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What are the dangers of influenza in pregnancy?
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
Flu during pregnancy is dangerous because it can negatively affect not only the mother's health, but also the body of the future child. But you can protect yourself from flu if you follow basic precautions. Read more about the features of the course of flu during pregnancy and its consequences for the body - right now.
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How does flu affect the internal organs of a pregnant woman?
In addition to all these troubles, the flu virus also affects the condition of the woman's internal organs, destroying, first of all, the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, which makes breathing difficult.The immune system of the expectant mother is also under great attack, as a result of which concomitant diseases can develop - bronchitis, sinusitis, otitis, pneumonia.
If a pregnant woman does not stay in bed and does not take any treatment during the flu, her heart and blood vessels also bear an increased load. As a result of the flu, heart failure can develop, which negatively affects the health of both the mother and the fetus.
The kidneys and liver, as organs of processing, also suffer after an attack of flu viruses. Bacteria and viruses affect the membranes of internal organs, which begin to cope with their duties much worse. Other infections can join the flu - hemophilic, pneumococcal, staphylococcal, which is why the body, already weakened by the flu, weakens even more. Therefore, chronic diseases that a woman suffered from before or during pregnancy can worsen. First of all, these are diseases such as bronchial asthma, bronchitis, tracheitis, pyelonephritis and others.
Why is flu so dangerous during pregnancy?
Flu is not a cold, and it does not come because a woman is too cold. It is an infectious disease that is transmitted from an infected person to a healthy one, and the healthy one also gets sick. When the flu virus enters the body of a pregnant woman, it penetrates the cells of her body and changes their structure so that the infected cell produces new flu viruses, and itself dies.
As a result of the body's cells dying and this material accumulating in the blood and organs, the body becomes intoxicated. Then, in addition to the usual toxicosis of pregnancy, she is also attacked by toxicosis due to dead cellular proteins, and the woman's condition becomes dangerously serious.
Threat of miscarriage due to flu
An organism weakened by foreign viruses and bacteria is not able to fight for another, small life that is inside. The survival instinct forces the mother's body to throw out the foreign body. That is, during the flu, especially in severe form, the risk of miscarriage increases. Therefore, at the first symptoms of the disease, you should immediately consult a doctor in order to:
- Diagnose the disease
- Prescribe the correct treatment
- Take all precautions to preserve the life and health of the mother and child
The danger of flu during pregnancy is great, so the doctor usually prescribes home treatment. In difficult cases, the doctor prescribes treatment in a hospital setting so that the pregnant woman can be constantly monitored and measures can be taken in time.