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Labor and delivery during active chicken-pox infection

This period is uniquely significant. This is because babies born in such a situation are susceptible to develop a severe and generalized infection in less than a week post-delivery.

Up to a third of babies are affected. This is because the baby has not had time to acquire protective antibodies normally passed to him or her from the mother across the placenta.

To try to prevent or at least to moderate the effects, pediatric specialists will evaluate the situation and will put in place management measures, which may include a combination of vaccination, passive immunization and anti-viral medication.

What to do if a pregnant woman develops chicken-pox

If the infection has already developed, nothing can be done to influence the course of the disease.

What to do following exposure but before the infection

The incubation period of chicken-pox is 10 to 20 days. If the investigations to establish the immune status are carried out promptly, there is enough time to intervene before the manifestation of the infection. Passive immunity in the form of injection might be considered. This is meant to moderate the effects of the infection in the mother (and therefore the baby). It rarely prevents it altogether.

There is really no consensus on the necessity of this and some experts argue that if the infection exposure is beyond the first twelve to fourteen weeks of gestation, the risk to the baby is very small anyway and passive immunity is unnecessary. An exception to this is those mothers who, for some reason, have low immunity in general.

Shingles in pregnancy

Shingles can be described as a later manifestation of chickenpox. The two are really one and the same thing.

The virus that causes chicken-pox usually stays in the body life-long. This means that even though the individual has life-long immunity against chicken-pox, he or she is still susceptible to developing shingles, which is in fact a reactivation of the same virus. Shingles is usually provoked by a fall or general stress to the body immunity.

Shingles is also known by the name herpes zoster or simply as "zoster". This is because the virus which causes chickenpox and shingles is called Varicella zoster. This virus belongs to the herpes family.

Consequences of developing shingles in pregnancy

The fetus is not at risk. Any mother who develops shingles in pregnancy would have had chicken-pox in the past. This means she is carrying protective antibodies in her circulation, and these are continually passed to the growing fetus, which is therefore protected.

Medication used in the event of chicken-pox or shingles in pregnancy

Normally only symptomatic relief is aimed for in chickenpox, because this is a self-limiting condition. However, if there is any hint of an abnormally severe disease - such as pulmonary (lung) involvement - antiviral medication can be used.

The standard anti-viral drug acyclovir has been used in thousands of cases all over the world without any report of untoward effect to mother or baby. However, its absolute safety cannot be guaranteed and it should only be used where the benefits outweigh potential untoward effects.

Chicken-pox infection and miscarriage or preterm labour

Chicken-pox infection can sometimes provoke a miscarriage or pre-term labor. This complication is quite uncommon but, if severe, this infection can provoke uterine activity, which may subsequently end in miscarriage or preterm labor, depending on the stage of the pregnancy.