This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Complications of chickenpox in pregnancy

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

These are mostly as a result of infection of the foetus which may result in:

  • the varicella syndrome when infection occurs early in pregnancy (1)
    • risk of fetal varicella syndrome
      • risk of the syndrome in children exposed to chickenpox in utero is around 0.5% if maternal chickenpox develops at 2-12 weeks of pregnancy
      • 1.4% if it develops at 12-28 weeks
      • 0% if it develops from 28 weeks onwards
      • overall risk in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy is 0.91%
  • neonatal chickenpox can be severe when the maternal rash appears between five days before delivery and two days after delivery. Mortality may be as high as 30% without active treatment (2)

In the mother, smokers in the second or third trimester are at a particularly high risk of pneumonitis.

Notes:

  • there is no evidence that uncomplicated chickenpox in the mother significantly increases the likelihood of spontaneous abortion during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy (3.0% in one study) or intrauterine death after the 20th week (0.7%) (3)

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.