During pregnancy, our body reduces its level of protection, since the embryo at the first stage of its development is considered “foreign” for our body. Therefore, if pregnancy occurs, it is very likely that the woman may get sick with something. The body of the expectant mother is especially susceptible to infections and colds, which are so easy to catch. This means that if planning a pregnancy and a cold coincide, then an infection may remain in your body, which will make itself felt during pregnancy itself. This will be discussed in our article.
When you're pregnant, sometimes it feels like the whole world is out to hurt us. Either the bus is moving too fast, or the wind is blowing too strongly, or September has arrived at the wrong time. But, nevertheless, even constantly suspecting everything and everyone and protecting yourself from all dangers, you cannot completely exclude the possibility of some kind of infection occurring in your body. And you shouldn’t be afraid or upset about it - it’s absolutely normal. Well, think for yourself, how can you get rid of what is constantly in the air?
Of course, in the summer it is more difficult to get sick if you simply take care of yourself - wash your hands after going outside, handle fruits and vegetables, and simply follow the rules of hygiene. However, summer is almost over and now viruses are attacking. In the fall, the supply of vitamins received in the summer is still active, but the stronger the cold, the more fiercely viruses and infections fight against our protective shell. ARVI, bronchitis, pharyngitis and everything else - all this is literally everywhere, flying through the air and there is no way to hide from it.
Pregnancy and colds
The possibility of colds during pregnancy cannot be excluded. No matter how hard a woman tries, she cannot completely protect herself from contact with other people. And even if you don’t leave your apartment, you can catch the infection from your husband or older child.
In the summer, the risk of getting sick is minimal if you follow at least basic hygiene rules. A common infection in summer is rotavirus. But it is transmitted through dirty hands, water and unwashed fruits and vegetables.
In winter the situation is much worse. ARVIs lie in wait for the expectant mother at almost every step, and with them pharyngitis, tracheitis, and bronchitis. If a flu epidemic occurs, the risk for a pregnant woman increases significantly. Even people with normal immunity get sick, but those with a weakened immune system get sick much more often.
The flu is not only difficult to tolerate, it is fraught with complications and can greatly harm pregnancy. High fever with this disease has a negative impact on the development of the unborn child and can provoke a miscarriage.
Colds when conceiving a child
The assumption that only a woman's health affects conception is wrong. A cold also affects a man’s ability to conceive, especially if he has taken a huge number of different antiviral pills.
If the father is sick
If ARVI is accompanied by fever, then you need to understand that a certain number of sperm will simply die, only the strongest will survive.
When fertilization occurs, the female body will test the embryo. If complications are detected, the immune system of the expectant mother will reject the embryo and the egg will not attach to the uterine wall. If the embryo grows into the endometrium and is not healthy, a spontaneous miscarriage will occur.
When mother got sick
Experts do not recommend planning pregnancy during a cold. A slight cough and runny nose will not affect conception, however, if you add elevated body temperature to these symptoms, a negative impact is possible.
Colds and fertilization
The peculiarities of reproductive processes in the female body are such that the expectant mother does not immediately find out about pregnancy. Most often, she can be sure of her situation only after 2–3 weeks. And it is not uncommon for one of the future parents to have a cold during the intended fertilization. Conception and acute respiratory infections or colds are especially common during the cold season.
Does this condition somehow affect the development of pregnancy and the health of the child? Is a cold and subsequent conception dangerous? What could this mean in the future, and what measures should be taken?
A man has a cold
If a man falls ill during the period of supposed conception, it is unlikely that this will result in any consequences. Spermatozoa are usually resistant to external influences and are renewed quite regularly.
If a man falls ill with the flu or acute respiratory viral infection with a high fever, this may affect the motility of his sperm. But in this case, fertilization simply will not occur and there will be nothing to fear. In addition, in case of serious illness, a man is unlikely to be able to participate in the conception of a child.
A woman has a cold
Women's eggs cannot be renewed during life. Their number is constant from the moment of birth, new ones are not formed. That is why female reproductive cells are reliably protected from the influence of negative factors, because during its life the body experiences many different influences.
They are most sensitive to radiation and toxic load. The latter also includes conventional medications. Cold pathogens are usually not able to have a serious effect on the egg. They do not affect its ability to fertilize or move through the fallopian tubes and uterus.
Effect on the fertilized egg
From the moment of conception, at least 5–7 days must pass for the fertilized egg to reach the place in the uterus where it can attach. It is after attachment, or implantation, that the active development of the unborn child, the formation of its organs and systems, will begin. And this will be a time when any impact on the mother’s body is unsafe.
The time period before the implantation of a fertilized egg is called the preimplantation period. At this stage, all cells of the future embryo are identical. If an external factor damages any part, the remaining parts will take over their function. If the damage turns out to be significant, the embryo will simply die. The pregnancy will be terminated, and the woman will begin her period at the usual time.
This is the same law that gynecologists talk about - “all or nothing.” The preimplantation period is safe with regard to the development of fetal defects, but can result in termination of pregnancy.
