Got chickenpox during pregnancy. What shall I do now?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am 21 years old. My weight is 105 lbs. I am 3 months 2 weeks pregnant. Now, I got chickenpox. I am very anxious about the adverse affect for my baby. I have visited a gynecologist and she suggested me to get abortion. Please clarify me the right step.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Really this is a confusing state, but this does not mean you have to abort the fetus right now. When mother get infected with chickenpox, fetus carries a risk. But the risk is only 2 % and in those cases the fetus might develop rarely some form of abnormality. Thus, straightaway recommendation of termination is not always a choice. Definitely there is no direct answer and it is up to you what to do. If you want to have the risk of 2 %, which is very minimal and often equal to an incidence of congenital anomalies in low risk pregnancy, definitely you can continue it. In that case, just go for an anomaly scan from a very good center at the 18th to 19th week to confirm about the integrity of the fetus.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Yes, a good anomaly scan could detect defects if done at 18 to 19 weeks. In my experience, I do not advise directly abortion if pregnant lady contracted it after 11 weeks. Actually by this time all organs get developed. I counsel them about all the possibilities and ask them to do the scan at 18-19 weeks.