Zika and Pregnancy: 6 Tips for Staying Healthy

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Mili K. Patel, JD, MPH, and Shulamit M. Schweitzer, MHS

Ed. note: This was originally published on the ASPR.gov blog.

Get the Facts. Take Precautions. Manage Stress. Be Well.

If you’re pregnant or you’re thinking about starting a family, then you probably know that stress during pregnancy is normal, but that too much stress is not healthy for your pregnancy. The emergence of Zika virus can be an additional unsettling consideration for those who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

Zika is serious and it can hurt your baby. Zika virus can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus and infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly as well as other severe brain defects. Right now, Zika is not being spread by mosquitoes in the United States, though local mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus has been reported in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.

Take steps to get the facts about the disease, and how to prevent infection. Managing stress is important for promoting healthier pregnancies, healthier births, and better long-term health outcomes for families.

Here are 6 things that you can do to protect your health and your baby’s health:

  1. Get the Facts: There’s a lot of information out there on Zika – and not all of it is accurate. Learn about Zika from credible sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  2. Protect Your Pregnancy: Learn how to protect yourself from getting infected with Zika. Take steps to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes by wearing long-sleeved clothing and using an EPA-registered insect repellent. If you are pregnant, don’t travel to areas where there is local transmission of Zika. If your partner has traveled to an area where Zika is being spread by mosquitoes, take steps to avoid sexual transmission by either using condoms or refraining from sex for the duration of the pregnancy.
  3. Talk to Your Healthcare Provider: Keep up with your prenatal care appointments and talk with your doctor, midwife or other trusted healthcare provider about concerns, especially if you and/or your partner traveled to an area with Zika.
  4. Stay informed – selectively: Understanding Zika and getting the facts can help you make healthy choices to prevent Zika. But if you are overwhelmed with concerns about the Zika virus disease, take a break from news coverage.
  5. Take Care of Yourself: Make sure that you are taking care of yourself – in both mind and body. Take time to exercise, eat well, get plenty of sleep, and take time for things that you enjoy and that help reduce stress. Sometimes that can be as simple as taking a minute to just breathe.
  6. Talk to Someone: If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed, reach out to friends and family for support. If your concerns about Zika and your health and wellbeing begin to interfere with your daily activities, disrupt your sleep, or cause you to feel overwhelmed, you might want to reach out to a counselor or a mental health professional for support. This fact sheet on how to cope with stress during infectious disease outbreaks may help you recognize signs of stress and when to ask for help.

If you know someone who is pregnant and worried about Zika, help them learn how they can best protect themselves against possible infection. Help them get the facts – you can start by sharing this blog.

Taking precautions to protect your pregnancy from Zika and managing stress are important ways to help promote a healthier pregnancy, healthier birth, and a better outcome for your family.

Mili K. Patel, JD, MPH is the Public Health Analyst, Division for At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health, and Community Resilience (ABC), Office of Policy and Planning (OPP), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), and Shulamit M. Schweitzer, MHS, is the Senior Management Analyst, GAP Solutions Inc. contractor supporting the Division for At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health, and Community Resilience (ABC), Office of Policy and Planning (OPP), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).