Measles is a highly contagious childhood disease caused by a paramyxovirus and characterized by fever, white spots inside the mouth, runny nose, cough, red eyes and a spreading skin rash. Although it's a childhood disease, it's still important to protect yourself from measles during pregnancy.
How common is the measles?
Measles infections have become fairly rare since most people are protected from getting it when they're given the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. Anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred cases typically are reported in the U.S. each year, though some years (including 2019) have seen worse outbreaks mainly because of the rise in people refusing the MMR vaccine.
In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared that the disease had been eradicated in the United States (meaning it wasn't continuously transmitted for at least 12 months), but unfortunately it has since made a comeback due in large part to unvaccinated segments of the population, both in the U.S. and overseas.[1]
Who is most at risk of catching the measles?
People who aren't vaccinated against measles or aren't otherwise immune because they had it as children are most at risk of coming down with the measles. That includes babies under the age of 12 to 15 months, which is typically when they're able to get their first dose of the MMR vaccine.
Most women of childbearing age either have had the disease or have been immunized against it as children. Even if you're not immune, the risk that you might contract measles is relatively low most of the time, since the majority of people are immune and are unlikely to come down with the disease in the first place.
However, since measles are highly contagious, a non-immune person is at risk of getting the illness if she comes into contact with someone who is infected.
More About the Measles
If you have not been vaccinated and are not immune, you cannot get the vaccine during pregnancy.
What are the symptoms of the measles?
If you have measles during pregnancy, you might experience the following symptoms:
- At the onset: fever, runny nose, hacking cough and red eyes
- Two to five days later: a red spotted rash that progresses from the head downward and possibly white spot appear inside
The rash and symptoms usually clear within one to two weeks.
What effect can measles have on your pregnancy and baby?
Luckily, measles does not appear to cause birth defects in the baby if contracted during pregnancy, though you may possibly be at an increased risk of miscarriage, premature labor or a low birthweight baby.
How to protect yourself from measles during pregnancy
If you don't know whether you've had measles or been vaccinated against it, get a blood test (preferably before trying to conceive) to find out for sure. The CDC recommends getting the measles vaccine at least one month before becoming pregnant.[2]
If you're not immune and are exposed to the virus while pregnant, you should talk to your practitioner about getting an immune globulin shot to try to prevent the development of measles altogether, since you won't be able to get the MMR vaccine during your pregnancy.
If you have other children, you should still get them vaccinated on schedule during pregnancy. Having someone else at home get the MMR vaccine during your pregnancy won't put you or your baby at risk.
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