How does the flu affect pregnant women and their unborn babies?

In Vietnam, the weather is very erratic, sometimes wet and dry, sometimes cold and hot, creating favorable conditions for influenza viruses to develop and spread quickly. For pregnant women, even a mild flu, if subjective, can have serious consequences affecting the pregnant woman and her unborn baby.

Influenza virus not only puts the fetus at risk of birth defects (especially when the mother has the flu within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy), but when high fever combined with viral toxicity can also stimulate death. cause miscarriage , stillbirth or premature birth .
Pregnant women with flu can lead to birth defects in the fetus such as cleft palate, congenital heart (heart valve regurgitation), some defects in the body. Because the fetal brain is very vulnerable to the mother's flu during the first 5 months, mental disorders in young children are also possible.
The cause of these abnormalities is that maternal influenza antibodies have the ability to cross the placenta and adversely affect the immature immune system of the fetus. Combined with an increase in the mother's body temperature when sick (a prolonged rise in temperature from 39 degrees Celsius requires caution) are factors that adversely affect the brain of the fetus. In addition, flu drugs also adversely affect the central nervous system of the fetus.
However, the flu can cause many different diseases and not all pregnant women with the flu will affect the fetus. If you have symptoms of the flu, you should seek medical attention immediately.

Flu is one of the most difficult diseases to avoid for pregnant women. Seasonal flu usually has a benign course, but serious complications can still occur in immunocompromised individuals. Pregnant women have many changes in their body, especially hormonal changes, and the immune system is weakened compared to normal people, making the body's resistance to diseases weaker. Pregnant women's body is especially sensitive to pathogens.

In pregnant women, the flu is often more severe and the illness lasts longer than the general population. On average, the flu usually lasts 3 to 4 days, but for pregnant women it can take a few days longer. Severe flu can cause pneumonia in pregnant women. Pneumonia in pregnant women is more dangerous than normal people because they have a greater than normal need for oxygen while the immune system is weakened.
In addition, other symptoms such as fever, cough when having flu in pregnant women are not worse than those of normal people.

Pregnant women need to pay attention to prevent the source of infection, avoid contact with people with colds and raw poultry, should not go to crowded places, especially stay away from contaminated areas.
To prevent colds, pregnant women should eat a lot of fruits rich in vitamin C, drink lots of water to dilute sputum and eliminate toxins, drink a little honey, add ginger or hot lemon to clean the throat, maintain personal hygiene clean. In addition, pregnant women should also limit going out in the sun when it rains erratically. When you go to sleep, you should prevent stuffy nose by not lying flat, the wind blowing on your face, take a thin towel and put it on your neck.
When you have the flu, pregnant women should take measures to control the disease to avoid spreading to others, eliminate pathogens quickly, and apply appropriate measures to reduce fever such as using cold towels or applying ice to the affected area. forehead, drink a lot of warm water, pay attention to rest, keep the body warm.
In particular, pregnant women only use drugs when prescribed by a doctor. Because many flu drugs can be used for normal people, but when used for pregnant women can lead to miscarriage, pregnancy malformations, pregnancy toxicity. Some cases can be based on the doctor's prescription for treatment with traditional medicine.
In order to have a healthy pregnancy and safe childbirth, the mother before becoming pregnant needs to have complete vaccinations as well as regular health check-ups to ensure her body is ready to enter the 9-month pregnancy journey. 10 days.
During pregnancy, the mother always needs to monitor the health of herself and the fetus through adequate antenatal check-ups and a balanced diet and lifestyle. In the use of medicinal products, the mother's body is sick, it is necessary to have advice and examination from an obstetrician-specialist to avoid bad effects from diseases as well as medicinal products. pregnancy. When any signs of complications occur, pregnant women need to be taken to the hospital for early examination and treatment to minimize unnecessary consequences.