I am currently ttc and they made me get tested to see how my antibodies were for measles, mumps and rubella (and some other diseases we were vaccinated against in childhood). My rubella antibodies were pretty much non existent now. It can wear off over the decades. Was told I should get the MMR booster before becoming pregnant. So I guess maybe its not a bad idea for us adults to get our antibodies tested, or maybe go ahead and get the booster if its available in your country or area if you are in your thirties or older. Especially since a bunch of parents are no longer vaccinating their children, the herd immunity isn’t protecting those who either were unable to get vaccinated or the antibodies from infection/vaccination have worn off.
My stepfather completely lost his hearing in his right ear because he got measles as a boy (before the vaccine was created).
So even ignoring the horrible painful rash you get, it can also make you deaf, blind, or kill you. A lot of us have forgotten how damaging these diseases can be, we’ve been spoiled by our vaccine protection. Even if you got your MMR shots as an infant it does wear off and you will no longer be protected by herd immunity.
Rubella (german measles) vax is especially important if you’re trying to conceive. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Gene Tierney, but she was an actress who was on a USO tour during WWII, and was infected with german measles by a fan who had been told to quarantine but did not and came out to meet her anyway. Ms. Tierney was pregnant at the time, and as a result her daughter was born with profound difficulties (deaf, partially blind, severely mentally disabled) from congenital rubella syndrome and ended up institutionalized from the age of 4 for the rest of her life.
So yes, if you can, definitely get your MMR booster. All three of these diseases are horrible and can have life-long side effects. Best wishes for a healthy baby to you and yours.
I never heard of Gene Tierney, I’ll look at your links. I can’t imagine what it was like for them to know that an ignorant fan caused their child to have such difficulties for the rest of their life. I got MMR booster a couple months ago and my husband is currently getting bloodwork done to see what his titre levels are too. There’s been a concerning uptick of cases where we live and the MMR booster is in shorter supply now so our doctor doesn’t want to give them out unnecessarily if he doesn’t need them.
Thank you very much for your well wishes, it was nice reading a kind comment (even if I am 2 months late).
I am currently ttc and they made me get tested to see how my antibodies were for measles, mumps and rubella (and some other diseases we were vaccinated against in childhood). My rubella antibodies were pretty much non existent now. It can wear off over the decades. Was told I should get the MMR booster before becoming pregnant. So I guess maybe its not a bad idea for us adults to get our antibodies tested, or maybe go ahead and get the booster if its available in your country or area if you are in your thirties or older. Especially since a bunch of parents are no longer vaccinating their children, the herd immunity isn’t protecting those who either were unable to get vaccinated or the antibodies from infection/vaccination have worn off. My stepfather completely lost his hearing in his right ear because he got measles as a boy (before the vaccine was created). So even ignoring the horrible painful rash you get, it can also make you deaf, blind, or kill you. A lot of us have forgotten how damaging these diseases can be, we’ve been spoiled by our vaccine protection. Even if you got your MMR shots as an infant it does wear off and you will no longer be protected by herd immunity.
edit: i wrote father in law instead of stepfather
Rubella (german measles) vax is especially important if you’re trying to conceive. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Gene Tierney, but she was an actress who was on a USO tour during WWII, and was infected with german measles by a fan who had been told to quarantine but did not and came out to meet her anyway. Ms. Tierney was pregnant at the time, and as a result her daughter was born with profound difficulties (deaf, partially blind, severely mentally disabled) from congenital rubella syndrome and ended up institutionalized from the age of 4 for the rest of her life.
So yes, if you can, definitely get your MMR booster. All three of these diseases are horrible and can have life-long side effects. Best wishes for a healthy baby to you and yours.
National Library of Medicine Fact Sheet on measles, mumps, and rubella in pregnancy and during breastfeeding: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582537/
I never heard of Gene Tierney, I’ll look at your links. I can’t imagine what it was like for them to know that an ignorant fan caused their child to have such difficulties for the rest of their life. I got MMR booster a couple months ago and my husband is currently getting bloodwork done to see what his titre levels are too. There’s been a concerning uptick of cases where we live and the MMR booster is in shorter supply now so our doctor doesn’t want to give them out unnecessarily if he doesn’t need them.
Thank you very much for your well wishes, it was nice reading a kind comment (even if I am 2 months late).
It’s all good, glad I could help. Thank you for taking the time to tell me! It’s never too late for a kindness.