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By: Midwives from Cork University Maternity Hospital
Chickenpox
Chickenpox is a common infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It mostly affects children, but it can occur at any age.
The main symptom is an itchy, spotty rash. The spots develop into fluid-filled blisters before crusting over to form scabs. The scabs usually fall off within 1 to 2 weeks.
It is rare to get chickenpox during pregnancy. Most pregnant women who develop chickenpox recover without any harmful effects on their baby. However, chickenpox can sometimes cause serious health problems for both the pregnant woman and her baby.
About 1 in 10 women who develop chickenpox during pregnancy develops pneumonia, which is a serious chest infection. There is also a small risk of the baby being born with an illness. This risk increases if chickenpox develops after 36 weeks of pregnancy.
Contact your GP or maternity hospital immediately if you are pregnant, are unsure whether you have had chickenpox before and:
- you have been near someone who has chickenpox; or
- you think you may have chickenpox.
Your treatment will depend on the stage of your pregnancy and your symptoms. Tell your GP or maternity hospital that you may have chickenpox before attending in person. This allows them to take precautions to prevent the infection spreading to other pregnant women or babies.
Contact your maternity hospital immediately if you have chickenpox and experience vaginal bleeding, breathing problems, a severe cough, vomiting, drowsiness, a stiff neck or a rash that is bleeding.
About the authors
This article was written for the CUMH booklet Information on Preparing for Birth and Parenthood by CUMH midwives Margaret Murphy, Mary Jeffery, Cathy O’Sullivan, Jane O’Connor, Valerie Dennehy, Monica O’Regan, Olive Long and Rebecca O’Donovan. Margaret Murphy is a Midwifery Lecturer at UCC.
