If you come into contact with chickenpox during pregnancy, you may be concerned about the effect on your baby, however complications are rare.

Am I immune?

Chicken pox can be serious if you pass the virus to your baby as it can cause birth defects. However, your unborn baby cannot catch chickenpox unless you do, and most adults in the UK had chickenpox themselves in childhood, so are immune. 

If you are not sure whether you had chickenpox as a child, your GP or midwife can do a blood test to make sure.

What are the risks?

It is rare to get chickenpox when you are pregnant, and most women who do get chickenpox recover with no adverse affects on the baby. In the UK, chickenpox causes complications for about three in every 1,000 pregnancies.

If you catch it before 28 weeks of pregnancy, there is only a very small chance that you will pass it on to your baby and there's no increased risk between weeks 28 and 36. However, between 36-40 weeks, the risk of you passing it to your baby is higher and you may need to have an injection of anti-viral drugs.

If you catch it close to the birth or shortly afterwards, it can be very serious and your baby will need an injection of immunoglobulin. Although this will not stop them getting it, it will reduce the risk of more serious complications. If your baby is born with chickenpox they will also need an anti-viral injection that will help them get better more quickly.