Risk factors

If you get rubella during pregnancy, you are at risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. Your developing baby is at risk for serious birth defects with devastating, lifelong consequences.

Infection with the rubella virus causes the most serious damage in early pregnancy, especially in the first 12 weeks (first trimester).

MMR vaccine protects against rubella

Although rubella was declared eliminated from the United States in 2004, cases can occur when unvaccinated people are exposed to infected people. This is mostly done through international travel. Rubella can be prevented with MMR vaccine.

Before pregnancy, make sure you are vaccinated

If you are planning to become pregnant, you should contact your doctor to make sure you are vaccinated before becoming pregnant.

Women of childbearing potential should avoid becoming pregnant for at least four weeks after receiving MMR vaccine.

If you are pregnant, you should NOT get the MMR vaccine

MMR vaccine is an attenuated (attenuated) live virus vaccine. If you are pregnant and have not been vaccinated, you should wait to get the MMR vaccine until after you have given birth.

About Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS)

CRS is a condition that affects a developing child in the womb when the mother is infected with the rubella virus. CRS can affect almost everything in the developing baby’s body and cause complications after birth.

During 2005-2018, 15 babies with CRS were reported in the United States.

Signs and complications

The most common birth defects from CRS may include:

• Deafness
• Cataracts
• Heart failure
• Intellectual disabilities
• Liver and spleen damage
• Low birth weight
• Skin rash at birth

Less common complications from CRS may include:

• Glaucoma
• Brain damage
• Thyroid and other hormone problems
• Inflammation of the lungs

There is no cure for CRS

Although specific symptoms can be treated, there is no cure for CRS. So it is important to get vaccinated before you get pregnant.