No.
Not according to the Globe Healthiness Organization. This one’s complicated. So complicated that the That has actually had to clarify its placement on Zika and pregnancy a couple of times.
It’s not unusual to update Healthiness advice throughout an outbreak, especially one where points are changing swiftly and a ailment is spreading through a portion of the Globe it’s never ever been seen in before. Yet this time, the That had to revise its assistance since it was baffling. The Brand-new York Times said it was “confusingly worded,” and CNN asked if it was “clear as mud.”
Back in May, the That said you need to wait two months prior to you attempt to grab pregnant if you’ve traveled to a spot along with a Zika outbreak, even if you didn’t have actually any sort of symptoms. Men That did have actually symptoms were told to make certain they or their partner usage birth manage for 6 months. (prior to that, the That had suggested waiting one month prior to attempting to conceive if you had been to a place along with Zika.)
A week later, the recommendations was reworded. “Men and women of reproductive age living in affected spots need to be informed and orientated to think of delaying pregnancy,” the That wrote (bolded words and all). As quickly as that led to headlines that said women need to delay pregnancy if they lived in a place along with Zika, the That told reporters that its message had been misunderstood.
“Some have actually interpreted the language as meaning that That is recommending that couples living in spots of Zika need to delay pregnancy,” That spokesperson Nyka Alexander told CNN. Confused yet? I mean it did say “think of delaying pregnancy.”
Alexander went on to tell CNN: “Instead, That is advising that they receive counseling from Healthiness care providers regarding risks of sexual transmission of Zika, and risks of Zika for pregnant women.”
So the That isn’t saying that you need to steer clear of or delay obtaining pregnant if you live in or have actually traveled to a place along with Zika. Yet it desires people to have actually access to post regarding Zika and its impact on pregnancy.
The U.S. Centers for ailment manage and Prevention agrees. Enjoy the WHO, the CDC’s assistance involves precautions for women That are already pregnant. They are advised to usage condoms throughout sex or to steer clear of sex altogether. That’s since the virus can easily survive in semen for weeks after a man has actually recovered from the infection.
The That and CDC could agree, Yet their recommendations is at odds along with that of the governments of 5 countries. In El Salvador, Healthiness officials have actually asked women to delay obtaining pregnant until 2018. Colombia’s Healthiness minister suggested waiting eight months. In Jamaica, women have actually been asked to wait a year. In Brazil and Ecuador, women in spots strike hard by Zika have actually been told to delay pregnancy indefinitely.
This recommendations is based on evidence that Zika triggers birth defects including microcephaly, where the baby has an abnormally small brain and skull, seizures, eye complications and trouble feeding. There are reports of pregnant women having babies along with Zika-related birth defects That didn’t understand they had Zika throughout pregnancy. Most people infected along with the virus don’t grab sick. That’s why some public Healthiness agencies recommend waiting two to 6 months after infection, even if you don’t have actually symptoms of Zika.
Microcephaly can easily be diagnosed using ultrasound, Yet it’s not constantly reliable. The That recommends a repeat ultrasound between 28 and 30 weeks of pregnancy As quickly as abnormalities in the fetus are much easier to detect. It likewise suggests testing amniotic fluid for the virus.
Much of this assistance is aimed at people living in or taking a trip to spots along with Zika outbreaks. So what does it mean for you if you live in Texas, don’t travel to South America or the Caribbean and wish to grab pregnant?
Most experts would certainly say you have actually nothing to worry about. There have actually been no known cases of Zika acquired in the continental U.S. (Puerto Rico is a various story. A lot more compared to 1,800 cases have actually been reported there, most spread by local mosquitoes.)
The 50 Texans and more compared to 900 people from various other states That have actually been diagnosed along with the virus were infected through mosquitoes outside the continental U.S. About a dozen acquired the infection through unprotected sex. (So make sure to take a travel history from your lover. I’ve heard “have actually you been anywhere exotic recently?” is a great icebreaker. And usage a condom, obviously.)
But some tropical medicine doctors believe Zika could already be spreading on the Gulf Coast and in states such as Arizona and California, which are house to the mosquito that can easily spread the virus. “Zika could already be here and it could be missed,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine in Houston.
Here’s the bottom line: The CDC and That advise you to wait two months to grab pregnant after you’ve been in a spot along with a Zika outbreak. Yet wait 6 months if the male partner had symptoms of Zika. As of June 29, 61 countries are experiencing a Zika outbreak. steer clear of those countries if you are pregnant.
Some of the most sobering statistics about pregnancy and Zika are these: Nearly half of every one of pregnancies in the U.S. and 55 percent of pregnancies in Brazil each year are unplanned. For those women and their babies, the debate regarding delaying or avoiding pregnancy is a useless one.
Debunked is your go-to site for demystifying science and medicine. Send your questions and conspiracy theories to syasmin@dallasnews.com or tweet me @DoctorYasmin. I’m a medical writer at the Dallas Morning News and a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. I worked as a medical doctor and ailment detective prior to training to be a journalist.
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