The slightly complex area of STDs or STI s and pregnancy and we often get women are pregnant women who contact our nursing staff and let’s get checked/ and they wonder that you know we’re really worried that if they have an STI during pregnancy /can it affect their baby/ so today I’m going to talk to you about five of the most common sexually transmitted infections /and how they might affect your baby if you contract those during pregnancy
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- HIV
- Syphilis
How Chlamydia affects pregnancy?
Our first STD we gonna talk about today’s Chlamydia because it’s so common/ it’s also one of the reasons we talk about is because it’s so easily treatable and it’s so preventable /so if you get Chlamydia when you’re pregnant, even though it’s not a terribly serious infection but it can increase the risk of miscarriage.It can also increase the risk of having a premature baby or preterm delivery. So there are two things you really want to avoid. if the baby gets infected with chlamydia it tends not to cause a lot of damage, but babies will often got a chlamydial infection in their eyes. So, when a baby comes out and they’ve got infected eyes, one of the first tests that you’re neonatologists will do your obstetrician will do or your family doctor we would do a swab for the baby’s eyes and tests in for chlamydia. Also, this is really easily treatable so just to reassure you it’s really easy treatable but simple antibiotic eye-drops. So it’s not much to worry about.
How Gonorrhea affects pregnancy?
The second infection that was mentioned was gonorrhea. Gonorrhea infection and the reason we talk about gonorrhea a lot is because for two reasons. Gonorrhea is hugely on the rise but also gonorrhea resistance is hugely on the rise. We’re running out of antibiotics with which to treat gonorrhea. That’s why you’ll often hear talking about getting checked for gonorrhea. If a woman contracts gonorrhea when she’s pregnant like in case of chlamydia, gonorrhea too it’s not a really terrible infection. You don’t want to get it because there is an increased risk of miscarriage and also premature delivery or preterm delivery. But in most babies, that in most women this doesn’t happen. But when the baby’s born they can have an infection in their eye. They can commit it and there might come out of their mom after delivery with pussy or infected eyes and this can be a gonorrhea infection so it is easily treatable in babies so to reassure you and normally antibiotic eyedrops and a little injection will do the job to treat the baby but again to reiterate that in pregnancy it might cause miscarriage and premature delivery
How HIV affects pregnancy?
The next infection we need to focus on is, of course, one the most important sexual transmitted infection stated HIV. Our human immunodeficiency virus and the virus that can lead to having an HIV and AIDS-defining endless. So the great thing is in all developed countries women always get tested for HIV infection during pregnancy. At the beginning of their pregnancy if occasionally a woman didn’t get that test for whatever reason, maybe she refused the test and she got infected with HIV infection during pregnancy this, of course, has serious conflict and consequences for the baby. The baby can be infected with HIV after birth unless the mother receives very good and anti-HIV medication.
How Syphilis affects pregnancy?
Another infection about a syphilis and many people think syphilis is like a medieval infection and since it’s been gone for centuries but actually, that’s completely untrue and we’re in the middle of Syphilis epidemic and most developed countries in the world. The good thing about syphilis, like HIV, it is that its part of a routine panel of blood check that all moms are tested for when they first get pregnant. Occasionally, you could be infected with syphilis while pregnant. Syphilis can be very very serious for a baby. The good news about it is that is very easily treatable with penicillin and it’s always stayed sensitive to penicillin. But it can be a very serious infection, where and if babies are infected with syphilis during pregnancy and untreated and it can lead to very serious complications such as blindness deafness bone deformities.
