Can rubella infection affect the fetus?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 27-year-old married woman, who weighs 165 lbs, and I am 5.6 feet tall. I am trying to conceive from last year, but ever since I started to try, my regular menstrual cycle of 28 days got delayed by six to ten days. During my last periods, I noticed some red rashes on my face and upper part of my body, with a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I did not go for any test, but I took two anti-allergic tablets, which I bought previously for an allergy from chili and hot food. After taking the tablets, I was fine in two days. But, I missed my next period, so I went for an ultrasound. And it confirmed that I was pregnant and detected a single live fetus of approximately seven weeks. However, my doctor advised me to undergo rubella IgG test along with certain other routine tests.

All other test reports were fine, except rubella IgG test showed the result to be positive. My doctor told me that I was immune to rubella, so no need to worry, and I should not go for rubella IgM test, as I recently had a history of red rashes. I was not satisfied, so I went for both rubella IgG and IgM tests, and the result was negative. However, I was perplexed, and I wanted to be sure about my rubella infection, so I repeated the tests again. This time the reports said rubella antibody IgG as 291 IU/mL, reference range used was 15 IU/mL, positive. It also detected rubella antibody IgM as positive.

I have attached all my reports. Do you find any inconsistency in the reports of different labs for tests done on different dates? Why is rubella IgG, which stays lifelong unchanged is decreasing? Was I immunized against rubella when the infection happened? Why did then new infection occur? And the most important question is, will my baby be affected by this infection which occurred in early pregnancy? I do not want to give birth to a disabled or abnormal child. It is my first pregnancy. What should I do? Should I go for an abortion?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern, and I have seen all your reports (attachment removed to protect patient identity).

Variations in the results from various laboratories can be seen because of differences in the instrument, kits, reagents, techniques, etc. But, the overall result is raised IgG and IgM, which can be considered as the correct result. The exact value is not always found, but its presence will always be detected as you have had an infection.
It is true that infection provides immunity, but IgM is indicative of an acute infection, so it indicates a recent infection. Infection during pregnancy increases the chances of congenital infection in the baby. The congenital abnormality may be there or not. If you have had an infection during pregnancy, the chances of infections to the baby is very high.
IgG will help to protect you from future infection. I suggest you consult a good gynecologist and plan to undergo a target or anomaly ultrasound scan to detect any abnormality in the baby, and then take the decision of continuation or termination of the pregnancy.

I hope it will help you. Feel free to contact me if you have any further queries.