Most folks do not give an infection any undue thought. Daily living involves infections in some capacity. We acquire some antibiotics, and often, they go away without any long-term effects on our health. Most infections finally go away on their own, even if we never visit the doctor and get antibiotics. For pregnant women, however, especially if they go untreated, illnesses can have possibly major effects.
Some untreated and undetectable mother infections during pregnancy can really damage the unborn child and cause major birth complications, including brain damage, need for resuscitation, and possibly death. Excellent prenatal care depends critically on the diagnosis and treatment of maternal infections. Here are common infections that can result in birth injuries and their treatment methods.
One rather often occurring form of bacterium is Group B streptococcus (GBS). An estimated 25% of all American female adults have GBS bacteria in the rectal, stomach, or vaginal areas at any one time. For pregnant women, a quick identification and treatment of a GBS infection is absolutely vital. Untreated GBS maternal infection can pass through pregnancy to the fetus.
Given GBS can interfere with normal brain development and result in major neurologic impairment upon birth, this can be quite harmful to the infant. GBS is problematic in that it frequently causes any symptoms, which makes diagnosis challenging in some circumstances.
Usually going away on its own without any long-term damage, varicella, also known as chickenpox, is a well-known pediatric virus. Varicella is only benign, though, during mid-childhood. Chickenpox can actually be rather severe and result in lifelong damage in those older than sixteen or in newborns under one year of age, including unborn babies. If a pregnant woman was:
Vaccinated for chickenpox
She actually had chicken pox at some point during childhood, she is typically safe.
Pregnant women should notify their doctors early if they have never had vaccinations and never had chickenpox in childhood.
One well-known STD is syphilis (spirochete bacteria). If pregnant women have active vaginal sores, they may transmit syphilis to their unborn children during delivery. It can also pass via the placenta. Newborns can suffer greatly from syphilis.
Among other things, syphilis in a newborn can cause brain damage, aberrant tooth development, hearing and vision loss, and possibly death. Given that syphilis can lie latent in the body for years, some women might not even know they have it. All women should be routinely tested for syphilis at the beginning of pregnancy.
Once somewhat familiar in children, rubella is a virus sometimes referred to as German Measles. Since immunizations started in the 1960s, rubella and measles have essentially disappeared in the United States.
A rubella infection contracted during pregnancy can have terrible effects on the unborn child. Pregnant women should always be screened early on to ensure they have been vaccinated and are immune to the rubella virus. Those mothers who missed childhood vaccinations should have one at the beginning of pregnancy.
Pregnant women should be careful about their health and avoid getting any illnesses since many infections can be passed to the fetus and lead to negative effects on their condition. Therefore, a mother should be very careful to be healthy and guard her children from diseases.
