Scarlet Fever and Pregnancy

Yes, contact your doctor asap. I would to be on the safe side. Hope your stepson feels better soon!

M

you need to call your dr and see what they say. you wont feel better till you do.
hope he feels better soon

I contracted Rubella at 10 weeks pregnant with my 2nd baby. I boosted my immune system and kept it up during the entire pregnancy and took extra fish oil. He needed to cook a little longer, so I was 4.5 WEEKS late, but I'm glad I let him decide WHEN to be born, rather than an OB with a calendar. He was a little grey for the first 3 days, since it took his heart a little longer to close up. He's a healthy 4 year old.

PB8 is agood probiotic that can help fight off bacteria naturally, without having any side effects for you or or baby....especially while vital organs are growing. Also, Congaplex from Standard Process works great for strep -type infections and it's natural....and safe during pregnancy. Many antibotics have not been tested in pregnancy.

Can you go stay with a friend or family member until he is better?

scarlet fever is caused by the same bacteria as strep throat as long as its caught early and treated w/ antibiotics you and baby will be fine. Oh and scarlet fever is not usually seen in adults. Poor kid. I hope he feels better soon in the mean time keep yourself healthy and wash your hands frequently. I'd be more concerned about catching mono the length of the illness can vary there isn't much you can do because its viral and the symptoms it causes could be harmful not the virus itself.
edited: I have checked lots of medical sites and they all say that there is no evidence that strep or scarlet fever will harm a fetus. However they do mention that mono doesn't but the symptoms can because you can be anemic, get dehydrated, the poor appetite, etc.

Hi E.T.,

Not too much to worry about the scarlet fever/strep, since it's easily treatable with antibiotics and is no longer the dangerous disease it was before the 1940s (my father's sister actually died of scarlet fever in the 1930's. Guess I'm dating myself!). If you do develop it, though, you should treat it immediately with antibiotics. Pregnancy is a state of relative immune-suppression, and risk of complication from infectious diseases is higher because of that. I agree that taking vitamin D-3 supplements is a very good idea, especially since most Americans we're now finding are vit D deficient. I would take an extra 1,000 mg/day, since you're probably already getting 1,000 mg in your prenatal vitamins (check the label).

I would be a little concerned about the mono, though, if you've never had it. Chances are pretty good that you have had it. In the US, most people contract the EBV virus that causes it in adolescence or young adulthood, although it's actually a fairly common and unrecognized disease in young children, most of whom never have symptoms. You've definitely been exposed while your stepson was contagious. Symptoms are usually a very sore throat and fatigue. It might be difficult to differentiate this from the effects of strep and pregnancy, though!

Unfortunately, not a lot of research has been done on the effects of EBV in pregnancy, and the outcomes of available studies are conflicting. According to some, EBV can cause miscarriage or severe birth defects if infection occurs in the first 12 - 20 weeks of pregnancy, but the occurrence of this is very low (less than 1%). According to others, EBV has no effect on the developing fetus. A simple blood test can tell you if you have immunity to EBV, although it's interpretation can be a bit tricky. I suggest you talk to your OB about this. It's easier to just do a monospot to see if you have active disease now. If not, you can stop worrying. If so, talk to your OB about more frequent monitoring by ultrasound. I don't think there's anything that can be done if you and your baby have been infected, but knowing what's going on can give you more options.

Good luck -- the probability is very high that you and the baby are just fine.