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Expert Q&A

	By Traci Kurtzer Obstetrician and Gynecologist

I have never had chicken pox and want to know what are the risks if I contract them once I am pregnant?

Chicken pox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and is transmitted from respiratory droplets. The symptoms are an upper respiratory infection and itchy skin lesions over the entire body. Many women who do not recall a history of chicken pox may actually be immune from previous exposure to the virus which led to only minor symptoms.

When any adult, but especially pregnant or immune-compromised individuals, contract chicken pox they are at risk for severe complications from pneumonia. Varicella infection within the first four months of pregnancy will only rarely cause a syndrome in the infant which is characterized by skin scarring and limb defects.

For women who do not recall or are unsure if they have ever had chicken pox in childhood, it may be helpful to check blood antibody levels to determine their immune status. If a pregnant woman is not immune to chicken pox, she should avoid sick children and notify her doctor immediately if she thinks she might have been exposed. Treatment with immune globulin (VZIG) within 96 hours of exposure may help reduce symptoms and lessen the severity of infection.

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