Can measles cause birth defects if a woman catches it while early in her pregnancy?

[no_hypocrisy]

[rzemanfl]

1. Nearly sure it can. Old knowledge in a 71 year-old brain so don't

count on it.


On edit-here: https://www.birthdefects.org/healthy-baby/maternal-illness/rubella/

[Siwsan]

2. As I recall, that was a big problem with 'German Measles'

I have no clue as to how they are different from other measles.

[rzemanfl]

5. Rubella is a/k/a "German Measles." n/t

[Siwsan]

17. Ah. Thanks

I have no idea what strain I had, when I was a kid.

[Maeve]

3. Rubella (three-day or German measles) can but

https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/complications/measles.aspx

Luckily, measles does not appear to cause birth defects in the baby if contracted during pregnancy, though you may possibly be at an increased risk of miscarriage, premature labor or a low birthweight baby.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. There are two forms of measles, rubella and rubeola. Good info here:

Last edited Thu May 2, 2019, 07:02 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/9738996/

[rzemanfl]

9. "Rubeola" n/t

[Arkansas Granny]

14. I need to proofread my posts better. Damned autocorrect.

[dhol82]

6. This is for rubeola - the measles outbreak now running around the country.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21885237


Rubeola is different from rubella or German measles.
Rubella can cause severe birth defects.

[spinbaby]

7. I have a friend who's deaf from measles

Born deaf after her mother contracted measles.

[hlthe2b]

8. What is circulating now is Rubeola (measles)... Rubella (German Measles) is the form most known

for birth defects. It is not clear whether common 10 day measles (Rubeola) causes birth defects; there is a little data suggesting an increased risk of miscarriage. But it can cause severe though rare sequela in those infected, including pneumonia, meningitis, deafness and death.

MMR vaccine includes protection against both forms of measles, as well as mumps.

[Snackshack]

10. Very much so.

“Pregnant women who contract rubella are at risk for miscarriage or stillbirth, and their developing babies are at risk for severe birth defects with devastating, lifelong consequences. CRS can affect almost everything in the developing baby's body. The most common birth defects from CRS can include: Deafness.”

https://www.cdc.gov/rubella/pregnancy.html

[hlthe2b]

11. No: Measles outbreaks right now are due to 10-day measles (Rubeola) not rubella

Rubeola is not linked to birth defects though it can have rare, but horrendous sequela in those infected.

[Snackshack]

15. Thanks

for the clarification.

Still sounds like it can cause some complications. I would not recommend taking the chance.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21885237

[Me.]

12. Yes

Just ask Gene Tierney who caught them from a fan when she was pregnant and her daughter was born with problems, was handicapped and I think, spent her entire life in an institution. Agatha Christie wrote "The Mirror Cracked" with a plot line based on the story.

[Dave in VA]

13. My younger brother

had them so bad that we thought that he was going to die from them. It was so bad that we had trouble finding a clear spot on his skin that was not a red spot. We had to cover all the windows with blankets to keep him from getting sunlight in his eyes as they were just as red as his skin. He was 5 years old at the time.

This was all before there was a vaccine available.

[Drahthaardogs]

16. Oh God yes.

I knew a boy like this. It was devestating. Severe physical and mental defects.

[AJT]

18. Yes. My sister-in-law was exposed to german measles during

her pregnancy and her daughter was born deaf.