Fifth Disease Pregnancy

Fifth Disease Pregnancy
Medics believe that the most readily available and common virus in the environment is the human parvo virus b19. According to the experts, this virus is found literally everywhere.

It is that common, the question arises of the danger it poses to our health. The first major disease that virus causes is the Fifth disease. The Fifth disease is an infection experienced normally by youths and children. The National Infectious Center of Diseases records that a whooping 50% of the US total adult population is currently affected by the Fifth disease. The attack is mild and can remain in the body for years though. However, once a person is infected by the virus, risks of more serious attacks increase.

Pregnant women are especially very susceptible to the parvo virus b19. The good news is that the virus is not a serious health risk since almost every pregnant woman has the natural immunity to resist and overcome the Fifth disease. It is this natural immunity that protects the unborn child too from the virus.

In cases of a Fifth disease pregnancy i. e. when the pregnant woman has an attack of the Fifth disease rarely causes complications either in the pregnancy term or during delivery. However, there are instances when the Fifth disease pregnancy terminates in miscarriage. The miscarriage is usually during the initial four to five months of the full term. Most research findings indicate that the miscarriages are consequent to an anemia condition accrued in the unborn baby.

According to the National Infectious Center of Diseases, about 5% of pregnant women in the US at any given time note a complication from the parvo b19 virus, ranging from mild to serious. If symptoms of the disease are noted during pregnancy, a woman should consult a physician immediately. The physician will conduct blood test to confirm any positive or negative diagnosis.

Blood tests are used to determine which of the following three conditions the woman is suffering from. These are:

1. If the pregnant woman has the immune resistance to the parvo b19 virus and thus will naturally be able to overcome it.

2. If the condition has affected the baby in the womb and if there is likelihood of that happening. High concentration and distribution of the virus in the blood indicates that all may nor be well with the baby and thus the need for additional tests.

3. If the woman does not have or has lost the immune resistance ability to the parvo b19 virus. This means that the Fifth disease pregnancy may advance even to yield complications for the pregnancy. The physicians will determine how best to deal with the condition for the two months for which the virus will be through a full life cycle. That might include boosting the woman's anti-anemia diet.