Symptoms of typhoid in pregnant women are more or less the same as most people. However, according to research, there is one additional typhus symptom that is thought to be often experienced by pregnant women, namely coughing.
Typhoid is a disease caused by a bacterial infection Salmonella typhi. These bacteria can enter the body of pregnant women if they eat food or drink contaminated with these bacteria. If left untreated, typhoid can lead to unwanted complications.
Symptoms of Typhoid in Pregnant Women
Symptoms of typhoid in pregnant women generally appear 1-3 weeks after the bacteria Salmonella typhi enter the body. Symptoms can get worse and last up to 4 weeks or more if not treated.
Some of the symptoms of typhus in pregnant women that often occur include:
- High fever with a body temperature of 39–40°C, and the fever will subside in the morning and rise again in the evening
- Headache
- Cough
- Body feels weak and tired
- Decreased appetite
- Weight loss
- Stomach ache
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Nauseous
- Rash
- Muscle ache
- Sweating
- Swollen spleen and liver
Symptoms of typhus in pregnant women are similar to symptoms of other diseases, such as malaria or dengue fever, so it is often difficult to diagnose.
Complications of Typhoid in Pregnant Women and Fetus
Without proper and prompt treatment, typhoid can cause various complications, both for pregnant women and the fetus in the womb.
In pregnant women
Typhoid complications in pregnant women include:
- Red blood cells are destroyed (hemolysis)
- Liver disfunction
- Bleeding in the intestines
- The intestine is perforated so that intestinal contents leak into the stomach and cause severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and sepsis
Bleeding in the intestines and intestinal cavities usually occurs when typhoid enters the third week. This life-threatening complication requires immediate medical care.
In fetus
Until now, there are still few studies that reveal the complications of typhoid in the unborn baby. However, from this limited information, it is known that typhus is thought to cause the following conditions in the fetus:
- Causes miscarriage, especially in the second trimester of pregnancy, if the symptoms of typhoid in pregnant women are not treated within 5 days
- Increases risk of premature birth
- Increases the risk of low birth weight babies
- Increases the risk of the fetus being smaller than it should be
It can take weeks, even months for pregnant women to fully recover from typhus. However, typhoid symptoms in pregnant women can reappear if the treatment is not appropriate. Serious complications and even death can occur.
If you are pregnant and experience various symptoms of typhoid in pregnant women as above, you should check with your doctor further to get the appropriate treatment.
