Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that is most commonly found in the northeast and Midwest states, but it can be found anywhere ticks exist. It can be difficult to diagnose, as no specific test exists to check for the existence of the disease.
Lyme disease symptoms can include a rash shaped like a bull’s eye, joint and muscle pain, fever, fatigue, and chills. Long-term symptoms can affect both you and your baby and include Bell’s palsy, arthritis, or continual fatigue. If you have been out in the woods recently and begin experiencing these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor immediately.
Long-term symptoms can affect both you and your baby and include Bell’s palsy, arthritis, or continual fatigue. If you have been out in the woods recently and begin experiencing these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor immediately.
Lyme Disease and Pregnancy
If you are diagnosed with Lyme disease, there is no way to treat it naturally. Prevention is the best policy when it comes to Lyme disease.
Following several easy steps when outdoors can protect you from ticks:
- Use insect repellent. The CDC has no recommendations for specific types of repellent to use and states that no additional precautions need to be employed for pregnant women when using repellent.
- Wear long sleeves and pants to avoid giving ticks anything to attach to.
- Check yourself thoroughly for ticks after being out in the woods. Ticks hide in dark places, so be especially sure to check the armpits, groin area, hair, and behind the knees.
- Take a hot shower after being outside, and dry your clothes on high heat for at least an hour to kill any ticks.
How to Treat Lyme Disease During Pregnancy When Naturally Doesn’t Work
If you are diagnosed with Lyme disease, there are a number of treatments that are available. The sooner the diagnosis is made, the more effective your treatment will be.
- Option 1: If caught early, Lyme disease can be treated with 2-4 weeks of antibiotics. Be sure to inform your doctor that you are pregnant so that you are prescribed medication that is safe to take.
- Option 2: If your diagnosis took some time, you may experience recurring symptoms even after treatment with antibiotics. This is known as Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. There are currently no treatments proven to cure this, but a number of treatments are in the testing stage.
Compiled using information from the following sources:
1. Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/index.html
2. Lyme disease in pregnancy: case report and review of the literature. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17176487
3. Ticks and Lyme Disease, Center for Disease Control