A woman has a cold
If you ask a specialist whether it is possible to get pregnant with a cold, he will definitely answer that such a possibility exists. Based on this, it is worth considering how the disease affects the development of the fetus if it occurs at the moment of conception in the mother. In the case of uncomplicated pathology, there is no reason to worry, but it is worth taking measures to prevent the spread of infection throughout the body.
When carrying out prevention, you should be especially careful not only in the choice of medications, but also in traditional medicine, because there are herbs that can provoke a miscarriage. It is worth choosing medications that will prevent the development of a severe cough.
In the first weeks of pregnancy, a strong cough is dangerous
The fact is that at the moment of contraction of the diaphragm, the uterus becomes very tense, which can also cause pregnancy failure. You should also be concerned about your condition when your body temperature rises, since levels of 38.5 degrees are extremely dangerous for the embryo. To stabilize the condition, you can take medications that contain paracetamol; acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is contraindicated during pregnancy.
There is a group of doctors who believe that if a child is conceived during a cold, then when the embryo is exposed to infection, its death occurs. In those situations where the spontaneous rejection of the fetus has not occurred, then there is no need to worry about its development; the pregnancy in the future should proceed normally.
Planning for conception
Sometimes a different situation happens. It happens that a married couple plans a pregnancy for a long time, prepares for it, but the woman or man falls ill at the beginning of the cycle. What to do in this case? Should you postpone conception for another month or can you continue planning without paying attention to the illness?
There will be no clear answer in this situation. To choose the optimal solution, you need to consider a number of factors:
- Who is the source of infection - husband or wife?
- When exactly did the disease occur?
- Type of infection.
- Prescribed treatment.
Source of infection
The person who gets sick first is likely to infect someone else. In conditions of living together, it is almost impossible to protect yourself from infection. The incubation period for different diseases is also different - from one to ten days.
If the wife fell ill first and after some time infected her husband, by the time of conception they can both fully recover. But even if the man continues to get sick, it will not harm the pregnancy.
If the source of the infection is a man, then the wife may feel the first signs of the disease after a few days. And the height of the disease will come later - at the time of conception or after it. Since acute respiratory viral infections are quite difficult to predict, even a doctor cannot say for sure how many days the illness will last and whether there will be complications. In this situation, it would be better to play it safe and postpone conception.
Sick time
The earlier the disease occurs before ovulation, the greater the chances of success. A common cold in the first days of the menstrual cycle does not threaten future conception. The couple can calmly continue planning and monitor the woman’s condition. As a rule, such infections do not last more than a week and the expectant mother will be completely healthy a few days before ovulation.
If the disease develops immediately before ovulation, you need to think about it. Even the most harmless cold can have a protracted or two-wave course. And the safe period after ovulation is not that long. Perhaps, after weighing all the factors, it makes sense to wait another month.
Type of infection
Colds are different. They can develop after hypothermia or with reduced immunity, and then the pathogens will be microbes living in our body. But they can be of infectious origin and caused by a variety of viruses. The most famous of them are:
- adenovirus;
- parainfluenza;
- flu;
- rhinovirus;
- enteroviruses, etc.
The first three pathogens can cause severe or long-term illness.
Adenovirus
Adenoviral infection is manifested by sore throat, fever, and conjunctivitis. Sometimes intestinal disorders occur. The temperature can rise above 38 degrees.
The disease is quite contagious. Its main feature is its tendency to protracted or undulating flow. Very often, against the background of normalization of temperature and almost complete disappearance of symptoms, a second wave of fever occurs.
There is another variant of the course - in the form of prolonged low-grade fever, persistent weakness, and malaise. Temperatures up to 37.5 degrees, lasting more than a week, are also called a temperature plume.
There is no point in planning a pregnancy if you have an illness similar to an adenovirus infection.
Parainfluenza
The disease is a little similar in its course to the flu, but it is milder. Parainfluenza is characterized by frequent damage to the larynx and bronchi. Usually occurs in the form of laryngitis and bronchitis. The temperature may rise above 38 degrees. The cough sometimes lasts up to three weeks.
Parainfluenza is contagious and spreads quickly. Contact persons become ill within 1–2 days.
Given the tendency to develop bronchitis and a protracted process, it is better to postpone conception for a month.
Flu
The flu speaks for itself. It is a highly contagious disease that spreads rapidly and often occurs in epidemics. If one spouse gets sick, the other almost always gets sick too.
The disease is severe, with aching joints, headaches, and high fever. It is typical to feel unwell when the sick person literally lies flat. The flu also has one more feature - astheno-neurotic syndrome after recovery.
It can manifest itself with the following symptoms:
- lethargy;
- fatigue;
- apathy and drowsiness;
- prostration;
- lack of appetite;
- low temperature.
Astheno-neurotic syndrome lasts for one to two weeks and requires complete recovery and rest for the body. Getting pregnant while having the flu or immediately after it is extremely undesirable.
