Sexually transmitted diseases, commonly referred to as STDs are infections that are transmitted when a healthy person engages in sexual activities with an infected individual. You can contract a sexually transmitted infection from sexual activities that involve the mouth or genitilia.
While all STDs are not fatal, they still require adequate treatment regardless of whether or not you are pregnant. However, when you are pregnant, you are risking the well-being of your unborn child as well. Getting infected with an incurable STD such as HIV/AIDS can also prove to be fatal.
Your health care advisor might screen for some STDs at the initial prenatal visit. Nonetheless, if you suspect of a possible infection, never hesitate from telling about it to your doctor. It is essential that STDs are diagnosed at an early stage, which would be advantageous for both you as well as your baby. Some of the common STDs that you could be infected with include Herpes, HIV/AIDS, HPV, Hepatitis B and Chlamydia.
Common Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Infections
There are a few STDs that do not show any symptoms until later stages. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that a person cannot transmit the virus until visible symptoms are visible. The symptoms of sexually transmitted infections are not very different from other diseases, which is why they are often confused with skin ailments and common viral infections. Here are some of the common symptoms caused as a result of an STD infection:
§ Sores or warts near the mouth or genitilia.
§ Brief swelling accompanied with pain near the penis or vagina.
§ Skin rashes and dryness with or without pain.
§ Painful urination.
§ Significant loss of weight and loose stool.
§ Moderate fever accompanied with aches, muscle pains and chills.
§ Yellowing of the skin and eyes, indicating jaundice.
§ Constant discharge from the Penis of Vagina. Vaginal discharge is usually colored.
§ Bleeding from the vagina even after the completion of menstrual phase.
§ Painful intercourse.
§ Severe itching in the genital region.
How can an STD infection have an impact over your pregnancy?
A sexually transmitted infection can not only affect you but also your unborn child if you’re not careful during pregnancy. While there are certain medications that can restrict the infection to the mother and keep the child immune, it is important that the disease is diagnosed at an early stage so that the right treatment can be administered.
Pregnancy and HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS is one of the deadly sexually transmitted infections that are still incurable. While research is still in progress, there is currently no viable cure for this virus. Regardless of where you got the virus from, you can protect your child from getting infected. Thanks to the creation of effective antiviral drugs, transmission of HIV to your infant can be reduced. However, if the disease is passed, it stays with the child forever.
Pregnancy and Herpes
The treat of a herpes infection is considerably less compared to HIV. In fact, the herpes infection in a pregnant woman is relatively not harmful until she gets ready to deliver. Active herpes lesions are highly contagious and may tend to infect the child when he/she is being born. The virus might also multiply and become infectious before any symptoms appear. This is why many women with a herpes outbreak during labor have a C-section in order to prevent transmission of the virus.
Pregnancy and the Herpes Papillomavirus (HPV)
HPV is one of the most common STDs across the globe. A few strands of the human Papillomavirus cause genital warts that are characterized by small cauliflower-like clusters that are accompanied with a burning or itching sensation. If you get infected with this virus, treatment may be delayed until to have delivered the baby. Sometimes, the hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy make them grow larger. In case the genital warts grow large enough to block your birth canal, you’d need to deliver by C-section.
Contracting this virus usually results in liver infection. In about 40 percent of the cases, it has been noticed that women tend to pass on the Hepatitis B virus through the placenta. The infected newborn child would tend to become a lifelong carrier of the virus, resulting in liver infections and even death in a few cases. Early screening of the infection and administration of the Hepatitis B vaccine can prevent the virus from transmitting to the child.
Pregnancy and Chlamydia
While other sexually transmitted infections might increase the risk of transmission to the unborn child, Chlamydia would increase the risk of miscarriage and preterm delivery. Infants born with this infection can get severe eye infections and also pneumonia is extreme cases.
It is essential that you share all the information with your health care provider without any hesitation, for it will save the life of the newborn child. According to the symptoms as well as phase of infection, your doctor would provide antiviral drugs or therapies. Alternatively, he might suggest ointments too to ward of visible symptoms of the virus. Remember to follow the treatment course efficiently as a little casual approach would lead to catastrophic affects.
For more Details and Support login to