A common virus that affects 50-70% of adults. If a woman
acquires cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during pregnancy, there
is about a 15% chance that her infant will have infection and
serious complications. Women who have had CMV infection and who
are considering breastfeeding their prematurely born infant
should check first with their child's doctor since there is a
risk of transmitting the virus to the infant through breast
milk. Prematurely born infants may not be able to fight off the
CMV infection as do infants born at term. CMV infection is
usually a mild infection in adults. Infants born to women who
have had CMV long before they became pregnant are at low risk of
having an infant with serious CMV infection.