Chickenpox In Pregnancy: New Guidelines Released

Advice published today, Wednesday 21 January, by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), highlights the dangers of chickenpox during pregnancy.

While it’s rare to get chickenpox while you’re pregnant (the NHS estimate that just three in every 1,000 pregnant women do), it can be harmful to both you and your baby – so avoiding anyone with the infection when expecting a baby is crucial.

The advice, which is the fourth edition of this guideline originally published in 1997, says that women who develop chickenpox in pregnancy should be referred to a foetal medicine specialist and a neonatologist should be informed of the birth.  

“Women may worry about passing the virus on to their baby,” says Dr Manish Gupta, co-chair of the RCOG guidelines committee.

“However, this is quite rare and depends on what stage of pregnancy the virus was transmitted."

The RCOG says the updated guidelines are a “welcome revision” and they hope they’ll make mums-to-be more aware of the precautions to take during pregnancy.

“This is sometimes seen as a minor illness but it can have serious consequences for pregnant women and developing babies and needs to be managed effectively,” says Louise Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives.

 “Pregnancy can be very confusing for women as they are taking in a huge amount of information and we need to ensure that women know what to look for without causing overload.

“Women are already recommended to be vaccinated against flu and pertussis and if not immune after pregnancy to have the rubella vaccine. Whilst vaccination is not being recommended here, women who are uncertain that they have had chickenpox must avoid anyone with the infection.”

The RCOG suggests that midwives should discuss the signs and effects of flu during pregnancy with pregnant women – particularly if they struggle to understand the English language.

“Midwives will need to discuss this with all women particularly new migrants who may be unaware if the have had it and may have limited language and understanding,” says Silverton.

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