An important part of going through the journey of pregnancy is making sure that the pregnant female is of optimum health. This means that ideally, a pregnant mother should be healthy from the start of conception. In relation to this, the mother should be aware of any diseases that might be present as well as her doctor. This is to make sure that all signs and symptoms should be kept on a minimum in order to assure that the baby is taken care of accordingly.
With this, it becomes critical that a mother be tested for all kinds of diseases. These tests will confirm any diseases that the doctor might have the suspicion of the pregnant mother having. These include the test for Sexually Transmitted Diseases or STDs. Tests for STDs should be started as early in the pregnancy as possible and may be repeated when delivery is near or as needed. To be able to ensure that accurate tests are being performed, pregnant women should have an honest relationship with their gynaecologist. They should be able to talk about their relationship with their sex partners and symptoms they might be noticing.
Is It Even Possible For A Pregnant Woman To Get An STD?
If you are pregnant, the chances of you having an STD are the same with a woman who is not pregnant. So, yes, it is very possible for pregnant women to get and have an STD. This is due to the fact that pregnancy does not offer women any immunity or protection against STDs. This means that pregnant women should not have the assumption that just because they are pregnant, they are able to dodge diseases such as those that are sexually transmitted.
Silent Diseases
When talking about STDs, many of them are considered as “Silent”. This means that the infection might not show itself evidently because no symptoms are seen. Because of this, various individuals who are infected with the disease do not know that they already have an STD. For instance, if a person has Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome more popularly known as AIDS, the infected person might not even know she has it. This disease that is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus has symptoms that cannot be seen right away in the early stages of the disease. This is why it is very important that testing is done as early as possible. This can prevent not only the mother from suffering later consequences but it also saves the unborn child from any risks or complications in the future.
What Effects Do STDs Have On Pregnant Women and Their Unborn Baby?
STDs can make pregnancies increasingly complicated. The health of the mother is placed in high risk situations as well as the wellbeing of the baby. These difficulties can be observed once the baby is born or later on in the childhood years of the baby. Preventing these situations can be very possible by having proper and appropriate medical care when the child is not yet born. Again, this is why it is of great importance that STDs are diagnosed early. This is to assure pregnant women that they are getting the medical care that they need in order to avoid future complications.
Treatment during Pregnancy
This part is where it becomes a little complex. Treating STDs during pregnancy depends upon some factors that are involved during treatment. Some STDs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis and syphilis have treatment options that include the use of antibiotics. These antibiotics are aimed to help the individual eradicate the signs and symptoms of the STD while also being harmless to the unborn baby. It is in these cases that the disease can be cured and the baby is kept safe as well. On the other hand, STDs such as hepatitis B, AIDS or genital herpes are incurable. Viruses are what cause these diseases to take place and with this, medications that are antiviral can be utilized. Also, additional measures that are done in order to prevent the disease being passed on to the child are conducted.
Pregnancy with the presence of Sexually Transmitted Disease requires a watchful eye on everything. This is primarily done by the performance of tests by your gynaecologist to know what steps are to be taken next. All these are aimed to care for the health of the mother and her baby.