The Relation of STD and Pregnancy and the Effects of STDs on pregnancy

There are instances wherein pregnant women are infected with STDs while they are pregnant. This is not just affecting the mom, but the babies as well that are still in the womb of the mother. According to the CDC, the STD may lead to complications in the pregnancy of women. The effects of STDs on pregnancy may be fatal and may hardly be treated as soon as the child is affected with the virus that brings the disease. There are some common STDs given as you read on and these may affect the mother and the baby at the same time.

HIV & AIDS

The HIV will weaken the immunity of the infected person thus it makes the person prone to infection and will have a hard time to recover. The CDC has just estimated a total number of 540,000 infections yearly with the HIV and ¼ of the entire infected people are just women. The baby may infect the virus with the same signs where they cannot fight back the infection right away and it may lead to mortality later on.

Gonorrhea

It is just one of the most typical STDs where the affected mom will suffer from painful urination, fever and vaginal discharges. If it is not treated right away, it may lead to miscarriage. If the baby is born while the mom is infected, the child might have an eye infection that may lead to blindness.

Syphilis

It may bring cancer of the cervix, anus, rectum and vagina thus it may also reach the nipples and the breasts as well. This may also lead to organ damage. The babies are typically born premature while the mom is infected and hasn’t been treated.  This just means that the babies will suffer from a high possibility of organ damages.

Hepatitis B & C

Hepatitis B & C virus is both hard to cure in terms of liver infections.  The person infected will be able to have flu like signs, fatigue and jaundice or yellowing of the skin. The babies may be infected with the virus, even if they are not yet born. The only difference between the 2 is that the HBV can be controlled through a vaccine to secure the babies from the infection.

Genital Herpes

This may be seen through lesions and sores around the cervix and the vagina. The virus that may lead to infection can be passed on to the babies upon delivery. If the infection is serious, the baby can probably get the virus that causes the eye infection. The skin as well as the central nervous system which may also be risky may also lead to infant mortality later on. On the other hand, the only way to prevent the baby from the infection is through the C-section delivery. 

Contributor: admin