Lyme Disease Pregnancy

Lyme Disease Pregnancy
Lyme disease is an illness that can pass on from a disease-carrying tick on a dog to a human. It can be passed on from an infected mother to her fetus via the placenta during pregnancy, and could possibly lead to a miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth. Pregnant women should be very careful in making sure they don't get any tick bites during their pregnancy so that there are no chances that it will be transmitted to their unborn child.

There are certain antibiotics that are given to pregnant women who contract Lyme disease, such as cefuroxime, penicillin, axetil or amoxicillin. Medications such as ibuprofen or aspirin should not be ingested by pregnant women, but acetaminophen is safe to take in order to treat Lyme disease during pregnancy.

Ever since Lyme disease was found, there has never been any conclusive evidence that it can have severe adverse effects on a fetus. There have been some isolated occurrences of babies having been born with some congenital defects, but these were never linked to the mother suffering from Lyme disease. In further studies that were conducted, most of the pregnant women that were diagnosed with Lyme disease were simply given quick treatment with suitable antibiotics, and all these mothers gave birth to full term, healthy babies who showed no effects of having suffered the disease.

Although there are no proven links between pregnancy and Lyme disease, it is still of great importance that a pregnant woman protects herself from contracting the disease as best as she can. A woman's immune system will be compromised during her pregnancy, so having an illness of any sort will affect her body, and if she is not physically and emotionally able to cope, the chances are that her baby will suffer as well.

The best way to prevent getting Lyme disease is to take all the preventive measures you can think of. Ticks are the primary carriers of Lyme disease, so stay away from any areas that you know they are found in. Do not wear clothes that reveal your arms and legs, and make sure you tuck your trousers into your shoes or socks. Long hair should be tied back so that ticks have a harder time getting into it and nestling down inside it. Covering your hair with a scarf or hat is even better. Once you are done being outside in an area that you know ticks are common in, check your entire body over so that you don't have any on you, and wash yourself just to be sure.