ALSO CAME TO BUNCOMBE COUNTY. THIS FLU SEASON HAS BEEN THE MOST INTENSE IT’S BEEN IN AT LEAST 15 YEARS, ACCORDING TO NEW DATA. THE PERCENT OF DOCTOR’S OFFICE VISITS DRIVEN BY FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS LAST WEEK WAS HIGHER THAN THE PEAK OF ANY WINTER FLU SEASON SINCE 2009 TO 2010. SO FAR THIS SEASON, THE CDC ESTIMATES THERE HAVE BEEN 13,000 FLU DEATHS. THAT INCLUDES 117 IN NORTH CAROLINA. AND FOR PREGNANT WOMEN, THE FLU CAN CAUSE A WIDE RANGE OF SYMPTOMS. WHILE DOCTORS SAY IT’S RARE FOR AN ILLNESS LIKE THE FLU TO CAUSE SOMEONE TO GO INTO LABOR EARLY, THESE TYPES OF ILLNESSES CAN CAUSE DEHYDRATION, WHICH CAN LEAD TO PAINFUL CONTRACTIONS AND OTHER SYMPTOMS. ANY ILLNESS IN PREGNANCY, WHETHER IT BE THE FLU, COVID, RSV OR A URINARY TRACT INFECTION THAT’S NOT TREATED, CAN CAUSE AN INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE THAT CAN CAUSE CONTRACTIONS AND EARLY LABOR, AS WELL AS RUPTURE OF MEMBRANES. BUT IT’S NOT NECESSARILY THE FLU CAUSING IT. IT’S ANY KIND OF ILLNESS OR INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE CAN CAUSE THOSE SYMPTOMS. DOCTOR MILLER SAYS THE BEST FORM OF TREATME
Pregnant women and the flu: How viral infections can worsen symptoms
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Updated: 10:25 AM CST Feb 15, 2025
For pregnant women, the flu can cause a wide range of symptoms.Doctors say it's rare for an illness like the flu to cause someone to go into labor early, but these types of illnesses can cause dehydration, which can lead to painful contractions and other symptoms."Any illness in pregnancy — whether it be the flu, COVID, RSV or a urinary tract infection that's not treated — can cause an inflammatory response," said Dr. April Miller, an Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist OB-GYN. "That can cause contractions and early labor, as well as ruptured membranes, but it's not necessarily the flu causing it. It's any kind of illness or inflammatory response can cause those symptoms."Miller says the best form of treatment is prevention, which includes getting vaccinated.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — For pregnant women, the flu can cause a wide range of symptoms.
Doctors say it's rare for an illness like the flu to cause someone to go into labor early, but these types of illnesses can cause dehydration, which can lead to painful contractions and other symptoms.
"Any illness in pregnancy — whether it be the flu, COVID, RSV or a urinary tract infection that's not treated — can cause an inflammatory response," said Dr. April Miller, an Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist OB-GYN. "That can cause contractions and early labor, as well as ruptured membranes, but it's not necessarily the flu causing it. It's any kind of illness or inflammatory response can cause those symptoms."
Miller says the best form of treatment is prevention, which includes getting vaccinated.
