Gonorrhea and Pregnancy – A Dangerous Combination
The last thing you want to think about when you’re pregnant is complications from an STD, but the reality is that a combination like gonorrhea and pregnancy is something that you need to understand. Many women once in a serious relationship opt to forgo condoms and this is of course the case when you’re trying to get pregnant. This vulnerable time also happens to find many women contracting gonorrhea and other STDs because of their lack of safe sex practices.
What Is Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is a bacteria infection that is spread via vaginal fluids and semen during sexual intercourse (vaginal and anal) as well as oral sex. Most of us know it by a different name—the clap, which stems from the French word clapoir which was used when referring to gonorrhea in the late 1500s.
Gonorrhea starts in the cervix and can make its way to the uterus and fallopian tubes if not treated which is why gonorrhea and pregnancy can pose a big problem. This can cause serious complications with a pregnancy and wreak havoc on a woman’s health. And while it can cause symptoms like vaginal discharge, painful urination, bleeding after sex and even cramping and fever, many women can be infected and have no symptoms at all. This is another reason why so many women fail to realize they have it until it begins to cause problems with infertility and pregnancy complications.
Gonorrhea and Your Baby
If you have gonorrhea while you’re pregnant there is a good chance that you will pass it onto your baby during birth if precautions are not taken. This is why it’s so crucial to find out if you’re infected. Gonorrhea can be passed on to a baby as it passes through the birth canal and this can lead to things such as blindness, meningitis, pneumonia and more. And these conditions can even lead to death.
Testing, Testing, 123…
Once you get pregnant you get used to being poked and prodded at your OBGYN appointments, yet few women would ever think to get tested for gonorrhea. Yet, gonorrhea and pregnancy are not to be taken lightly. The fact that you can have it and not know makes it even more important to get tested so that you can get treatment as soon as possible should you find out you have it.
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