Gonorrhea, pregnancy & newborn

The CDC currently recommends that pregnant women who live in a community where the infection is relatively widespread, as well as those who are otherwise at risk for the infection, should be tested for gonorrhea at their first prenatal visit and again in the third trimester if they remain at risk.

Sexually active females younger than 25 are at highest risk. Other risk factors include prior gonorrhea infection, other STIs, onset of sexual activity at a young age, new or multiple sex partners, commercial sex work, inconsistent condom use, and substance abuse. Those who are nonwhite, unmarried, or of a low socioeconomic level are also at higher risk.

If you think there's any possibility that you might have contracted gonorrhea or any other STI, let your caregiver know and ask to be tested. You should also be tested (or retested) at any time during pregnancy if you or your partner develops any symptoms of gonorrhea, or if you contract another STI, because they're often found together.

To test for gonorrhea, your practitioner will swab your cervix and send the swab to the lab for analysis. Sometimes a urine specimen is used instead.

If your test is positive, you'll be treated immediately. And if you weren't tested for other STIs along with the gonorrhea test, you'll be tested for them now. You'll be retested for gonorrhea in two to three months (sooner if you have symptoms) to make sure you haven't been reinfected, and again in the third trimester.

Babies can get the infection during birth as they pass through the birth canal. In babies, gonorrhea can cause blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection.


How does Gonorrhea affect pregnant women?
Infected women can pass gonorrhea to their newborn baby during delivery. If a baby catches gonorrhea during childbirth, they might have eye infections. When the infection occurs in the genital tract, mouth, or rectum of a child, it is due most commonly to sexual abuse.

Gonorrhea effects on pregnancy:
- Pregnancy Loss
Miscarriage rates increase in women with gonorrhea, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) states. Women who have gonorrhea often develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID increases the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, where the fetus implants in the fallopian tube rather than in the uterus. Since the tube is too small to support a fetus, tubal rupture and serious bleeding can result if the tube isn't removed or the pregnancy dissolved with the use of chemotherapy medication.

- Preterm Delivery
Babies born to mothers with gonorrhea are more likely to deliver prematurely, before 37 weeks, the March of Dimes reports. Preterm delivery in women with gonorrhea may be related to premature rupture of membranes, the bag of waters that surrounds the baby and helps protect him from infection.

- Gonorrhea in the Newborn
Babies delivered vaginally can acquire gonorrhea from secretions in the vaginal tract. Signs of gonorrheal infection generally appear several days after delivery and include skin infections, respiratory infection, infection of the urethra or vagina and inflammation of the conjunctiva, the lining of the lower lid and sclera of the eye. Antibiotic eye ointments given right after birth prevent transmission of the infection to the eyes; gonorrhea can cause blindness in newborns, the Mayo Clinic states. Arthritis in the joints or meningitis, an infection of the covering of the brain, can occur if the disease spreads. A systemic blood infection, a life threatening complication, can also result.
(Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/113264-effects-gonorrhea-unborn-baby/#ixzz1qBrvrayt)

Is Gonorrhea Curable?
Yes. Your doctor can prescribe antibiotics that will cure the infection.

How is gonorrhea treated during pregnancy?
Gonorrhea can be treated with antibiotics that are safe to take during pregnancy. Your partner should also be treated, and you should abstain from sex until you've both completed treatment so you don't get reinfected.

If you have more than one STI, your practitioner will treat you for both at the same time. (About 40 percent of the time women who have gonorrhea also have chlamydia, another STI.)

How can I avoid getting gonorrhea?
Have sex only with a long-term partner who is disease-free and who has sex only with you. Otherwise, use latex condoms and/or microbicide for intercourse and a dental dam for oral sex in order reduce your risk of getting gonorrhea and certain other STIs. (Note that birth control pills, shots, implants, and diaphragms will not protect you from gonorrhea or other STIs.)

Again, if it's possible that you've been exposed to gonorrhea (or any other STI) during pregnancy, tell your practitioner right away so that you can be tested and treated if necessary.

Things to Do
Ask your health care provider to screen you for gonorrhea early in pregnancy. Many providers do this routinely as part of prenatal care.  If you do have gonorrhea, you can get antibiotics to treat the infection. This will prevent any complications for you and your baby.

Be sure your partner is also screened. Partners can pass the infection back and forth between themselves.

While you're pregnant, you can avoid gonorrhea by not having sex. If you do have sex:
- Have sex with only one partner who is only having sex with you, has been tested for gonorrhea, and is uninfected.
- Use a latex condom and/or microbicide.
- If your provider gives you antibiotics, be sure to take them as directed. Take all of the antibiotics the provider gives you, even if your symptoms go away quickly.