Avoiding chickenpox during pregnancy
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Most adults are immune to chickenpox but if you're not sure that you've had the virus, ask your parents as they'll probably know. Otherwise, you can have a blood test, which your midwife or GP can arrange, to confirm that you have the antibodies.
It's very rare to develop chickenpox in pregnancy. However, if it were to happen, there's a chance it could affect the baby's development if the virus was contracted before 20 weeks or after 36 weeks of pregnancy. If you develop chickenpox, your baby could contract the virus (varicella infection of the newborn). If it's thought that you've had chickenpox in pregnancy, you can be given an injection of immunoglobulin containing chickenpox antibodies to lessen the effect on your baby.
Anne Richley, midwife.
By Anne Richley
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