Chills during pregnancy: what to know

Feeling cold or shivery can follow a cool environment, tiredness, or normal changes in how pregnancy feels. Chills can also accompany infection, including influenza, urinary tract infection, kidney infection, pneumonia, malaria, or dengue fever. The symptom alone cannot identify the cause. In pregnancy, urinary infections may need treatment even when urinary symptoms are subtle, and fever or a worsening general condition should not be ignored.

Pay attention to burning urine, back or side pain, cough, breathlessness, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, headache, or reduced fetal movement later in pregnancy. Tell your maternity team about travel, sick contacts, and any medicines already taken.

Check your temperature, rest, and take regular sips of fluid. Keep a record of chills, pain, urine symptoms, and any change in fetal movement that concerns you. Contact your obstetric or maternity service for advice about persistent or repeated chills, especially if you feel unwell. Use only medicines your maternity clinician or pharmacist has confirmed are suitable; pregnancy changes which treatments are appropriate. Do not self-treat a suspected infection with leftover medicines.

Seek emergency help for severe breathing difficulty, confusion, fainting, chest pain, blue or grey lips, or extreme weakness. Contact maternity or urgent medical care promptly for a measured fever, persistent shaking, severe headache, stiff neck, repeated vomiting, painful urination, flank pain, vaginal bleeding, fluid leakage, regular painful contractions, or reduced fetal movement. After travel to an area where malaria occurs, seek prompt advice even without a fever.

Ask whether you need urine, blood, or respiratory testing; which fluids and medicines are appropriate; and whether you should attend maternity triage. Share how far along the pregnancy is, your temperature, medical conditions, travel history, and any change in fetal movement.