How do you notice ringworm in pregnancy?
In pregnancy, ringworm progresses similarly for the affected woman as it does for non-pregnant women. About one to two weeks after infection, symptoms such as fever, headache or aching limbs appear. Red rash that appears on the face, especially on the cheeks, spreads to the arms and legs in a garland shape. Typical ringworm symptoms in women also include joint pain.
How long is ringworm dangerous during pregnancy?
If a woman is pregnant when first infected with ringworm, there is a risk that the causative virus (parvovirus B19) will be transmitted to the unborn child. This is true even if the mother herself does not develop any symptoms of the disease.
An initial infection with the ringworm pathogen in pregnant women is all the more risky the earlier in pregnancy the women become infected. However, the pathogen is not transmitted to the unborn child in every case. Ringworm infection is most dangerous up to and including the 20th week of pregnancy. In about four to 17 percent of acutely infected pregnant women, ringworm causes damage to the unborn child.
If the doctor suspects a parvovirus B19 infection in the mother, he or she monitors the pregnancy or the unborn child particularly closely. Experts recommend that the child in the womb be examined once a week by ultrasound. This involves looking for signs of anemia. These include developmental delays, a drop in cardiac output and water retention (hydrops fetalis).
Ringworm: Treatment of the unborn child
This procedure is performed exclusively in a hospital or specialized center. Blood transfusions can usually compensate for the blood deficiency in the unborn child.
