The relationship between STDs and pregnancy is fraught. If you are pregnant and infected with an STD or STD, there is a possibility that your infection will affect both you and your unborn baby. That can be scary, because many STDs are asymptomatic. This blog discusses the STD testing process during prenatal doctor appointments and which STDs pose a threat to pregnant women and their babies.
Which STDs will you be tested for during pregnancy?
Regardless of whether or not you are currently pregnant, part of the reason why testing is so important if you are proactive about your health is that so many STDs are asymptomatic, meaning you can carry the infection without knowing it or showing any signs shows. So it’s easy to see how someone could get pregnant without knowing he or she has an STD.
Because STDs can be asymptomatic, these infections can go unnoticed during pregnancies. Pregnant women can assume that they will not have an infection, will be tested for STDs, and/or that the symptoms of possible infections will be obvious to their doctor. Those assumptions are not always the case. Doctors will most likely screen for STDs during the first prenatal appointment, but screenings are unlikely to occur during subsequent visits. As with any other visit to the gynecologist, you cannot assume that your doctor will be able to spot the signs of an STD, even if he examines the areas that are likely to show symptoms of the infection.
If you are pregnant, make it clear to your doctor at your first prenatal visit that you are being screened for STDs and make it clear which infections they are testing you for. If possible, it is best to get tested before you even become pregnant.
After you have been tested before you become pregnant or at your first prenatal appointment, it is unlikely that the doctor will test for STDs again during your pregnancy. If at any time after your first visit you suspect you have been exposed to an STD, you should request another test.
Effects of STDs and pregnancy
Most people think of STDs and STDs as infections spread through sexual contact, and although sexual activity accounts for the majority of transmission, there are other ways to transmit STDs from one person to another, and that applies also for pregnancy. When it comes to STDs and pregnancy, infections can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy and vaginal delivery. STDs can also have adverse effects during pregnancy, some of which can be harmful to the baby.
Here are some of the STDs that can be passed on to your baby during pregnancy.
- HIV: HIV can potentially be transmitted to babies during pregnancy, childbirth, and vaginal delivery. It can also pass into breast milk after the baby is born. However, thanks to modern medicine, if the mother is HIV-positive, the chance of the infection being passed on to the baby can be dramatically reduced with medications and other preventive measures.
- Herpes: If the mother experiences an active outbreak of genital herpes and the child is delivered vaginally, the infection is likely to be passed on. Many parents with genital herpes will deliver by caesarean section to help prevent this transmission. Although transmission of oral herpes during childbirth is not a threat, many parents with oral herpes will pass the infection to their child by giving him a kiss on the lips.
- HPV: If you have a form of HPV that causes genital warts, hormones from pregnancy can cause the warts to become inflamed and enlarge, so much so that they can become large enough to block the birth canal.
- Gonorrhea: If gonorrhea is left untreated, it can cause serious complications during pregnancy. Gonorrhea can increase the risk of miscarriages, premature birth, premature rupture of membranes and low birth weight. Babies born to mothers with an active infection may develop blindness or infections of the joints or blood.
- Chlamydia: Chlamydia, if left untreated, can cause an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, premature rupture of membranes and low birth weight. Newborns exposed to chlamydia can develop serious eye infections and pneumonia. Chlamydia is generally asymptomatic, so the only way to know for sure if you have it is to get tested.
- Syphilis: Syphilis is an infection that can easily develop passed on to a child. Babies born to mothers with syphilis are often premature, and syphilis infections in newborns can be fatal. In addition to premature birth, syphilis infections have been associated with stillbirth and, rarely, death after birth. Untreated babies who survive tend to develop multiple health problems, which can involve the brain and nervous system, eyes, ears, liver, bones and skin.
- Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B is transmitted from mother to child through the placenta 40% of the time. An infected newborn can carry the hepatitis B virus for life, which can lead to liver disease and even death. However, treating the Hepatitis B positive mother during pregnancy with antiviral medications and treating her child(ren) within 12 hours of birth with both Hepatitis B vaccine and Hepatitis B immune globulin will prevent the chronic infection and premature death of the child. help prevent.
- Hepatitis C: Research shows that pregnant mothers infected with hepatitis C are at greater risk of premature birth and low birth weight. 5% of newborns whose mother is hepatitis C positive will be exposed to the virus during childbirth. If the mother has both positive hepatitis C and HIV infections or has highly contagious blood levels of the hepatitis C virus, the child is at significantly increased risk for hepatitis C infection. Breastfeeding is safe for the child; it does not transmit the hepatitis C virus to the child. There is currently no hepatitis C vaccine or treatment available for newborns. Children born to mothers with positive hepatitis C should be tested 18 months. Between 25 and 50% of children born to a hepatitis C-positive mother will overcome hepatitis C infection (blood levels of the HCV RNA virus disappear) by age 3. Children born to hepatitis C mothers require lifelong follow-up to monitor and manage their health.
- Trichomoniasis: A mother infected with trichomoniasis is at greater risk of having a premature baby, low birth weight, and early, premature rupture of membranes. Routine prenatal care does not include testing for trichomoniasis. Testing, diagnosis, and treatment with the right antibiotics help protect the health of you and your baby. If left untreated, the infection can (rarely) pass from mother to baby, especially female newborns who would vaginal discharge after birth. It is unknown whether trichomoniasis can cause other long-term problems if left untreated. For most of these infections, treatments or preventive measures are available to cure the infection and/or reduce the risk of transmission to your newborn. Some viruses, including herpes, hepatitis and HIV, cannot be cured. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis can all be treated and cured with antibiotics that are safe to take during pregnancy. However, these infections can also be asymptomatic, so the only way you can be treated is through diagnosis and testing.
For most of these infections, treatments or preventative measures are available to cure the infection and/or reduce the risk of transmission to your newborn. Some viruses, including herpes, hepatitis and HIV, cannot be cured. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis can all be treated and cured with antibiotics that are safe to take during pregnancy. However, these infections can also be asymptomatic, so the only way you can be treated is by getting diagnosed, and the only way you can get diagnosed is by getting tested.
When it comes to STDs and pregnancy, you should perform STD testing before and during your pregnancy to keep you and your baby safe during pregnancy and beyond. To reduce your risk of STDs and pregnancy, use protection and only have contact with sexual partners who have recently tested negative for STDs.