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Home › Articles › Health and Physical Changes › Fevers During Pregnancy

Fevers During Pregnancy

Should Moms-to-be Worry when they Get a Fever?

By Lisa A. Goldstein

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Having a fever is no picnic, but if you're pregnant, it adds another element of worry. Will the high temperature hurt the baby? Is the treatment any different? Learning the answers to these questions and more will hopefully ease your concerns.

"Typically, there is no difference in what is considered a fever in the pregnant and non-pregnant state," says Dr. Robert Atlas, OB/GYN and chair of the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md.

What Is Fever?
So what is considered a fever? Anything greater than 100.4 Fahrenheit, says Dr. Randy Fink, an OB/GYN in private practice in Miami, Fla., and a Fellow in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He generally has no concerns about a low-grade fever, which is anything less than 100.4. A fever greater than 101 degrees usually warrants an office visit, however.

"There is data in both human and animal studies that a high fever during the first 45 to 60 days of gestation – the time during which organs are developing – can cause birth defects," Dr. Fink says. It is for this reason that those in early pregnancy are advised to avoid saunas and Jacuzzis. Temperature increases associated with exercise are not related to birth defects, and while exercise is recommended in pregnancy, Dr. Fink says pregnant women are advised to stay well hydrated and try to exercise in a controlled, air-conditioned environment.

Are There Risks?
In other words, a fever could hurt the baby, but mostly in the first trimester. Later in pregnancy, there's a risk of premature birth, according to Dr. Atlas.

The concern shifts to whether the underlying cause of the fever may hurt the baby, rather than the fever itself, Dr. Fink says. Fever associated with a "run of the mill" viral upper-respiratory infection isn't likely to have an effect on the baby, he says, but fever associated with a kidney infection in pregnancy can cause preterm labor and serious illness in Mom. Chicken pox in the mother can be devastating to both the mom and baby, whereas fever from appendicitis can be life-threatening to the mom.


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