A tick bite during pregnancy can cause concern due to health implications for both the pregnant person and the baby. Prompt action minimizes risks. Understanding tick removal, recognizing symptoms, and knowing when to seek medical advice are important steps.
Immediate Steps After a Tick Bite
If you find a tick attached to your skin, remove it immediately and carefully. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, near its head. Pull upward with steady, even pressure, avoiding twisting or jerking motions to prevent mouthparts from breaking off.
After removal, clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Avoid methods like squeezing, crushing, or applying petroleum jelly, soap, or lotion, as these increase infection risk.
Save the tick in a sealed bag or container with rubbing alcohol; your healthcare provider may want it for testing if symptoms develop.
Recognizing Symptoms and Seeking Medical Care
After a tick bite, monitor for symptoms, especially during pregnancy. Common signs of tick-borne illnesses include a rash, headache, fever, and joint pain. For Lyme disease, a characteristic “bull’s-eye” rash, known as erythema migrans, may appear within a month of the bite and can feel warm or be itchy.
Other symptoms include fatigue, chills, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, or facial paralysis. Since some tick-borne illness symptoms, like fatigue or joint pain, can overlap with typical pregnancy discomforts, inform your healthcare provider about the tick bite. Contact your doctor promptly if any symptoms appear, even if they seem mild, to discuss testing and management.
Understanding Tick-Borne Illnesses and Pregnancy Safety
Tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), can pose specific concerns during pregnancy.
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, if left untreated, can lead to complications like placental infection. While transmission from mother to fetus is considered rare, early and appropriate antibiotic treatment reduces adverse outcomes for both the pregnant person and the baby. Untreated Lyme disease may cause problems for the baby, including birth defects or stillbirth; more research is needed on long-term developmental impacts.
Diagnosis of Lyme disease during pregnancy relies on exposure history, symptoms, and physical examination findings, since blood tests may not be positive for weeks. Treatment involves antibiotics like amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil for 2-3 weeks, as doxycycline, a common Lyme treatment, is avoided during pregnancy due to effects on the fetus.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF)
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, can present with fever, headache, and a rash, and is challenging to diagnose in pregnancy due to symptom overlap. While doxycycline is the primary treatment for RMSF in non-pregnant individuals, its use in pregnancy is increasingly supported due to illness severity, though chloramphenicol is an alternative, especially in the third trimester. Prompt treatment is important for RMSF to prevent severe complications and reduce mortality.
Preventing Tick Bites
Precautions can reduce tick bites during pregnancy. When spending time outdoors, particularly in wooded areas, tall grass, or leaf piles, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Tucking pants into socks creates an additional barrier against ticks. Light-colored clothing also makes ticks easier to spot.
Use EPA-registered insect repellents with active ingredients like DEET or picaridin. DEET, at 20% or more, is safe for use during pregnancy and repels ticks.
Treating clothing and gear with permethrin (at least 0.5%) provides further protection, but do not apply permethrin directly to skin.
After returning indoors, shower promptly (within two hours) and thoroughly check your body, clothing, and pets for ticks. Tumble-drying clothes on high heat for at least 10 minutes also kills any ticks.