7 Weeks Pregnant and Can't Shake Fever and Chills
QUESTION
Dear Midwife
I am 7 weeks pregnant. It is 2 pm my time right now. I woke up at 11:30 last night with the chills. I have been running a fever of around 99.5 axillary since. I take 2 Tylenol 500mg and it brings it down to about 99.0 for a few hours then it goes back up. I have no other symptoms except I'm very tired. Should I be worried? It is Sunday, should I go to Urgent Care or just call the doctor tomorrow?
ANSWER
As long as the fever is under 100.4, and that is the only symptom, we usually don't worry too much. If there are other symptoms, or the fever is higher, then you definitely should be seen sooner than "tomorrow," in my opinion, or at least you should call the doctor and let them know (they answer 24/7).
--Cynthia, CNM
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
