Tickpedia
Removal · field guidance

Pregnancy monitoring differences

Pregnant patients with a tick bite warrant a lower threshold for clinical evaluation; treated maternal Lyme has not been linked to birth defects.

Steps

schema.org/HowTo
  1. 01
    Call your OB within 24 hours of any concerning bite, even before symptoms.
  2. 02
    Do not start doxycycline on your own; the standard pregnancy-safe alternatives are amoxicillin or cefuroxime.
  3. 03
    Monitor for fever and rash daily; threshold for in-person evaluation is lower.
  4. 04
    Untreated maternal Lyme has been associated with adverse outcomes; promptly treated infection has not.
  5. 05
    RMSF in pregnancy is treated with doxycycline despite pregnancy because the maternal mortality risk dominates.
  6. 06
    Document the bite location, date, and tick (saved or photographed) for the medical record.

Wild facts

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