Is it risky to be exposed to chicken pox during pregnancy?
It depends. If you’ve had chicken pox before, you’re probably immune, so there’s no need to worry. Up to 95 percent of adults in the United States are immune, including many people who had chicken pox and never even knew it. If you got the chicken pox vaccine (available in the United States since 1995), you’re probably immune — it works for more than 80 percent of those who get it. If you’re not sure whether you’re immune, a simple blood test can give you the answer. If you’re not immune and you do happen to catch chicken pox while you’re pregnant, there’s a chance that it will affect your baby and that you could get quite sick. What can happen to my baby if I get chicken pox while I’m pregnant? Chances are good that no harm will come to your baby, but timing is a factor. If you get chicken pox during the first half of pregnancy, there’s a slight risk that your baby will get something called congenital varicella syndrome. This condition is characterized by birth defects, including skin
