Pinworms during pregnancy

Hey everyone,
I've spent the last two hours scouring the web trying to figure out how to deal with pinworms while pregnant, since I can't touch the Albenza they usually give kids. A little kid from preschool brought the Crviche home, and both he and his brother already took a dose of Albenza. A few days later, I realized I've caught them too. I’m 32 weeks along and honestly, I'm stuck. Does anyone have any actual advice on what I should do? 😕

restlessorca36 said:Hello everyone,
I’ve spent the last two hours scouring the internet, just trying to find some kind of answer on how to deal with pinworms during pregnancy. It turns out that Albenza, which is what they usually give kids, isn't something pregnant women are supposed to touch. My little one brought home some Crviche from daycare, and both he and his brother already took a dose of Albenza, but then a few days later, I realized I’ve been infected too. I’m feeling quite lost. Does anyone here have any solid advice? I’m currently 32 weeks along. 😕

So, what did the doctor end up saying?

Does anyone have any good recipes using fresh garlic and pumpkin seeds?
If your stomach can handle it, that is...

Just search for "pregnant woman with ascaris"...

My doctor isn't seeing me until tomorrow afternoon, but she already gave me the heads-up that she doesn't recommend Albenza. I started my morning on an empty stomach by swallowing a whole clove of garlic (gross!), followed by some raw carrots. Later on, I’ll probably just snack on some pumpkin seeds and see how things shake out...

restlessorca36 said:Hi everyone,
I just spent two agonizing hours scouring the internet trying to figure out how to treat pinworms while pregnant. Apparently, Albenza, which is standard for kids, isn't safe for us. My little one brought the worms home from daycare, and both he and his brother already took a dose of Albenza, only for me to realize a few days later that I've caught them too. I am completely lost. Can anyone please offer some solid advice? I'm 32 weeks along. 😕

If I were you, my first move would be to talk to an infectious disease specialist.
The thing is, the FDA categorizes Albenza as Category C, so it’s definitely not recommended during pregnancy.

Thanks for the input. I tracked down the number for the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology at Miami University Hospital, so I'll give them a ring in the morning to see what my next move should be.

Hey,
Here’s a report for any future moms dealing with this exact mess. This time around, the internet actually proved more useful than any doctor. Yesterday morning, I called the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology at Miami University Hospital. Some young guy answered; he was polite enough, but he didn't have a clue. He basically told me he wasn't specialized enough to know and that my only option was a stool sample. He was sympathetic, even though some lady in the background was screaming at him, "We aren't 911!!!"
By the afternoon, I called my doctor. She didn't have an answer either and suggested I talk to an infectious disease specialist (shoutout to vividsailor7 🙂).
Then I called a homeopathic consultant in Washington, D.C., and she kindly recommended a China C30 preparation, which you can pick up from them or at the Lavender pharmacy in Miami. For now, I've decided to stick with the specialist first.
I went to bed prepared to spend the morning calling hospitals and bracing myself for some lady to yell at me, but I actually had such a peaceful night without that hellish itching that I’m starting to think folk medicine might be working. For now, I'm sticking to a diet designed to flush those little monsters out of my system, and I'm hopeful.
So, yesterday I ate about 3 or 4 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, some grated carrots with apple, and half a head of garlic (!!!) with my meals. For dinner, for example, I spread cream cheese on toast and loaded it with massive amounts of garlic. By the end of the meal, my mouth felt like it was literally on fire—my eyes were watering and my nose was running like a faucet. 🙂 But it was worth it.
Another solid tip I found online: apply Vaseline to the area (if you catch my drift—asking for this at a pharmacy was awkward, and they didn't even have it in stock) because it keeps the eggs from being laid overnight. It's gross, but that's the reality. I read somewhere that honey works too, but I’m not brave enough to risk turning my body into an all-you-can-eat buffet for them. 😢
Two days of extreme hygiene and eating nothing but raw carrots, pumpkin seeds, and garlic while cutting out sugar—since those bastards love it—and I'm already seeing results. Wish me luck in getting rid of these things for good; having something this nasty inside you is just revolting.

I really don't think you should be relying on homeopathy or any kind of folk remedies here. You need to get an infectious disease specialist to weigh in immediately—and if they don't take you seriously, make some noise about it. You're pregnant, so even if you end up overreacting a bit, 😉
will give you a pass.

Angela Wright, I took your advice and gave the hospital a call. My infectious disease specialist told me to hold off on any medication until after I give birth. So, what I’m doing right now is pretty much my only option. I'm banking on garlic doing the trick—my husband is already scouring the local Whole Foods looking for organic garlic because he refuses to let me eat anything from China. 🙂

restlessorca36 said:Angela Wright, I took your advice and gave the hospital a call. My infectious disease specialist told me to hold off on any medication until after I give birth, so what I’m doing right now is honestly my only option. I’m banking on garlic helping me get through this; my husband is already scouring the local Whole Foods looking for organic garlic because he refuses to let me eat that China C30 stuff. 🙂

The most important thing is making sure you don't cause any harm to the child. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't touch homeopathy with a ten-foot pole.

What does this mean for everyone else living under the same roof? If you’re stuck in a cycle of constant reinfection, what's the game plan? Are we looking at a situation where someone has to stay on such an aggressive treatment regimen indefinitely just to stay ahead of the infection?

Morning,
The husband’s asymptomatic so far. The kids will take a new dose in a few days just to be safe, and I felt fine by day two. No itching, and I checked my stool this morning—nothing unusual. Last night I went so hard on the garlic that I actually felt sick. Luckily I reacted fast, otherwise things could have gotten ugly. We’ve got another month and a half to grind through before I consider actual meds if necessary. I’m also thinking about grabbing some kind of probiotic, just in case there's something stuck in the gut I need to flush out. Thoughts?

restlessorca36 said:Morning,
the mule isn't showing any symptoms yet. The kids will take another dose in a few days just to be safe, and I felt fine by the second day. No itching, and I checked my stool this morning and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Last night, I went so heavy on the garlic that I actually felt nauseous. It’s a good thing I reacted immediately, otherwise, it would have really messed me up. We just have to push through another month and a half, then I'll consider actual medication if things get bad. I'm also thinking about taking some kind of probiotic just in case there's something stuck in my gut that needs flushing out. What do you guys think?

Don't do it. You don't want to risk triggering muscle contractions that could lead to premature labor. Just leave things as they are for now and keep a close eye on your bowel movements. Stick to strict hygiene—boil all the laundry and bedding. Grab some hand sanitizer from CVS and make sure everyone in the house is washing their hands constantly.

Alright, thanks. We’re doing all that—using Lysol liquid hand soap, and I even went through with the gel to disinfect things like the doorknobs. I'm getting paranoid; every little speck looks like a worm to me.

restlessorca36 said:My doctor isn't seeing me until tomorrow afternoon, but she already told me she doesn't recommend Combantrin. I started the day on an empty stomach by eating raw garlic—gross!—followed by some raw carrots. Later, I'm going to snack on pumpkin seeds and just see what happens...

Can you guys let me know if the worms came back for you? I'm dealing with the exact same thing as you, but they returned in my case. What did you end up using, and did you take any medication when you were giving birth?