- With Mayo Clinic obstetrician and medical editor-in-chief
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
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Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
"Nothing helps people stay healthy more than the power of real knowledge about health." — Dr. Roger Harms
As medical director of content, Dr. Roger Harms is excited about the potential for Mayo Clinic's health information site to help educate people about their health and provide them the tools and information to live healthier lives.
The Auburn, Neb., native has been with Mayo Clinic since 1981 and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Harms is a practicing physician and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and his specialty areas include office gynecology, high-risk obstetrics and obstetrical ultrasound.
From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Harms was director for education at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Harms was the 1988 Mayo Medical School Teacher of the Year and served as associate dean for student affairs and academic affairs. He is the co-author of the "Mayo Clinic Model of Education." In 2008, Dr. Harms was presented the Distinguished Educator Award, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
Dr. Harms is vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and medical editor of the Pregnancy section on this website. In addition, Dr. Harms is editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book, a month-by-month guide to everything a woman needs to know about having a baby.
"My medical education experience has grown out of a love of teaching, and that is what this site is about," Dr. Harms says. "If any visitor to this site makes a more informed and thus more comfortable decision about his or her health because of the information we provide, we are successful."
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Question
Chickenpox and pregnancy: What are the concerns?
What are the risks associated with chickenpox and pregnancy?
Answer
from Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral illness that causes an itchy rash. If you develop chickenpox (varicella) during pregnancy, the risks depend on the timing.
If chickenpox develops during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy — particularly between weeks 8 and 20 — the baby faces a slight risk of a rare group of serious birth defects known as congenital varicella syndrome. A baby who has congenital varicella syndrome may develop:
- Scars on the skin
- Muscle and bone defects
- Malformed limbs
- Vision problems
- Mental retardation
The second window of vulnerability is at the end of pregnancy. If chickenpox develops during the few days before delivery, the baby may be born with a potentially life-threatening infection.
Most pregnant women are immune to chickenpox, due to either immunization or a childhood bout with chickenpox. If you're considering pregnancy and you're not immune to chickenpox, ask your health care provider about the chickenpox vaccine. It's safe for adults, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends waiting at least four weeks after vaccination before trying to conceive. If you're unsure of your immunity, your health care provider can do a simple blood test to find out.
If you develop chickenpox at any point during pregnancy, you're at high risk of potentially serious complications — such as pneumonia. If you're exposed to chickenpox during pregnancy and you're not immune to the illness, contact your health care provider immediately. He or she may recommend an injection of an immune globulin product that contains antibodies to the chickenpox virus. When given within 96 hours after exposure, the immune globulin can prevent chickenpox or reduce its severity. Unfortunately, it isn't clear if this treatment helps protect the developing baby.
If you develop chickenpox during pregnancy, your health care provider may prescribe oral antiviral drugs to reduce the severity of the illness, as well as the risk of complications.
If your baby is born with chickenpox, he or she may be treated with an immune globulin shortly after birth. When given promptly, the immune globulin usually reduces the severity of the illness. If needed, antiviral drugs may be given as well.
- Riley LE. Varicella-zoster virus infection in pregnancy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 15, 2010.
- Speer ME. Varicella-zoster infection in the newborn. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 15, 2010.
- Chickenpox and pregnancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pregnancy_gateway/infections-chickenpox.html. Accessed June 15, 2010.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 21, 2010.
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