How To Deal With STDs During Pregnancy

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) can cause major problems during pregnancy. They are also capable of being transmitted to babies in the course of pregnancy or at delivery time. For these reasons, it is important to know how to deal with STDs properly in the course of pregnancy. Whether you use an NHS or private sexual clinic in London services, you really need to address the risk of STDs during pregnancy.

In this article, we tackle the subject of STDs and pregnancy comprehensively.

Is it a good idea to test for STDs before pregnancy?

Yes, testing for STDs before you start trying to get pregnant is a good idea. It is really something you should do. That is because if you get pregnant, yet you have certain STDs, there can be major problems like:

• Ending up giving birth to a baby with low weight
• Going into labour prematurely
• Transmission of the actual infection to the unborn baby
• The possibility of miscarriage

The best way to prevent these sorts of issues is ideally by going for STD testing before conception. This way, should there be any present but asymptomatic infections, you can have them addressed.

Thus if you are thinking of starting a family, one of the key things to do is undergo STD testing. And that should ideally be before you start trying to conceive. The testing can be easily done at an NHS or private sexual health clinic.

The actual importance of undergoing an STD test prior to pregnancy

Screening for STDs before pregnancy is critical for several reasons, including the facts that:

• It can yield peace of mind in the course of the eventual pregnancy
• If the testing reveals actual disease, treatment can be started earlier (when it is most likely to be effective)
• It can help in preserving your fertility
• The testing can increase the level of trust between partners in a relationship

In many cases, what needs to be done prior to pregnancy is full screening. This is because it can help in unearthing even the symptomless STDs.

Whether STD testing is necessary prior to IVF treatment

Most IVF clinics have a protocol within which they ask people who are getting started on treatment to undergo STD testing.

IVF treatment is typically used for people with fertility challenges. Yet one of the things that are capable of causing such fertility challenges is the presence of STDs. This is why STD testing is necessary as part of the IVF treatment.

In any event, having an untreated STD can lower the chances of IVF treatment succeeding. This is why some IVF clinics go beyond just recommending STD tests. They actually require that all people undergoing the treatments get tested for STDs.

Ultimately, it can be a sad state of affairs to lose a precious pregnancy that has been attained through IVF on account of an STD. And that may be an STD that could very easily have been treated if testing was done prior.

So that is the background against which most IVF clinics make STD testing pretty much mandatory.

Can an STD make it difficult to get pregnant?

Yes, STDs are known to cause major problems with fertility.

Chlamydia, for instance, can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) if not treated in a timely manner. Now when a woman has the said PID, it becomes very hard for her to get pregnant. That is because the disease has an adverse effect on her fallopian tubes and ovaries. It also does some damage to her cervix. So this is an example of an STD making a woman have difficulties getting pregnant.

Another common STD is gonorrhoea. And one of the long-term complications it can cause is scarring in the fallopian tubes and the womb. Now the woman who ends up with such scarring may in turn have difficulties getting pregnant.

STDs that pose major risks during pregnancy

Examples of STDs that can be risky during pregnancy include:

Syphilis

One major problem with syphilis is the fact that it can cause miscarriage.

If syphilis doesn’t cause miscarriage, it may lead to premature birth in certain cases.

There are other cases where a woman with untreated syphilis carries the pregnancy to term. Then she ends up having a stillbirth.

It can get even more heartbreaking. A woman with syphilis may carry the pregnancy to term. She may then actually give birth to a live baby. Thereafter the baby may soon die as a neonate, on account of syphilis.

HIV

There are many ways in which HIV is said to be capable of moving from the mother to the baby. That may be through the placenta. Or the transmission may happen at the point of delivery. Even in the post-delivery period, there is still the risk of transmission occurring through breast milk.

Now if a baby happens to get HIV from the mother, it may apparently cause some very major problems. For one, it is said to be capable of making the baby fail to thrive. Moreover, HIV is said to potentially increase the baby’s proneness to life-threatening diseases, such as meningitis.

Herpes

It is possible for herpes to be transmitted to the baby from the mother. When this happens, the resultant condition is referred to as neonatal herpes. At ‘best’ it can affect the baby’s mouth, nose and eyes. At worst, it can be fatal. And this is not a particularly rare condition: since as many as 1 out of 5000 live births have it.

Chlamydia

Chlamydia in pregnancy is risky because it can cause the mother to go into labor prematurely.

Further, because of chlamydia, the mother may end up delivering a baby whose weight is too low.

There are also cases where chlamydia causes the baby to be born with eye infections (namely conjunctivitis).

It gets worse: chlamydia in pregnancy can cause a baby to be born with pneumonia.

Hepatitis B

If a mother has hepatitis B, she may transmit it to her baby at the time of delivery. The disease is also one of those things that are known to be a risk factor for premature births.

Now if a baby gets hepatitis B at birth, it may later on cause major liver problems.

Gonorrhoea

It is possible for gonorrhoea to pass from the mother to the baby in the course of vaginal birth.

On account of gonorrhoea, the baby may develop infections in the scalp.

Gonorrhea may also cause the baby to have major infections in the eyes. At worst, the baby may end up suffering permanent blindness, whose genesis is gonorrhoea contracted by the mother.

What can be done if one has an STD during pregnancy?

In some cases, there may be medications one can take safely in the course of the pregnancy. These would then treat the STD. In such cases, you can get the necessary treatment at an NHS or private sexual health clinic.

What if the STD can’t be treated? Then the doctor may advise on other precautions that can be put in place, to minimize transmission risk. This may include the use of alternative delivery methods, such as cesarean sections.

Is it possible to have a baby if you are suffering from an STD?

It is still possible to have a baby if you are suffering from an STD. But as we saw, there are many risks. Therefore if you are found to have an STD while pregnant, it is best to work closely with your doctor on the best way forward. Where treatment is viable, it should be undertaken comprehensively. Otherwise, other measures should be put in place to mitigate the transmission and other risks.

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