Get the German Measles Vaccine Before You Try to Conceive
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises expecting mamas to find out if they are immune to rubella before they start trying to conceive.
Rubella—also known as German measles—is an infectious viral disease that, if acquired during pregnancy, can cause blindness, heart defects, deafness and other birth defects in the baby.
The risk to the developing baby is greatest during the first month of pregnancy, when the risk of affect is about 50/50. By the third month of pregnancy, the risk of the baby being affected by such exposure drops to just 10 percent. Note: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently reduced the waiting period before attempting to conceive after a rubella immunization. Instead of having to put your baby-makin' plans on hold for three months—the previous recommendation—you can now start trying to conceive 28 days after your shot.
report abuseThe risk to the developing baby is greatest during the first month of pregnancy, when the risk of affect is about 50/50. By the third month of pregnancy, the risk of the baby being affected by such exposure drops to just 10 percent. Note: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently reduced the waiting period before attempting to conceive after a rubella immunization. Instead of having to put your baby-makin' plans on hold for three months—the previous recommendation—you can now start trying to conceive 28 days after your shot.
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