“Can a disease you catch affect your baby while pregnant?”
I am a 25 year old pregnant woman. I want to know can a disease you catch affect your baby while pregnant?
2 Answers
Yes many pathogens can cross the placenta and infect the fetus.
Certain types of infections contracted by a mother can and do affect the fetus during pregnancy, but the majority do not. Common colds, vomiting illnesses, etc., will not affect the fetus. Influenza infection can be particularly bad in pregnant mothers, so you should make sure you are up to date on flu vaccination.
The diseases that do affect babies most commonly are CMV, toxoplasmosis, HSV, HIV, syphilis, rubella, and parvovirus (there are others, too, but these are the main ones). You should have been vaccinated against rubella. Toxoplasmosis is contracted in America mostly by cleaning cat litter; pregnant women should NEVER clean a litterbox. Eating raw beef (like steak tartare) can also cause toxo and should be avoided. Herpes simplex virus, HIV, and syphilis are all sexually transmitted; a pregnant woman should always protect herself against sexually transmitted infections by requiring her partner to wear a condom. There is nothing much that can be done to protect oneself against CMV or parvovirus.
Final thing I forgot to mention is that there is a bacterial infection called Listeriosis that can sometimes cause severe disease in newborns. It is transmitted generally through lunch meats and hot dogs. Avoiding lunch meats and hot dogs while pregnant isn’t a bad idea.
Randall Fisher, M.D.
The diseases that do affect babies most commonly are CMV, toxoplasmosis, HSV, HIV, syphilis, rubella, and parvovirus (there are others, too, but these are the main ones). You should have been vaccinated against rubella. Toxoplasmosis is contracted in America mostly by cleaning cat litter; pregnant women should NEVER clean a litterbox. Eating raw beef (like steak tartare) can also cause toxo and should be avoided. Herpes simplex virus, HIV, and syphilis are all sexually transmitted; a pregnant woman should always protect herself against sexually transmitted infections by requiring her partner to wear a condom. There is nothing much that can be done to protect oneself against CMV or parvovirus.
Final thing I forgot to mention is that there is a bacterial infection called Listeriosis that can sometimes cause severe disease in newborns. It is transmitted generally through lunch meats and hot dogs. Avoiding lunch meats and hot dogs while pregnant isn’t a bad idea.
Randall Fisher, M.D.
