Rubella during pregnancy can cause congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) with birth defects such as deafness, heart problems, mental retardation, neurological abnormalities, or vision defects. The severity depends on the stage of pregnancy. Women should check their immunity status before pregnancy and get vaccinated if needed. Rubella during the first five months of pregnancy is extremely dangerous, with an 80% chance of the fetus becoming ill. Babies born to mothers who contracted rubella during pregnancy may be premature and have low birth weight.
When a woman contracts rubella during pregnancy, most often the baby is born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The severity of CRS depends on the stage of pregnancy a woman is in when she gets the disease. Birth defects associated with CRS can include deafness, heart problems, mental retardation, neurological abnormalities, or vision defects; deafness is the most common CRS-related birth defect. Prematurity and other potentially life-threatening conditions are also common in CRS. To prevent rubella during pregnancy, women of childbearing potential should have their immune status checked before becoming pregnant.
Contracting rubella during the first five months of pregnancy is extremely dangerous for the unborn child. In about 80% of cases in which a woman contracts rubella during pregnancy, the fetus will become ill. The earlier the unborn child is exposed to rubella, the more severely it is likely to be affected.
If the mother contracts rubella during the first 12 weeks of gestation, there is an 85% chance that the baby will be born with CRS and during weeks 13-16, a 54% chance. Getting rubella between the 17th and 20th week of pregnancy creates a high probability that the baby will be born deaf. After 20 weeks of gestation, most babies are born without CRS defects.
Babies born to mothers who contracted rubella during pregnancy may be premature and have a low birth weight. Liver infection, anemia, or a low platelet count can also affect the baby at birth. Additionally, some children with CRS have what doctors call blueberry muffin lesions. These babies are born with jaundice and purple skin hemorrhages known as purpura. The rubella virus can also cause a miscarriage or stillbirth.
Once a woman contracts rubella during pregnancy, there’s no way to know for sure whether or not the baby will also be infected or to what extent. All women of childbearing age can find out their immunity status to rubella with a simple fingerstick blood test. If a woman discovers that she is not immune to the rubella virus, she should be vaccinated immediately and then wait a minimum of 28 days before trying to conceive. Although there have been no documented cases of CRS in pregnant women who get vaccinated, doctors recommend that women who are already pregnant wait until the baby is born before being vaccinated. Non-immune pregnant women can reduce their chances of getting rubella by avoiding people who have active rubella infections.
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