Roseola In Pregnancy – Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Written by Ria Saha

Last Updated on Mar 16, 2016

Roseola In Pregnancy – Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Pregnancy is a delightful, yet a sensitive phase of your life, when you need to remain extremely cautious about your health. One serious health condition during this period can seriously affect your life. One such harm that could unexpectedly complicate your condition is Roseola. It is necessary to learn all that you can about pregnancy-induced Roseola. Here, we talk about the potential symptoms, causes, and treatments for Roseola during pregnancy. Scroll down to learn more.

What Is Roseola:

Roseola is a mild viral illness that persists for a short duration and occurs due to a Herpes attack during pregnancy. Although the disease occurs mostly in young children, during pregnancy your body becomes vulnerable to contagious germs, and you are likely to suffer from Roseola. Reddish rashes appear on the skin after the onset of mild to high fever. (1)

[ Read: Ways To Avoid Herpes During Pregnancy ]

Causes Of Roseola In Pregnancy:

During your early childhood, exposure to a virus like the Human Herpes virus 6 or Human Herpes virus 7 can degrade the functioning of your immune system. In such a scenario, as soon as your pregnant body becomes infected with the harmful virus, you may suffer from Roseola. However, if you get exposed to the contagious virus for the very first time, especially during your first trimester, you are at a greater risk of experiencing certain complications. Researchers conclude that getting infected with Human Herpesvirus 6 during the first trimester of pregnancy can often lead to spontaneous abortion.

The harmful germ transmits through your respiratory secretions or saliva. When you are in close vicinity to an infected person, a cough or a sneeze can increase your risk of developing Roseola during pregnancy. The airborne virus easily transmits through your saliva and enters your body (2).

Symptoms Of Roseola In Pregnancy:

Once the contagious virus enters your body, the symptoms start to appear within a couple of weeks. Some common symptoms include:

Fever

Fatigue

Runny nose

Loss of appetite

Swollen lymph nodes

Sore throat

Dehydration

Reddish/pink skin rashes appearing on your neck, face, arms, and legs

[ Read: Skin Rashes During Pregnancy ]

Home Remedies To Treat Roseola During Pregnancy:

The viral infection is usually characterized by the appearance of skin rashes and fever. It also causes a loss of appetite, diarrhea, and fatigue, during pregnancy. Here are few simple and natural cures to quicken the healing process:

1. Chamomile Bath:

The potent and antiviral herb can treat the skin rashes caused during Roseola. The best way to use chamomile during pregnancy is to dilute the essential oil with your bath water.

The chamomile bath can offer soothing effects to your inflamed skin and provide adequate relief from the itching.

You can add a few drops of chamomile oil to your bath water regularly until your skin rashes completely disappear.

2. Orange And Lemon Juice:

You can consume citrus fruit juice, including lemon and orange, as it fights the symptoms of Roseola during pregnancy.

Citrus fruits, are an excellent source of vitamin C or ascorbic acid, boost your immune system.

The powerful antioxidant strengthens your body so that you can get rid of the viral infection easily.

The citrus juice helps you overcome the symptoms of dehydration and fatigue when you have Roseola.

3. Warm Sponge Baths:

Warm sponge baths help you feel better during mild fevers and are one of the ideal natural cures of Roseola during pregnancy.

You can take lukewarm water for your sponge bath, and sponge your entire body to get relief from rising temperature and itchy skin rashes. The warm sponge bath lubricates your skin and heals the rashes quickly.

Warm sponge bath helps relieve the pain and itching due to skin rashes. The sponge bath serves as a disinfectant and kills all the viral infections invading your skin’s surface.

You can also try to add a few drops of lavender or rosemary oil to your bath water, to enjoy the soothing effects.

[ Read: Viral Infections During Pregnancy ]

4. Eucalyptus Oil Steam Inhalation:

Adding a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil into a vaporizer and inhaling the steam can help rid the nasal blockages.

You can inhale the steam two times a day, to get relief from a sore throat, a runny nose, and nasal congestion.

Eucalyptus oil possesses antiviral properties that help loosen your phlegm or mucus, which causes nasal blockages or a runny nose.

5. Drink Plenty Of Fluids:

In Roseola, your body quickly becomes dehydrated, and it can lead to many harmful effects on your pregnancy. To overcome severe dehydration, your need to take a generous amount of fluids in the form of water, fruit juices, and clear soups.

You can consume nourishing soups and broths and add different green vegetables and chicken to such preparations.

An adequate amount of fluid strengthens your body and helps you recover faster.

Water and other nourishing fluids aid in flushing out the viral germs and toxins from your body.

6. Aloe Vera:

The herb is popular for its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antiviral properties.

Aloe vera gel can reduce the skin rashes caused by Roseola during pregnancy.

You can dab damp cotton into aloe vera juice and apply softly to the inflamed skin region. The antiviral property of the herb helps in killing the germs.

Note:

If you are allergic to aloe vera, refrain from using it during your pregnancy.

[ Read: Aloe Vera During Pregnancy ]

7. Neem Leaves:

The Indian Lican or neem serves as a potent antiviral ingredient, which treats Roseola during pregnancy.

You can dilute a few drops of neem oil with an equal quantity of olive oil and apply the solution to the infected skin region. The herb helps destroy the virus and promotes healing.

You can also try to apply the paste of freshly crushed neem leaves to the affected skin region.

A Word Of Caution:

Pregnancy is a time when you have a weakened immune system, and you are more susceptible to an attack by contagious germs. For such reasons, you should take requisite precautions to limit your exposure to infected children or adults.

As soon as you experience any symptoms of Roseola during your pregnancy, contact your gynecologist immediately.

Did you suffer from Roseola during pregnancy? What home remedies did you use to recover from the condition? Did they help in the healing process? Share your tips and advice about Roseola with other expectant mommies here!