What should pregnant women do if they have a cold or fever? The impact on the fetus is so great

The impact of cold and fever symptoms in pregnant women on the fetus is immeasurable, so we must respond actively. If the temperature does not exceed 38, physical cooling can be used. Once it is above 38.5 and accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms such as headache and nausea, medication is needed under the guidance of a doctor.

1. What to do if a pregnant woman catches a cold or has a fever

1. Physical cooling: For pregnant women, if they have a cold and fever, they need to take measures to reduce the fever moderately. This is because fever will increase the body's metabolic rate and will be accompanied by many uncomfortable symptoms such as headache, loss of appetite, general fatigue, palpitations, and even dehydration, which will also increase the burden on the cardiopulmonary function of pregnant women. As for methods of reducing fever, generally speaking, if the pregnant woman's body temperature is not higher than 38.5 degrees Celsius and she has no obvious symptoms of discomfort, you can consider using physical methods to help reduce the fever, such as ice pillows, heat dissipation patches, wiping with warm water, placing ice packs in the armpits and groin, etc.

2. Use of antipyretics: It is recommended that pregnant women who only have a low fever should try not to use antipyretics. However, if the body temperature is above 38.5 degrees Celsius and is accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms such as headache and nausea, medication needs to be used under the guidance of a doctor. Otherwise, if the disease is delayed, it will cause harm to both the pregnant woman and the fetus.

3. Find out the cause of the fever: It is more important to find out the harm of the pathogen that causes the fever to the mother and fetus than to blindly treat the fever. Therefore, when a pregnant woman has a fever, it is important to find out the cause of the fever and prescribe the right medicine.

2. Does a cold or fever in pregnant women affect the fetus?

Colds and fevers in pregnant women are generally caused by viral infections. The filterable viruses that cause fevers in pregnant women can pass through the mother's placenta and directly enter the fetus. Therefore, once the mother is infected with a filterable virus, the fetus will also be invaded by the virus. Colds are caused by filterable virus infections, so the fetus will also catch a cold along with the mother.

However, it is still not very clear what impact the cold will have on the fetus. The causal relationship between the filterable viruses that cause colds and fetal abnormalities has not yet been confirmed, so pregnant women do not need to worry too much. In the early stages of pregnancy, embryonic cell division is most active, and this period is also an important time for fetal organ formation. Pregnant women should pay special attention to disease prevention and avoid infection with cold viruses.

Once you get through the early stages of pregnancy, the effects of a cold will not be so serious because the fetal heart development has gradually stabilized and its size has gradually increased. The impact of a pregnant woman's cold and fever on the fetus is almost minimized.

However, if it is a severe cold, it will have adverse effects on the fetus even after the second trimester of pregnancy. Due to prolonged high fever and lack of appetite, the pregnant woman's nutritional intake will be affected. The fetus cannot absorb enough nutrients and its development will be affected. At the end of pregnancy, it is not common for pregnant women to have severe colds and fevers, but if pregnant women have a long-term high fever, it is easy to cause early rupture of membranes and even cause