Casodex

If positive, she is immune and there is no problem. If the test is negative, it should be repeated in about three weeks. If still negative, she has not caught the infection. If the test has become positive then she has contracted the infection and her foetus is at risk.

If infection occurs in the first four weeks of foetal life, the possibility of damage to the foetus is high. Termination of pregnancy may be offered to the mother.

If infection occurs between the fourth and twelfth weeks, the risk of the baby being affected is around 25 per cent. Again, termination may be offered.

The parents need to consider these odds carefully. If infection takes place after the first three months, serious complications in the child are unlikely and termination is not usually considered.

In the past, pregnant women who came into contact with rubella were given an injection of gamma globulin. This was prepared from blood and contained antibodies to rubella. The immunity from this is short-lived, lasting only a few months.

Many women in their thirties and older will remember this large painful injection. Gamma globulin is not given now, as it is believed not to protect the foetus, only to mask the signs of rubella in the mother.

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