CMV

[EllaSW]

Please can someone help me to understand what needs to be done to avoid this in pregnancy? Is it best to avoid small children entirely in the early stages of pregnancy if possible? Are there tests that you can have to see if you have had it previously?

I should add that I ask as am invited to my best friend’s small child’s birthday party in three weeks and not sure whether to go.

"common virus that is usually harmless" in pregnancy?
From https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cytomegalovirus-cmv/

Do you normally have health anxiety, OP?

Attached is a screenshot from the nhs website that the PP has shared. I wouldn't have thought you need to worry just simply attending a child's birthday party. Pregnant women that already have small children cannot avoid contact with children.

There is a blood test that will show if you have immunity or not but I'm not sure you will get one without viral symptoms.

I would say to go to the party and have good hand hygiene.

@EllaSWi take it this is your first child? If so I wouldnt be too worried as youd need to be in close contact. As previous OP said, go enjoy yourself and just wash your hands before eating. Cmvaction.org.uk is an excellent resource if you want to know more. Have you had your booking appointment yet? If not, then ask for the torc blood test, itll tell you if youve veen exposed to cmv in the past. Im sure you can do it privately if you so wanted. Good luck

@lljkk please dont minimise someone's concerns especially if you know little about those concerns. Cmv can be very dangerous for pregnant women and its v scary as it causes no symptoms. If you do more research youll see that although rare, it can be devastating and more should be done to raise awareness particularly in childcare settings. Some cou tries like Germany already have lots of safeguards in place but the uk is lagging sadly

I was wondering if CMV letters stood for something else I didn't know about, and the CMV OP meant was something else not described as "usually harmless".
So i put in a question mark to see if I understood OP correctly.

If I understood OP correctly then she is over-estimating the risk which could be a sign of health anxiety. Health anxiety, I learn from MN, is extremely debilitating, makes people miserable, and is even potentially dangerous.

It was reasonable to suggest to OP that she might have or be developing HA which is, I learn from MN, is quite a severe mental health problem, best to prevent if possible.

OP, I understand your concern. It can be quite serious if you catch it in the first trimester so I don't think you're being overly anxious. I work in a country where if you work in childcare with kids under 5 that you are immediately signed off work after becoming pregnant.

The guidelines are to avoid crossing fluids with any young chlid (tears, urine, saliva). So don't change any friend's babies at the party and don't kiss any child or share a cup/utensils/food. Wash your hands after coming in contact with small children, and it's probably just sensible to wash them regularly at a party anyway.

You can be tested for antibodies to see if you've had it before but there are 4 strains I believe (so my gynae told me), so just because you've had it, it doesn't mean you won't get it again.

The risk to your baby decreases as your pregnancy goes on (although the probability of passing it on to the foetus actually increases).

I have 2 under 2 and had never had antibodies for CMV, so I was very wary in my second pregnancy. I never shared anything with my first and made sure my partner did the same. As it turns out, the week before I went on maternity leave, my partner tested positive for CMV! I got tested myself and was negative! So there is hope that even if your nearest and dearest get it (and think about how many pregnant mothers there are with kids under 5 in the house!) that you will get it or have serious consequences.

Wash your hands and enjoy your pregnancy.

@lljkk You haven't interpreted that article correctly at all.

What you said:
"common virus that is usually harmless" in pregnancy?

What the article says:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that's usually harmless. Sometimes it causes problems in babies and people with a weakened immune system.

You have added the "in pregnancy" yourself. It is usually harmless, except in pregnancy where it can sometimes cause severe problems.

Yes, there is a lot of health anxiety amongst first-time mothers on mumsnet. Please learn to read and interpret information correctly before minimising their concerns.

@Nursemumma92@@NewAgeDawning@sorchanim Thank you for your kind replies. It’s my first pregnancy and I heard about cmv in passing from someone at work which made me quite worried.

@sorchanimif you don’t mind me asking how did you know that you didn’t have any antibodies for cmv? Was it that you were only tested only after your partner got cmv? Is it possible to get tested (and would it help to know)?

As a mum to a child who caught CMV for the first time in pregnancy, which then passed onto my child and has disabled her for life. Not only was my child born far too early, the struggles we face can be horrible. Some of the pp could do with properly reading information they present. Congenital CMV is one of the leading causes of childhood deafness and disability.

OP I done the whole not share cutlery, not come into contact with body fluids etc and I still caught it. If a child is born with it, it becomes congenital cmv.

Unfortunately, no one can tell you exactly what the implications will be for each child as there is such a wide spectrum. My child got off ‘easy’ compared to others but a lot worse off compared to those who were mildly or simply not symptomatic.

There is treatment for baby to try and help save their hearing however, my consultant explained we don’t have enough details to know if it does save hearing.

That said OP, in the UK this isn’t something they test for on the NHS during pregnancy or after unless baby shows symptoms or fails hearing test. There is a group of us petitioning to change this- not once at an antenatal appointment did we ever be informed of CMV.

CMV Action is one of the websites our infectious diseases specialist referred us to. You can only reduce the risk the best you can xx

@EllaSW I live abroad and was routinely tested as part of my NIPT with both my pregnancies. It was shown that I didn't have any antibodies, so I knew I hadn't been infected by the start of the second pregnancy.

When our GP saw that my partner had CMV they called him to tell him that he had it and that I should get checked. I was around 35 weeks at the time so the risk of transmission to the baby was higher but I knew that the risks to the baby were low. I got my blood tested that week and still had no antibodies so I knew I hadn't been infected. Baby is here now and is fine!

I had a long chat with my gynaecologist about it during the second pregnancy. He basically told me that it doesn't matter if you'v ehad it or not because it doesn't really stop you contracting a different strain. He also told me that if my toddler had it, it would be almost impossible to avoid, even with strict hygiene measures. I was lucky.

I don't know about getting a test for it in the UK but perhaps if you saw you had antibodies, you might have more peace of mind (but you would still not be "immune" and would need to manage the risks anyway). It may reassure you to know that most people have already had CMV in their lives!

All you can really do is follow the guidelines to limit your exposure. The birthday party should be fine.

Theres the torc test you can ask for or take privately. It stands for TOxoplasmosis Rubella Cmv. Ive had it and it shows whether you have the antibodies or not

@McGregor33I’m very sorry to hear that and commend you for petitioning for a change to the approach in testing. I hope that your daughter is doing ok.

@sorchanimThank you. I’m going to look into testing. Really surprised that testing isn’t routine based on the experiences I’ve read about. It also doesn’t seem to be something many people know about?