Risk Reduction

Not many people have heard of CMV so it is easy to think that it is not something to be concerned about, but CMV is very common and can cause very serious problems for a child later in life if not caught and treated early on.

There are a few things pregnant mothers can do to greatly reduce the risk of their child contracting CMV:

  1. Avoid toddler saliva, tears, mucous, etc. (see this list for more detail). This can seem very difficult for mothers who already have a child, but being conscientious for the 9 months of pregnancy is worth it to have a healthy child.
  2. Test serostatus before pregnancy. This will determine if the mother has the virus.
    • If serostatus is negative, test every 1-2 months during pregnancy to be aware of any changes.
    • If seroconversion (a negative serostatus turns into a positive one), this means the mother has CMV and should consider treatment.
    • Be tested for CMV before and during pregnancy. This will give mothers time to consider treatment and prepare for the birth with specialties. Treatments can work if given! Recommended tests:
  3. Have your newborn tested for CMV.
    • Yes. ALL newborns should be tested. CMV is more common than anything in the newborn spot test. CCMV can only be tested for up to two weeks after birth. After that, because CMV is s common, there is no way to tell if the baby contracted it in utero (CCMV) or after birth (simply CMV).  If a baby experiences troubles later in life (developmental delays, hearing loss, etc.) it will be too late to test and much more difficult to treat.
Those who are at the highest risk are:
  • Pregnant Daycare workers
  • Pregnant Mothers with a child in daycare
  • Pediatricians
The following are tests used to diagnose CMV:
  • Blood tests
    • IGG
    • IGM
    • Avidity
    • Learn more about these here.
  • Amniocentesis 6 weeks post CMV infection of the mother and after 18 weeks of pregnancy . It must be 6 weeks because this is how long it takes for the virus to go through the baby's system and be excreted from the kidneys into the amniotic sac. It must be past 18 weeks of pregnancy because this is when the kidneys start functioning and excreting virus into the amniotic sac.