Navigating health news while expecting can feel overwhelming — especially when it comes to outbreaks. Measles is a childhood disease, but it's still important to protect yourself from it during pregnancy. Here's what to know.
What is measles, and how common is it?
Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a paramyxovirus and characterized by fever, white spots inside the mouth, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and a spreading skin rash.
In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared that measles had been eradicated in the United States, meaning it wasn't spreading within the country and new cases were only reported when someone contracted measles outside the country and returned to the U.S. with it.[1]
But it has unfortunately made a comeback in recent years, due in large part to unvaccinated segments of the population, both in the U.S. and overseas. There were more than 2,000 reported cases of measles in the U.S. in 2025 — more than any year since 1991.[2]
Who is most at risk of catching measles?
People who aren't vaccinated against measles or aren't otherwise immune because they had it as children are most at risk of coming down with the measles. That includes babies under the age of 12 to 15 months, which is typically when they're able to get their first dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.
Most women of childbearing age either have had the disease or have been immunized against it as children. Even if you're not immune, the risk that you might contract measles is relatively low most of the time, since the majority of people are immune and are unlikely to come down with the disease in the first place.
But measles is highly contagious — if you aren't immune, you have a 90% chance of catching it if you come into contact with an infected person.
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What are the symptoms of measles?
If you have measles during pregnancy, you might experience the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Runny nose
- Hacking cough
- Red eyes
- Red spotted rash that progresses from the head downward; white spots may appear inside
The rash and symptoms usually clear within one to two weeks.
What effect can measles have on your pregnancy and baby?
Luckily, measles doesn't appear to cause birth defects in the baby if contracted during pregnancy, though you may possibly be at an increased risk of miscarriage, premature labor, or a low birthweight baby.
How to protect yourself from measles during pregnancy
If you don't know whether you've had measles or been vaccinated against it, get a blood test (preferably before trying to conceive) to find out for sure. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends getting the measles vaccine at least one month before becoming pregnant.[3]
If you're not immune and are exposed to the virus while pregnant, talk to your practitioner about getting an immune globulin shot to try to prevent the development of measles altogether, since you won't be able to get the MMR vaccine during your pregnancy.
If you have other children, you should still get them vaccinated on schedule during pregnancy. Having someone else at home get the MMR vaccine during your pregnancy won't put you or your baby at risk.
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