Pregnancy risks to be aware of

You’ll want to do everything you can to keep your baby safe throughout pregnancy. Here we look at some of the obvious – and not so obvious – hazards that you should be aware of.

It’s easy to be alarmed by the multitude of scare stories in the news about possible risks in pregnancy. But, in reality, there is no reason why, with a bit of extra care, you can’t sail through the nine months without putting either your baby or yourself in danger. Here are the risks that it’s important to avoid:

COVID-19 in pregnancy

If you’re pregnant, there’s a greater risk of getting seriously ill from COVID so you should follow guidelines to stop the spread of the disease – especially after 28 weeks.

The best protection for you and your baby’s health is to get fully vaccinated against the illness. NHS advice is to have the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, as no safety concerns have been identified for your pregnancy or unborn baby.

Toxoplasmosis

This is an infection that you can pick up from infected meat and cat poo. It’s usually harmless and symptomless but is dangerous for pregnant women – as it can cause miscarriage and other complications. To stay safe, you should avoid touching cat litter, use gloves when gardening, and avoid eating undercooked and raw meat.

There’s more info about toxoplasmosis here.

Listeria

This is a bacteria that can harm your baby and is found in certain foods, like pate, blue cheese, mould-ripened cheese with a white coating (e.g. brie) and unpasteurised milk and cheese.

Chickenpox

Chickenpox can cause pregnancy complications. So, if you haven’t had it before (you can only get chickenpox once) you should avoid close contact with anyone who has chickenpox or shingles (a similar condition). If you do come into close contact with someone with either condition and you haven’t had chickenpox in the past speak to your doctor immediately.

Slapped cheek syndrome

This is a viral illness that causes mild symptoms, including red cheeks and a spotty rash on the body. It’s rare in adults but common in young children and can cause pregnancy complications if you develop it for the first time while pregnant. So, if you have contact with someone who has it even if you don’t have symptoms- or if you think you may have it – you should speak to your doctor or midwife.

More about slapped cheek syndrome and pregnancy

Zika virus

This is spread by mosquitoes and can cause birth defects. It’s not found in the UK but has been reported in areas like South and Central America, Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific region, and parts of south and southeast Asia. You should seek health advice if you’re pregnant and thinking of travelling to an affected area.

More info about Zika virus and pregnancy here

Hepatitis E

Hepatitis E is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV). The virus is transmitted through contaminated food and water. In the UK the virus is being spread through eating undercooked processed pork and raw shellfish. Current advice from the Food Standard Agency is that all pork, including sausages and bacon, should be cooked thoroughly until the meat is no longer pink and that raw shellfish should be avoided. Personal hygiene is also important and hands should be washed before and after preparing or eating food.

Hepatitis E is usually a mild, short-term infection and in most cases no treatment is required. Symptoms may include yellowing of the skin and eyes, dark urine and pale stools, tiredness, fever, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting.

However, for pregnant women, hepatitis E is more serious, as it can cause a severe form of hepatitis that can lead to liver failure and even death. If you’re concerned that you may be infected you should consult your GP.

Smoking

This increases the risk of your baby having a low-birth weight, being born prematurely and sudden infant death (SIDS). Even if you don’t smoke yourself, inhaling second-hand smoke seriously increases the risk of miscarriage and still birth. There has never been a better reason for you and your partner to give up smoking. If you need help ask your midwife or GP for advice and details of local support groups or call the NHS SmokeFree help-line on 0300 123 1044.

Alcohol and drugs

To keep risks to your baby to a minimum, the Chief Medical Officers for the UK advise that pregnant women, or women who are planning a pregnancy, should not drink any alcohol. If you drank before you found out that you were pregnant, you should avoid drinking any further alcohol.

Because your unborn baby can’t process alcohol as well as an adult, too much exposure to alcohol can have a serious effect on their development – and the more you drink, the greater the risk. Drinking during the first three months of pregnancy increases your risk of miscarriage and must be avoided, whilst drinking in the remaining six months can still affect your baby after birth.

Certain drugs – both legal and illegal – can also be dangerous during pregnancy; read more about this here.

Seatbelts in pregnancy

You should always wear a seatbelt while in a car. When you’re pregnant, make sure your belt goes over the shoulder and down across the chest, between your breasts. The lap belt should be as low as possible, so it sits underneath your bump.

Sport during pregnancy

You should be very cautious about sports and activities that carry the risk of falling – e.g. horse riding, gymnastics, skiing, and cycling - while pregnant, as a fall could hurt your unborn baby.

Caffeine

Research has linked too much caffeine consumption to an increased chance of miscarriage and having a low birth weight baby, so you should limit your intake to no more than 200mg a day. Remember caffeine is present in energy drinks, cola and chocolate as well as in tea and coffee.