The appearance of shingles when you are pregnant can be both uncomfortable and alarming, but it usually won’t harm your baby or your pregnancy. Thankfully, shingles in pregnancy is uncommon. The majority of cases are mild, but you still need to report shingles to your doctor or midwife. You will need advice on safely and effectively managing the symptoms, and they will need to ask you questions and possibly examine you to make sure the rash is not something that requires more investigation. Once it is established that you have shingles, you will likely be advised to take Paracetemol for any pain, as well as to use over-the-counter products for itching. Shingles is usually treated with antiviral medicine, which is safe for pregnant women and can be prescribed by your doctor.

What is shingles?

Shingles is a rash caused by the chickenpox virus, which remains in your body for years after chickenpox has healed and appears as a patch of shingles blisters. Ramsay-Hunt syndrome is a form of shingles that affects the facial nerve near one of your ears. Chickenpox is far more serious in pregnancy. If you haven’t had it before, you should get the varicella vaccine before pregnancy to prevent it, as it’s not safe to get this live vaccine while carrying a baby. Most pregnant women are immune to chickenpox as a result of having had it before. According to RCOG, 9 in 10 pregnant women in the UK are immune. Your doctor can do a blood test to check if you are immune.

What are the symptoms of shingles?

A scaly red rash, usually on your chest or tummy, though it can appear anywhere on your body. This will dry out and become blisters after 7-10 days. These will heal after 2-4 weeks.
Pain and itching
Nerve pain
Flu-like symptoms: chills, fever, or a stomach ache
In serious cases, people with shingles can develop eye problems.
Ramsay-Hunt syndrome, a form of shingles that affects the facial nerve near one of your ears, can cause hearing loss in one ear and facial paralysis in one side of the face.

Can I give shingles to my baby?

No, shingles isn’t contagious, though you can pass the chicken pox virus on to someone who has not had chickenpox before if they touch your shingles. You are no longer contagious once the rash is scabbed over, which takes 7-10 days. You can avoid passing it on by covering your shingles (this should not prevent it from healing) and washing your hands often.

How can I avoid shingles in pregnancy?

It can be hard to avoid shingles in pregnancy or predict why it happens. It generally occurs in people with low immunity, including the elderly, and while Unii always encourages you to eat well while pregnant and take supplements and medications as advised by your doctor, this does not guarantee your immunity will increase. We hope you’re reassured by the information that shingles in pregnancy is rare and, if you do get it, it is both highly treatable and unlikely to harm your baby. If you get shingles close to birth, you should protect your newborn from it afterwards.

You should try to avoid anyone with shingles or chickenpox while you’re pregnant if you have not had it before. If you think you’ve been exposed and know you are not immune or are unsure about it, contact your doctor or midwife immediately. They can confirm whether you’re immune and may offer you a human blood product injection called varicella zoster immune globulin (VZIG). This won’t protect you from chickenpox, but it can boost your immune system. It is safe for pregnant women.

For more advice on taking care of yourself in pregnancy, labour, and birth, check out Unii’s Antenatal Classes, with prenatal video episodes taught by senior NHS midwives, an award-winning obstetrician and gynaecologist, and six other leading healthcare experts. Only at unii.com.

For more information on keeping yourself safe and well while you’re expecting, take Unii’s Pregnancy Journey video course with Dr. Shree Datta.

Antenatal Class Questions: What if I get shingles?

Unii looks at the sometimes frightening development of a shingles rash in pregnancy.