Rubella in pregnant women

Rubella may not seem to be a serious illness, but if a pregnant woman gets rubella, it is a very troublesome disease. As we all know, pregnant women are a special group of people. If pregnant women are infected with rubella, it is very likely to affect the healthy growth of the fetus. Therefore, it is best for women to have a physical examination during the pregnancy preparation period. This can effectively prevent the birth of many babies with defects. Not only will the adults be sad, but the babies will also suffer physical torture all day long.

What are the effects of rubella infection on the fetus during pregnancy?

If this rare event does happen and you get rubella in the first month of pregnancy (usually before you know you're pregnant), your baby has a 90% chance of getting rubella. Babies who are infected with rubella during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy may develop congenital rubella syndrome, which means they may be born with a variety of problems, such as deafness, blindness, heart defects, intellectual disability, developmental delays, or other disabilities.

In addition, if you are infected with rubella in early pregnancy, it can easily lead to miscarriage, premature birth, or intrauterine fetal death. However, the likelihood of a baby developing birth defects due to rubella infection decreases as the pregnancy progresses, that is, the greater the gestational age, the lower the risk of rubella infection. In the second month of pregnancy, the probability of the baby suffering from birth defects due to rubella will be reduced to 25%; by the third month of pregnancy it will be reduced to 5%. After 20 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus is almost at no risk of contracting rubella.

Getting the rubella vaccine before you become pregnant is safest for you and your baby. In addition, taking a antenatal rubella immunization test can also help you to have a good grasp of the entire pregnancy.

How to reduce the risk of rubella during pregnancy

If you have missed the opportunity to get the rubella vaccine before pregnancy, expectant mothers should pay attention to daily care and pay attention to crowded places, but you must not get the rubella vaccine during pregnancy.

So, if you are not immune to rubella, be careful to avoid anyone who has a rash and rubella virus, as well as anyone who has not had rubella but has recently been exposed to the rubella virus.

If you are in the first 3 months of pregnancy, during a rubella epidemic, even if there is only one rubella case in your community, you should try to avoid contact with other people, stay at home, and don't go to work or go shopping. If you are planning to travel to an area where rubella is more common, you should postpone or cancel your plans now. In addition, if you have other children at home, be sure to get them vaccinated on time. Other people in your home who are not immune to rubella, including your babysitter (if you have one), should also be vaccinated against rubella.

If you plan to have another baby in the future, you must remember to get the rubella vaccine after you give birth to the baby this time to avoid being troubled by rubella during the next pregnancy. But be careful not to get the vaccine during breastfeeding. In addition, you should not try to get pregnant for at least 3 months after receiving the rubella vaccine, and you must take contraceptive measures during this period.