Is it necessary to wait to get pregnant with influenza A?

Following the latest events regarding the flu A The Centers for Disease Control of the United States (CDC) has conducted a study in which they determine that pregnant women affected by influenza A have a higher risk of serious infection and death.

The hospitalization rate of pregnant women is four times higher than the general population and more than 10% of deaths caused by the A / H1N1 virus in the US have occurred in pregnant women (it should be borne in mind that these data refer to the small number of cases and deaths that have occurred in that country and therefore may not be representative of reality).

This situation is causing many women to start wondering how dangerous it can be to be pregnant and if it would be necessary to wait to get pregnant just in case. The fact that influenza A is more serious in pregnant women is due to the fact that during pregnancy the cellular immunity of women decreases to allow the growth of a "foreign body", the baby, to be more exact.

This means that if they are infected with the disease, they have a higher risk of the infection progressing to more serious forms. The more advanced the pregnancy, the more likely there are complications.

In Spain, the Ministry of Health is preparing guidelines for the management of influenza A by pregnant women who point out that Every pregnant woman with flu symptoms should undergo the diagnostic test and that those with serious infections or with basic situations that pose a risk are hospitalized.

Emilio Bouza, microbiologist at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid, points out that the recommendation about antivirals is that of "Give them to almost all and as soon as possible, although it will be necessary to assess case by case, since in women who come with a mild flu and several days of evolution of the infection, perhaps it is best not to prescribe them".

Tamiflu, the drug to treat influenza A, is considered level C. "This means that it is not known that it is a problem for the fetus but that there is insufficient evidence about its safety", says Bouza.

When vaccines are available (early 2010), pregnant women will be vaccinated, since being an inactivated virus there is no risk for pregnancy.

Now, answering the question at the top of the post, US CDC experts say that "there is no reason for women to delay pregnancy".

Other institutions, such as the National Childbirth Trust, argue otherwise, a position that has generated some controversy in the United Kingdom.

They were?

Well, nothing concrete. I think the best thing is that everyone adopts the measure that makes them feel more comfortable. The risk of catching the disease seems low, but of course, we are in summer, not in winter (when infections are likely to increase considerably) and the risk, even in this heat station, is not zero.

There are also pregnant women who have died from this flu, so, in this sense, I would not mind waiting a bit to get pregnant (if I were a woman).

Video: Influenza Update, 2018 2019 (March 2024).