The scientific name of the Mono virus is the Epstein – Barr virus, or EBV. It is the member of the herpes virus family. The Mono virus causes infectious mononucleosis, also known as mono, glandular fever & more candidly known as the “kissing disease”. The earliest known description of this disease comes from back in 1889 when it was referred as “Drusenfieber”. The current term, mononucleosis became commonly used for mono virus in 1920 when an unlikely high number of lymphocytes were found in the blood of college students who showed severe symptoms of the mono virus.
The mono virus is found all over the world. Normally, by the time people reach adulthood, their bodies produce an antibody to fight EBV or mono virus. These antibodies are produced by the human immune system to fight various viruses & bacteria, each antibody is for a specific virus & they are produced after the person has contracted that virus at some point in their life. According to statistics, almost 95% of adults in the United States between the ages of 35 & 40 have an antibody against the mono virus in their blood, which means that all these people have contracted the mono virus at some point.
Most of the cases of mono virus infections are detected in people between the ages of 15 & 24. This is because most of the adults have antibodies to fight mono virus in their blood streams & very few children who contract the mono virus show any mononucleosis symptoms. The cases of mononucleosis in children below the age of 15 are as few as 10%.
It is a common conception that pregnancy & mono don’t mix & that when pregnancy & mono come into the same equation, it won’t end up good. But that’s wrong. A lot of people don’t realize how common mono is. It can spread through kiss, which is why it is called the “kissing disease”. But for pregnant women, coping with both the pregnancy & mono might be a difficult task.
Here are a few tips for all those pregnant women trying to manage pregnancy & mono symptoms :
Loads of Rest : Pregnancy & mono is a combination that can take a lot out of you. If you are suffering from mono during your pregnancy, take lots of rest. The exhaustion will wear you down & you’ll need to lie down whenever possible.
Eat Right : Mononucleosis causes fever which in turn causes loss of appetite. If you are managing both pregnancy & mono, you need to avoid the loss of appetite as this will be dangerous for the baby. During your “pregnancy & mono” phase, you need to stay hydrated & full of good food.
Go To Ob-Gyn: The group of people who do witness serious complication when it comes to pregnancy and mononucleosis are the ones who have an underlying medical condition.
Mononucleosis could be considered as a fairly common illness. But you need to be extra careful; pregnancy & mono combined can take a toll on a person. But by taking proper rest & eating right, you can make the mono go away fast & take care of your baby at the same time.