Crap, my son has Fifth's disease during my 20th week

[Family4Christ]

All the stuff I read said that before 20 weeks, there's a higher chance of fetal death and he started showing symptoms when I was 20w, 2d.

Is there a blood test that will show if I've currently been exposed? Do they test for immunity for this during the round of prenatal blood work?

[nintendork]

Have your kids ever had fifth's disease before? have you? i think once you are exposed you have an immunity to it.

[Family4Christ]

No and not that I'm aware of.

[lyterae]

When I worked at a preschool we had a sudden break-out. From what I understand MOST adults have already had this as children,or have been exposed as a result of thier own children. It's rare to have not been exposed as an adult. There should be a test they can do to find out if have had it already, I don't think it is something that they automatically test for though.

[beanbean]

Could you have your titers run? It might give you peace of mind.

[takers]

I was exposed at 18 weeks. My doctor called me in for a quick bloodtest to determine if I'd been exposed earlier in life and already had antibodies. Turns out I did so we didn't need to worry about the baby.

I would definitely call your doctor and let them know that you've been exposed via your son and need to know what the risk is.

[pregnant@40]

Like the prior poster stated, call your doc & get antibody testing (IgG and IgM) to see if there is prior infection; 1/3 to 1/5 of pregnant women have pre-existing immunity to the disease. I've read that if you are infected w/ Parvovirus B19 (fifth disease) for the first time, that your OB will do serial ultrasounds over time to ensure proper development of the fetus (and monitor for hydrops -- which is VERY RARE). First trimester exposure is the most dangerous time to become infected, and thus, your risk of problems is now MUCH lower (w/ risk of fetal death approaching < 1% by week 20, and your exposure was VERY close to this).

In the meantime, do careful handwashing and do not share food/drink w/ your child. Your son is contagious from about 6 days prior to symptoms, and about 7-10 days afterward. If you're not immune, your risk of getting this from your child is less than 10%. As an adult, if infected you may not get the lacy face rash ("slapped cheek" appearance), but you would likely have achy joints for a couple of weeks...

Source: UpToDate

[dakotablue]

You OB should run tests ASAP for you. Not that knowing would make a difference other than peace of mind.

I was exposed around 17 weeks with DS, I was immune.

[I'mAMama!]

You should absolutely contact your dr. From what I understand, the likelihood of the fetus contracting the disease is pretty rare, but if it does it inhibits red blood cell production and the resulting anemia can be serious. A woman on the pregnancy/birth loss boards lost her baby at ~19 weeks when she was exposed to it (although I think she was exposed earlier in her pregnancy).