Symptoms of Fifth Disease in Children and Adults

6. Symptoms in Pregnant Women

Although the signs of severe flu-like symptoms and joint pain are the same in pregnant women with fifth disease, it is critical they carefully monitor their symptoms. If you are pregnant and develop fifth disease, it is essential to know that most babies are not affected by the infection. Further, there is no connection between this disease and congenital disabilities. If a fetus does contract fifth disease, it can disrupt the production of red blood cells, which leads to dangerous anemia, heart failure, and even miscarriage or stillbirth in some cases. The chance of a pregnant woman having a miscarriage due to a fetus contracting this infection is about a ten percent risk.