Flu in early pregnancy
Until the delay of menstruation during the period from the first to the fourth obstetric week of pregnancy, the zygote lives autonomously. It is protected from all viruses, however, after fertilization, when the cell attaches to the wall of the uterus, it develops and becomes absolutely dependent on all processes occurring in the body. Flu at the very beginning of pregnancy is very dangerous for the woman and the fetus, because viruses can penetrate the baby’s cells and damage them.
The likelihood of developing fetal pathologies in the event of conception during a cold of one of the future parents increases significantly, and the reason for this is not the cold or flu itself, but the drugs that are used to treat the disease. That is why attempts to get pregnant should be postponed until you have fully recovered.
Prescribed treatment
To decide the possibility of getting pregnant in this particular cycle, it is necessary to take into account the treatment being taken.
If the doctor has prescribed antipyretic or antiallergic drugs, vitamins, or homeopathic remedies, then taking them will not harm the unborn child.
If the disease turns out to be serious and treatment with antibacterial drugs is required, pregnancy is not recommended. It is better to delay conception for at least a month. Some antibiotics, contraindicated during pregnancy, are eliminated from the body not in one day, but in more than a week. And it may well turn out that a pill taken before conception will have a negative effect on the unborn child.
Taking medications during fertilization
Another question is, will cold medications affect the embryo? If a woman takes medications that can negatively affect the egg, then the likelihood of its fertilization is very low. Since these medications will most likely lead to the death of the egg in a short time, before it has time to be fertilized. Similarly with the male body, the drug will reduce the activity of sperm, which will lead to their death without achieving its goal.
The likelihood of a fetus developing while taking such medications is low, but it is possible, so if a woman becomes pregnant, it is better to undergo ultrasound diagnostics to make sure there are no abnormalities in the fetus.
Current pregnancy
What to do if pregnancy does occur, but you find out about the disease too late? The main thing in this case is to relax and accept the situation. The calmer the expectant mother is, the better the child’s chances. Nature has taken care to protect the baby as much as possible in the earliest period. And, most likely, everything will end well.
But at the same time, you must definitely visit a doctor and talk about the symptoms of the disease and the treatment taken. Sometimes a consultation with a geneticist and additional tests are required. A timely medical examination will minimize risks, and parents will be able to calmly enjoy waiting for the baby.
Can a cold affect conceiving a child?
In some cases, a cold when conceiving a child affects the very fact of fertilization, sometimes not for the worse for the parents. This is true in cases where a cold is a mild acute respiratory viral infection.
Interestingly, if a woman has a cold, she is more likely to become pregnant than if she does not have one. When symptoms of an acute respiratory viral infection occur, a slight decrease in the immune response of the female body is logical.
Some types of infertility in women are formed on the basis that the cervical mucus of the cervical canal contains antibodies that the immune system produces that prevent sperm from penetrating transcervically. The effect of these agents is weakened during the manifestation of a cold in the body, so these antibodies cannot negatively affect sperm. This increases the chance for sperm to penetrate the cervical canal and meet the egg.
Every couple knows how painful it is to try to conceive a child without success. Each of the couple assumes a diagnosis of infertility and cannot fully relax. It is the psychological factor that does not allow this pregnancy to occur. When a cold occurs, the couple is simply distracted from the pressing problem of pregnancy and turns their attention to treatment. Relieving stress and tension increases the likelihood of conception.
If a cold becomes severe or turns out to be the flu, which can often be complicated by bacterial infections, a negative effect on the germ cells is possible.
Possible consequences
It should be noted that in the case when a woman planning to become a mother is diagnosed with a disease caused by the influenza virus, the question of whether it is possible to get pregnant with a cold cannot even be put on the agenda, since this illness can cause severe consequences and pathologies. Influenza causes the threat of miscarriage and the appearance of severe defects in the unborn baby that are of a congenital nature. A future pregnancy may result in fetal death.
Viruses in the early stages of pregnancy, and especially after conception, when the formation of future tissues and organs begins, can damage the embryo and cause pathological mutations in the fetus. Moreover, it is impossible to predict where, when, at what stage, in which organ dangerous developmental defects may appear.
In short, married couples planning to have a child should try not to get colds during the time of conceiving a baby, and expectant mothers - during pregnancy.
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And at that moment, when it already seems that the desired pregnancy is so close, nothing happens, despite all the efforts made. But as soon as one of the spouses catches a slight cold, conception occurs. Doctors find two explanations for this phenomenon:
- Psychological factor: with excessive concentration on the idea of conception, a woman experiences mild stress and cannot relax.
- Physiological factor: if a woman’s immune system is too developed, this can cause sperm to be rejected as foreign cells by her own immunoglobulins. Simply put, the body does not recognize any outside interference. But with a cold, the immune system is weakened, and therefore the excessive activity of immunoglobulins is reduced, as a result of which fertilization is carried out safely.
It is for these reasons that a cold when conceiving a child is quite common.
