Pregnancy: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sexually transmitted diseases, commonly called STDs, are infections that are spread by having sex with someone who has an STD. You can get a sexually transmitted disease from sexual activity that involves the mouth, anus or vagina.
STDs are serious illnesses that require treatment, regardless of whether or not you are pregnant. But, when you are pregnant, you are not the only one at risk; many STDs can be especially harmful to you and your baby. Some STDs, like HIV/AIDS, cannot be cured and are deadly.
Your health care provider will likely screen for some STDs at your first prenatal visit, but if you have sex with someone who is infected, you will need to be screened at subsequent appointments and treated. If you suspect you have an STD, be sure to tell your doctor immediately. Fast treatment is the best way to protect you and your baby.
STDs include:
What Are the Symptoms of STDs?
Sometimes, there are no symptoms. If symptoms are present, they may include:
How Can STDs Affect My Pregnancy?
STDs in pregnancy can harm you and your developing baby.
- HIV/AIDS: Thanks to the
advent of powerful medications, transmission of HIV infection to your infant
is almost completely preventable. But, when the disease is passed on, the results are catastrophic -- the baby may develop HIV infection.
- Herpes: Herpes infection
in a pregnant woman is relatively safe until she gets ready to deliver. Active
herpes lesions on the genitals are highly contagious and can infect the infant
as it's being born. Thus many of these women are delivered by cesarean
section.
- Gonorrhea: Gonorrhea is a
very common STD, usually diagnosed by performing a test on a swab of vaginal
fluid. If contracted during pregnancy, the infection can cause vaginal
discharge, burning while emptying the bladder or
abdominal pain. A pregnant woman with untreated gonorrhea has an increased risk
of miscarriage or
preterm delivery. A baby that is born while the mother has an
active infection can develop blindness, joint
infection or a life threatening blood infection.
- HPV (Genital Warts): This
is a very common STD. They often appear as small cauliflower like clusters
which may burn or itch. If you contract genital
warts during pregnancy, treatment may be delayed until after you deliver.
Sometimes the hormones from pregnancy can make them grow larger. If they grow
large enough to block the birth canal, the baby may need to be delivered by a
cesarean section.
- Chlamydia: Chlamydia may
cause an increased risk of miscarriage and preterm delivery. Infants who are
exposed can get severe eye infections and
pneumonia.
- Syphilis: Syphilis is
most often diagnosed with a blood test, although a syphilitic lesion can also
be tested. Syphilis is easily passed on to your unborn child. It is likely to
cause a very serious infection to your baby that is often fatal. The infants
are often premature. Untreated infants that survive tend to develop problems
in multiple organs including the brain, eyes, ears, heart, skin and bones.
- Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B
is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. If a pregnant woman is infected with hepatitis B, she can transmit the infection to her baby through the placenta. Also, her newborn can become infected. In addition, women with hepatitis B are more likely to have a premature delivery. Luckily, early screening and the more widespread use of the vaccine can prevent infection.
-
Trichomoniasis:
Trichomoniasis is an infection that can cause yellow-green vaginal discharge
and pain with sex or when emptying the bladder. It can increase the risk of
having a preterm baby. Rarely, the new baby can get the infection during
delivery and have a fever after birth.
Next: How can I find out if I have an STD? »
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Hepatitis C »
What is hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver caused by the
hepatitis C virus (HCV). It is difficult for the human
immune system to
eliminate the virus from the body, and infection with HCV usually becomes
chronic. Over decades, chronic infection with HCV damages the liver and can
cause liver failure in some people. In the U.S., the number of new cases of
infection with HCV has declined over the last 10 years from a peak of some
200,000 annually to about 19,000 in 2006. When the virus first enters the body,
there usually are no symptoms, so these numbers are estimates. Up to 85% of
newly infected people fail to clear the virus and become chronically infected.
In the U.S., more than three million people are chronically infected with HCV.
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