Measles can manifest as a congenital or acquired disease.
In the pre-vaccine era, most people contracted measles in early childhood. For this reason, measles infection in pregnancy was unusual. Gershon et al estimated that four to six pregnancies per 100.000 were complicated by measles in the pre-vaccine era. In the post-vaccine era, a much larger proportion of measles cases has occurred among adults of reproductive age. Measles virus can cross the placental barrier, causing spontaneous abortion or congenital skeletal, cardiac or ocular anomalies.