Weakened / Lowered Immune System in Pregnancy?

[{sarah}]

I think that maybe my immune system is weakened or lowered during pregnancy. Ordinarily I might get one minor cold a year & that's it, no other illnesses, never had a UTI & my tonsillitis was always stress related. However when I was pregnant with Zander I had bad colds twice, tonsillitis three times and two UTIs. This time I'm only at 12 weeks today & have had a really dreadful cold that kept me in bed for a day & a half, which also resulted in an ear & throat infection, plus I am starting on antibiotics today for a UTI.

Is this normal? Does pregnancy take so much out of your body that your immune system is weakened? Or is this just something to do with me that might need to be investigated?

[MantaRay]

Sarah, I always heard thought that pg improved your immune system, and sure enough when I was pg with Jack I didn't get sick at all. But then I fell pg with Tom and got one thing after another. The first was an awful virus which caused fluid on my ears and I had vertigo so badly I would throw up if I turned my head from one side to the other even while lying down. And this was while I still has ms too! Then I got cold after gastro after cold after gastro etc. I had 5 (I think) bouts of vomitting, the last of which appears to have brought on premature labour at 36w+4.

Personally I think it depends on how run down you are, and what you are exposed to. When pg with Tom I was really run down from a toddler who didn't sleep well at all at that stage, plus working 4 days a week. Also I was exposed to "day care" bugs via Jack (even though he didn't sick at all!). I think you add being tired to being pg and you just have no resistance.

I hope that your pg doesn't follow the pattern of mine and that you this is the last illness you have. I really wish you a H&H rest of your pg.

[Rouge]

I think everyone, and every pregnancy is different. With Paris I got sick, with Seth I didn't.

I just want to offer you a big and say I hope you are feeling better soon.

[Antheia]

I was told that Pregnancy supresses your immune system so that it doesn't attack the baby as being foreign. I got sick heaps of times in my pregnancies with DD and DS and those included UTI's too.

Hope you feel better soon *hugs*

[jaspen]

i was the healthiest i'd been (other than m/s and a UTI) and didn't even suffer a headache (which are normally a daily occurence) with my first but was often sick with my second - ending up with pneumonia (with reverse symptoms) by the end that i couldn't fight had it for weeks and gradually got worse. the minute i had bubs the pneumonia cleared in two days. hopefully you can get enough rest and be on the mend real soon.

[MrsFabuloso]

I think it depends on the person. I was not sick at all when pg but my friend who was pg with me, got one thing after another. Though she also had bad ms which I think may have contributed...poor thing if she wasn't sick with ms she was sick with the flu/gastro, etc...

[Tobily]

I was told that Pregnancy supresses your immune system so that it doesn't attack the baby as being foreign. I got sick heaps of times in my pregnancies with DD and DS and those included UTI's too.

Hope you feel better soon *hugs*

I was told this as well when I got a really bad chest infection at about 20 wks with DD. I never get things like that but I seemed to pick up everything with her

[paradise lost]

Yup, being PG definitely supresses the immune system - that's why autoimmune problems often go into remission during PG and come back hard after the birth. Having said that i am usually pretty healthy and pregnancy was no exception - i guess it comes down to luck of what bugs you're exposed to.

Hang in there Sarah.

Bec

[joralyd]

Sarah I got sick alot in the first 16wks, caught every bug the kids bought home and felt so flat and run down. I'm taking a multi vitamin for pg women which I have to say I was really forgetful and slack with in the first few months but since getting sick so much I forced myself to remember and now i'm starting to feel alot more healthier and my nails/hair/skin are thanking me

[hannahfroodoo]

Yup, it's true, pregnancy suppresses the immune system. Your immune system will attack anything it recognises as foreign and since your baby is half you, half your partner - your body would recognise it as foreign. So your immune system gets suppressed to protect the baby.

Like Hoobley said, people with things like MS often have less symptoms during pg because of this.

I also seem to catch everything going when pg and it stinks since you're so limited to what drugs are OK to take!!