Thrush During Pregnancy

A thrush infection is not harmful to the development of your pregnancy. In fact, the massive hormonal changes in your body often result in many pregnant women suffering from the infection at some point in the pregnancy. Although this can be passed on to the baby when giving birth, it is nothing to be concerned about, and is easily treated for both mother and child. 

Thrush through pregnancy

Like any other time you think you may have thrush, it is important to inform or go and see your doctor or midwife. If you are particularly prone to thrush and are therefore familiar with the symptoms and are certain that you have the infection, it is still important to see a medical professional. This is because some anti-thrush medicines that you may usually take can be harmful to your baby, and are not advised to be taken throughout pregnancy.


Although some anti-thrush medicines and thrush treatments are unsuitable during pregnancy, your doctor or midwife may be able to prescribe certain kinds of treatments that will be safe for you to use. This makes the visit to the doctor all the more worthwhile if you eliminate any extra discomfort during your pregnancy. Medical professionals can also take a swab to send off to labs for extra peace of mind. Stress and worry are not things that you want to experience whilst pregnant, so if you are worried about an infection, a chat and visit with your medical professional should put your mind at ease.

Whilst you are pregnant, thrush can be very hard to completely get rid of. Because of the big changes going on in your body, your natural balance is bound to be a little all over the place, making it very easy for thrush to develop. Treatments that may have worked for you before your pregnancy may not have the same affect whilst pregnant, and as mentioned above, some are not advised for pregnant women.

If you do manage to be successfully treated for the infection, then make sure your partner gets treated too. Thrush is not a sexually transmitted disease, but can be passed on through sexual intercourse. As many men do not suffer from severe, if any, symptoms of the infection, it can be very easy for your partner to continuously re-infect you.

Thrush during and after the birth

Whilst you are pregnant, having thrush will not affect your baby in any way. Whilst inside your womb, your baby cannot contract the infection. However, when you give birth there is a chance that your baby can catch the infection. This is nothing to be concerned about though, this can be easily and very efficiently treated straight away. By the time you and your baby are ready to go home, you should both have been treated and free from the thrush infection.

Even if you do pass on the thrush infection to your baby and it is cleared up, it is very common for newborn babies to develop thrush naturally. If your baby does develop the infection, it is important that you do not feel this is your fault, as the chances are this infection will have naturally developed and not have been passed on from you.

If your baby has thrush you will easily able to detect it from white patches inside the mouth. This is a very common occurrence in young babies, and will clear up within a few days. If the problem persists, you should contact your doctor or midwife. If you are breastfeeding you may want to contact a medical professional straight away, as the infection can be passed from your baby to you and result in thrush in the nipples.

« Preventing Thrush Breastfeeding with Oral Thrush »