Fever in early pregnancy

[Cristi888]

A couple days after finding out I was pregnant, I got the flu with a fever.  After reading up on it, I discovered that this was pretty much the worst time to have a fever because it puts the baby at greater risk of neural tube defects.  Has anyone else had a fever around this time and what was the outcome?  I'm pretty worried.  Thanks for any help you can give.

[jessbob]

I had the same thing happen to me.  I'm 6 wks today.  Once I discovered I was feverish I called the OB and they said keep taking Tylenol until the fever breaks and that's exactly what I did.  Mine didn't get over 101.5F.  Also I read that taking folic acid can help with the NTDs.  Were you taking prenatal vitamins?  Luckily I was/am taking extra folic acid on top of the prenatals.  So hopefully everything will be OK.  I've read the studies too but for now all I can do is pray that the tube closed up.  Good luck.

[Aneesah]

When I become pregnant I get flu like symptoms.  I spike a fever and get congested, feel like my head is clogged.  When it happened the second time I realized it was my body's way of letting me know that I am pregnant.  

Follow your doctor's advice and monitor your fever closely.  I know that you can not take a lot of drugs during this time but your doctor will let you know what you can or cannot take during this time.  

Please don't stress yourself about this too much.  I am sure your baby is fine.  I will keep you and your unborn in my prayers.  Oh, and please keep yourself hydrated.

[bizbiz]

I had the flu when I was around 4 or 5 weeks pregnant but I knew that I couldnt let my temp get up, so anytime it got to 37.5 (I'm from Aus so dont know what the equivelant for you would be - maybe 101.5?) I would take some Panadol to keep it down.

I dont know how high it has to get to cause problems, but I think it would have to be high for a while. How high did yours get and did you take anything for it? Also aspeak to your OB and see what they say.

[Sheri1972]

How high was your fever?

I had the flu on the day I was inseminated, and again when I was 6 weeks pregnant!  Both times I had a fever of about 101.5 F, but from my understanding, that's not really high enough to cause a problem. I think a fever of 103 and up is where there could be issues.

If you're worried about the neural tube thing, talk to your doctor about it and see what they say.

Sheri