What to do if a pregnant woman catches a cold

The body's resistance will be low during pregnancy due to decreased immunity. In addition, it is a special period, so you should try your best to avoid catching cold and wind. However, sometimes there is no way to avoid it. Once you catch a cold, you will feel very uncomfortable, but you cannot take medicine. People often have a fever after catching a cold. Although you cannot take medicine, the fever also has a great impact on the fetus. Pregnant women can take these measures after catching a cold, and must follow the doctor's instructions.

What to do if a pregnant woman catches a cold

1. See a doctor and take medicine as prescribed by the doctor. The physique of pregnant women is different from that of other people, so do not take medicine on your own. All medicines are prohibited in the first 3 months of pregnancy. Medicines should be used with caution in the second trimester. Drugs such as gentamicin, streptomycin, kanamycin, etc. should be used with caution, and it is best not to use them as much as possible. If you find that you have a cold, you must go to a regular hospital for a check-up, explain your pregnancy situation to the doctor, and take medication safely under the doctor's instructions.

2. If a pregnant woman has a cold and a sore throat, do not consider taking medicine first, because the ingredients in the medicine will have a certain impact on the fetus. If a pregnant woman has a sore throat due to a cold, she can drink more water and use some dietary therapy methods and eat some foods that have therapeutic effects on colds to achieve the purpose of relieving symptoms and gradually recovering.

Does a cold in pregnant women affect the fetus?

1. Common cold

In fact, if a pregnant woman catches a common cold, the main symptoms are sneezing, nasal congestion, and no fever. The symptoms are mild and she will recover on her own in about a week without taking cold medicine. In this case, a pregnant woman's cold will have no effect on the fetus.

2. Severe cold

When the symptoms are more severe, will a pregnant woman’s cold affect the fetus? Symptoms include persistent high fever, or the cold is not a common cold but a cold caused by influenza virus infection. If a pregnant woman catches a cold at this time, it will have an impact on the fetus.

If a pregnant woman has severe cold symptoms, accompanied by headache, sore throat, asthma, etc., it is recommended to identify as soon as possible whether it is a cold caused by wind and cold or wind and heat, and take symptomatic medication under the guidance of a doctor.

In the early stages of pregnancy, because the fetus's organs are not yet fully developed, after catching a cold, bacteria and viruses can pass through the placenta and affect the development of the fetus's organs, causing serious consequences such as congenital heart disease, cleft lip, hydrocephalus, anencephaly and microcephaly.

In the late stages of pregnancy, although the fetus is basically fully developed and the chance of a cold causing malformations or congenital defects in the fetus is reduced, the high fever caused by the cold and the toxins produced by metabolic disorders will stimulate uterine contractions, easily cause premature birth, and increase the neonatal mortality rate.