The planning and preparation you go through to start a family are impeccable. You did your baby making dance during your fertile window and now you are sick, full of mucus, aches, and pains. It makes us wonder can being sick affect implantation? Is it safe to take medication? Read on to see how being sick could affect implantation.
Can Being Sick Affect Implantation?
Your body prepares for pregnancy by lowering the strength of your immune system. When it depletes you can pick up germs easily. In hindsight to this, you may ask can being sick stop implantation?
A general sickness or catching a common cold is not thought to have a negative effect on implantation at all even though it will make you feel rubbish.
Trying To Conceive
If you have been trying for a baby then you should be at the pinnacle of your health, totally on your ‘A’ game with prenatal vitamins and a balanced diet surging goodness through your body. The only thing you can’t guarantee is not getting sick. Practicing good hygiene, sanitizing hands, avoiding people with colds, etc can help but there is no way you can ostracize yourself from every germ (unless you lived in a bubble of course).
Catching common viruses and colds are a part of the norm, right? Can getting sick affect implantation?
Does Having a Cold Affect Implantation?
Having a cold does not affect implantation.
Generally catching a cold during the early stages of pregnancy is fairly common. You could be feeling achy, and stuffy with a few headaches here and there but it is important to understand that these are also pregnancy symptoms.
Having a fever can be the start of the flu virus which does need to be closely monitored yet there are no direct links to the failure of implantation.
Being sick with the flu usually only lasts a few days however it can exacerbate other conditions such as respiratory conditions, heart conditions, and frequent ear infections which would need medical observation.
How Can I Treat a Cold During Pregnancy?
You are feeling like rubbish and immediately turn to the medication cabinet. Stop! Wait! There are certain medicines that you need to avoid during early pregnancy, decongestants being the main ones.
As we have mentioned your immune system is weakened during pregnancy to help welcome the changes going on in your uterus. Having suppressed immunity does leave you more vulnerable to colds than before.
The best way to help relieve symptoms of colds and flu is to rest! Extra sleep in these early stages of pregnancy can be welcomed but allowing your body to rest will help boost your recovery quicker!
Before receiving my BFP tiredness consumed me, I could have slept standing up! No joke! Little did I know my body was going through the implantation process.
I did in fact get a cold so I admit I spent a few days cuddled up feeling sorry for myself.
Keeping hydrated will also boost your system. It will help your body to fight against the bad bacteria that is currently causing chaos.
If you are really suffering then there is some medication that doctors have deemed safe to take during pregnancy. Before jumping to the drug store be sure to ask which medication is best to take whilst pregnant.
What Can Disrupt Implantation?
When planning a pregnancy you automatically begin the stages to prep your uterus to be in prime condition to relieve a fertilized egg.
Eating a nutritious diet, keeping hydrated, and staying on top of your prenatal vitamins are all things you naturally consider before conception. So what things are likely to interrupt a successful implantation process? Can being sick affect implantation?
‣ Stress
The biggest and probably most common cause for the disruption of implantation is stress. Your uterus requires good levels of blood flow to accept a fertilized egg so no matter how stressed you feel, be it a little or a lot, it doesn’t provide a great environment if you are trying to conceive.
Can A Cold Cause A Miscarriage?
The worry of miscarriage never really goes away but your anxiety is probably the strongest in your first trimester.
I totally understand you feel so fragile in those beginning weeks. If only you could lock yourself in a germ free bubble.
Coming into contact with germs is inevitable and you can feel the horrid effects of them even more so when you’re pregnant. As discussed we know that your immunity is compromised yet can the common cold cause lasting damage to your pregnancy? Can the strain of coughing, and sneezing upset the implantation process?
My first pregnancy hit me like a bus on a highway! I was so unbelievably ill, my asthma took the brunt of my cold meaning that simple things like breathing and sleeping became impossible. With all the coughing and restless nights, I felt the strain of my coughing pulling in the pit of my tummy. Sadly before I could get over my cold my pregnancy ended in the most heartbreaking loss. I always thought it had some connection so let’s dig deeper to find out.
Back in 1918, the Influenza pandemic hit. This had a catastrophic effect on pregnant women and it was reported that one in every ten women suffered an early miscarriage. Those moms who continued to carry full term delivered babies with respiratory complications and some suffered preterm labor.
Nowadays it is thought that the common cold has no immediate effect on whether a woman miscarries. Yet if you develop a high fever it can imply that the risk is greater.
This is why pregnant women are offered the flu vaccine to help prevent them from catching Influenza. There is more ongoing research for the implications of catching COVID-19 whilst pregnant.
Wrapping Up
It is clear that during pregnancy it is common yet not deemed to be dangerous if you get sick.
The dangers of increased miscarriage and preterm labor come hand in hand when you suffer from a high temp alongside your flu-like symptoms.
So can being sick affect implantation? Unlikely, unless you have a high temperature or frequent vomiting then you must make sure your doctor is monitoring you closely. Never take medication that is not appropriate for use during pregnancy.
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