Bacterial STDs And Pregnancy

Chlamydia

The bacterial infection chlamydia is the most reported STD in the US. Up to 80 percent of infected women have no symptoms, so many women have chlamydia without knowing it. Symptoms of chlamydia can include abnormal vaginal discharge, pain or burning during urination, general pelvic pain, bleeding in between periods and heavier periods. If symptoms do show up, they'll do so within weeks after infection.

Untreated chlamydia can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) in the long run. PID — which comes with its own set of symptoms, mostly pelvic pain — rages through a woman's reproductive system, leaving scar tissue and blockages. This can easily render a woman infertile, and it also increases the risk of ectopic pregnancies greatly.

Risks During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, chlamydia can lead to preterm labor and infections of the amniotic sac and fluid. Chlamydia does not cross the placenta, but it can be passed on to the baby during a vaginal delivery. This happens in around 50 percent of mothers who have an untreated chlamydia infection at the time they go into labor. Newborn chlamydia infections can lead to eye problems and, in five to 20 percent of cases, pneumonia during the newborn period. Women who have chlamydia are also at a higher risk of developing a uterine infection after giving birth.

Treatment

Chlamydia is easily treated both before and during pregnancy — unless the woman already developed PID. Like many STDs, chlamydia is most easily treated in the beginning stages. A course of antibiotics will do it — usually azithromycin or doxycycline. There are antibiotics available that can treat chlamydia and that are compatible with pregnancy, like amoxicillin.

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection that has quite a lot in common with chlamydia, but it is harder to treat and has more dangerous consequences. Gonorrhea is very easily transmitted, and women who have the disease do not experience any symptoms in about 50 percent of cases. Women who do have symptoms would would typically notice pelvic pain or discomfort, pain during intercourse or urination, and altered menstrual cycles. Gonorrhea can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, just like chlamydia. But it can also cause heart problems, meningitis, and joint problems. Scary stuff!

Risks During Pregnancy

Gonorrhea carries all the same risks that chlamydia does, and then some. Gonorrhea during pregnancy is associated with a higher miscarriage rate, uterine and amniotic fluid infections, preterm labor, and uterine infection during the postpartum period. In infants, a gonorrhea infection can cause joint problems and meningitis. Antibiotic eye drops for all newborns are compulsory in most hospitals, because the eye infections caused by gonorrhea can easily make a baby blind (note — these eye drops do not protect the baby's eyes from chlamydia).

Treatment

A newborn whose mother had an untreated gonorrhea infection when she gave birth will need systemic antibiotics, to avoid the risk of joint problems and meningitis. It is, of course, much better to treat gonorrhea before pregnancy wherever possible. The disease is quite adaptable and has become resistant to many antibiotics that were previously very successful — penicillin, tetracycline and fluoroquinolones. Ceftriaxone is now the most effective treatment, and this is also used for pregnant women who have the infection.