Helping Children with Congenital CMV

"Most people have been infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV), but do not have symptoms. If a pregnant woman is infected with CMV, she can pass it to her developing baby. This is called congenital CMV, and it can cause birth defects and other health problems. Learn more about congenital CMV.

For Pregnant Women

You can pass CMV to your baby.

If you are pregnant and have CMV, the virus in your blood can cross through your placenta and infect your developing baby. This is more likely to happen if you have a first-time CMV infection while pregnant but can also happen if you have a subsequent infection during pregnancy.

You are not likely to be tested for CMV.

It is not recommended that doctors routinely test pregnant women for CMV infection. This is because laboratory tests cannot predict which developing babies will become infected with CMV or have long-term health problems.

You may be able to reduce your risk.

You may be able to lessen your risk of getting CMV by reducing contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children. Some ways do this are:

• kissing children on the head rather than the lips, and not sharing food or utensils with them
• washing your hands after changing diapers

These cannot eliminate your risk of getting CMV, but may lessen your chances of getting it.,,"
Congenital CMV