Written by Editorial Team
Pregnancy is a period during which the immune system of the woman is compromised. That is why expecting mothers are prone to various infections. Mumps during pregnancy is one such infection. Though commonly found among children, expecting mothers in their early trimesters are prone to contract it.
It is very important to understand its causes and symptoms because if left unattended, mumps can increase the risk of miscarriage as well. Very rarely, there are women who are prone to mumps. Also, there are chances for this to happen when the pregnant women get in contact with the other person having mumps.
In This Article
Mumps is the infection caused by paramyxoviruses. It impacts the parotid glands in the neck that produces saliva. Mumps can cause immense pain and swelling of the glands. Depending on the severity, there are chances of swelling in other parts of the body, as well.
This infection is caused because of the pathogens in the air. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, he will be releasing pathogens into the air. When we get into contact with these pathogens, then it triggers the same issue.
The immunization against mumps is widespread. With the increase in the awareness of vaccination, the number of cases detected with mumps has gradually reduced. Moreover, being infected once alone will provide lifelong immunity. As most women have developed immunity against this virus, mumps during pregnancy is quite rare.
Even if the expecting mother has not acquired immunity, since most of the people around are immune to this disease, the chances are seldom for a pregnant woman to catch mumps. The occurrence of mumps during pregnancy, thus, lies somewhere between 0.8 and 10 cases per 10,000 pregnancies. The MMR vaccine is given to people to get rid of these painful diseases.
It is needless to fear about pregnant women having mumps. If pregnant women are given the vaccinations in their childhood, they already have the immunity to protect themselves from it. There are even people who do not take this vaccination. Even then, we grow, the contraction of mumps usually develops immunity for this problem.
Yes, mumps is contagious, and there are high chances to spread from a person to the other. The individuals infected with the mumps remain contagious for approximately 15 days. That is six days before the symptoms start to show, and up to 9 days after they start. This period makes this disease highly contagious.
[Read: Sneezing During Pregnancy]
We should be very careful with mumps, as this never shows up until and unless it gets severe. So, keep in mind as you read these signs and symptoms of the mumps.
When mumps is not treated properly, then there are chances that it impacts both the mother and child in the long run.
There is no antiviral treatment for mumps. Treatment of mumps aims to relieve the annoying symptoms.
The best way to treat mumps is to give them the triple MMR vaccine. However, if the woman is pregnant, this is not advised and should get the right medication from the experts. The treatment options include:
The contraction of mumps doesn’t cause any problems in the second trimester. So just be aware and stay away from people if you know that they have mumps.
If you hear of any mumps outbreak in your premises, take these precautionary measures:
Conclusion:
Being pregnant is challenging as we never know how we are going to get along the nine months journey. Ensure that you have taken all vaccinations, and while you have taken mumps vaccine, make sure there is an ample gap of months before getting conceived. This helps you to stay safe from mumps always.
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
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