Risk of infection during pregnancy

Tonsillitis is also not uncommon during pregnancy, as the immune system is also weakened here. Just like any other human being, pregnant women are contagious for their fellow men. The mother’s immune system has to take care of two organisms at the same time and may concentrate a little more on the unborn child than on the mother.

Therefore, tonsillitis in pregnancy can last longer and be contagious for a longer time. It is important to choose the right antibiotics, because some of the active ingredients damage the baby. A transmission from the pregnant woman to the baby in the womb is not a problem. The tonsillitis of the mother usually has no influence on the child and does not cause any subsequent complications.

Duration

How long you are contagious depends on several factors. Firstly, the duration of the contagious phase is determined by the condition of the person who is ill, and secondly by the treatment. A bacterial tonsillitis treated with antibiotics is usually considered to be no longer infectious 24 hours after the start of treatment.

Penicillin preparations are often used as the treatment. If these cannot sufficiently fight the tonsillitis, erythromycin or clarithromycin is used. The statement that there is no longer any risk of infection after one day of taking antibiotics applies only to tonsillitis caused by bacteria, as antibiotics are only effective against this group of pathogens.

Viruses do not have their own metabolism and therefore do not offer the antibiotic agents a surface to attack. If a virus is the cause of the inflammation, the duration of the contagious phase is sometimes very long. Then the absence of symptoms or fever as a measure of how long one is contagious can be used for orientation.

However, this method offers no guarantee that you are not contagious. If the inflammation is treated with conservative measures, home remedies and bed rest, an uncomplicated course should be limited to a duration of one to a maximum of two weeks. This time corresponds approximately to the time of the risk of infection.