Slapped Cheek disease, when contracted during pregnancy, can cause a fetal abnormality called hydrops fetalis, which results in swelling and sometimes cardiac damage to the developing fetus.

We too had a scare during my wife's pregnancy, when our little girl caught what could only be slapped cheek - her cheeks looked like they were about to peel off.

The good news is that a large percentage of the population have been exposed to it in the past, as it is quite common. However, you need to get a blood test as soon as possible to see whether you have been exposed to it before. If you have, then there is no problem. If you haven't been exposed to it before, then our hospital clinic recommended weekly ultrasounds to check on the baby's heart.

Luckily, my wife had been exposed to it before, so we didn't need to go down that route.


You can find information about hydrops fetalis on Wikipedia. You can also find information about Slapped Cheek; it's proper name is Parvovirus B19. You might also like to let your GP, or their nurse, know that this actually IS fairly serious and that you need to be seen ASAP to determine your previous exposure. That might streamline the process of being seen.