weeks, I think). I had to have weekly scans for hydrops, not an experience I'd wish on anyone else. Chin up!