Cat Allergies & Pregnancy

When you are blessed with the gift of life and become pregnant, you want to bring you new baby into a world that is positive and promising. But what if you feel so bogged down by the sneezing and scratching brought on by your household feline that you can barely find the energy to be excited about the birth of your child? There are some things that you should know about the correlation between your cat allergies and your pregnancy before you blame your pet for all of your symptoms.

  1. Allergy Background

    • Although it seems perfectly logical to blame cat allergies on your feline's fur, the real cause of cat allergies is in its saliva. Cat saliva contains the protein Fel d. 1, an allergen that turns into a skin dandruff when it dries-- for example, when a cat grooms itself and its saliva dries onto its coat or skin--and these proteins form a dandruff-like substance that can easily be released into the air.

    Symptoms of Cat Allergies

    • Like reacting to pollen in the air during springtime, humans can have a wide range of allergic reactions to the Fel d. 1 protein in cat saliva. When released into the air, these dandruff proteins can cause sneezing, itchy eyes and skin rash. Although these are typical symptoms of cat allergies, these reactions can be heightened--or seem more severe--if you are pregnant. In some cases, women that have extremely mild cat allergies won't experience allergic reactions until they become pregnant.

    Allergies During Pregnancy

    • While a woman is pregnant, her nasal passages automatically become swollen and more sensitive. This can make her reaction to cat allergens seem harsher and much more uncomfortable. Women with very mild cat allergies may notice an increase in the intensity of their allergic reactions because their nasal cavity is so much more sensitive to the Fel d. 1 protein.

    Allergy Testing

    • Before you go blaming your feline friend for all of your allergy issues, it would be wise to talk to your doctor and have allergy tests performed to make sure that your cat is the true source of your allergic reactions. Your doctor can perform skin tests to determine if your allergies are--indeed--caused by your cat, or caused by another outside source.

    Taking Precautions

    • Even though many modern-day allergy medications are pregnancy-safe, you should also check with your doctor to make sure that the allergy medication that you are using won't cause any complications. Also, you should look into the side effects of your allergy medications to make sure that they won't make your everyday tasks more difficult to complete, since you're juggling both medicinal symptoms and pregnancy symptoms.