Infections That Can Occur During Pregnancy

 Growing a life inside your body, while miraculous, pregnancy also puts your health at higher risk. While most women experience a healthy pregnancy, your immune system doesn't function as well as it normally does, so you're more likely to get sick and contract infections. Infections may not be life-threatening for Mom but can cause problems for the baby if you leave them untreated.

There are three major kinds of infections that put babies at risk: congenital, perinatal, and postnatal.

Congenital infections are one that passes through the placenta from mom to baby. These kinds of infections include everything from the herpes simplex virus to rubella to listeria. You can do a thorough screening if you're concerned about any of these. Many of them can be treated, and your doctor will need to know if any are present in Mom to help prevent passing on the infection during labor. Perinatal infections transfer during labor and are mostly limited to STDs. Postnatal infections can be passed through breastfeeding. Some examples are HIV and GBS.

Any infections that a woman can contract are more likely during pregnancy due to the immunosuppression her body naturally enacts when she becomes pregnant. Bladder and urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and thrush infections are a few more common ones. These infections don't pose lethal threats to a baby or mom, but some, like yeast infections, can get passed to the baby during labor if left untreated and cause discomfort and other complications after birth. They're easily treated and quite common during pregnancy, so consult with your doctor if you're unsure what to do.

Group B streptococcus, or GBS, lives in the vaginal canal. It's estimated that about 20% of all women carry this bacteria already but have no issue with it. However, when a baby passes through a vaginal canal that is infected with GBS, it can contract the infection that might lead to meningitis, blood infections, and other dangerous problems. Most doctors will test you for this bacterium, but you can always ask and make sure you don't have the infection if you're worried. Complications due to GBS are pretty rare.

There are other infections, like bacterial vaginosis, that while not life-threatening at all for Mom, can put the baby at risk. BV can be dangerous for a developing fetus and has been known to cause preterm labor, congenital disabilities, and even second-trimester miscarriages. Symptoms include discolored and malodorous discharge, though some women will show no outward symptoms of the infection. If you've had preterm labor before or are concerned, talk to your doctor so you can know more about bacterial vaginosis, its symptoms, causes, and treatments. It's a simple infection that can cause significant problems, so it's not something to put off.

There are tons of infections out there that can harm your baby but don't worry too much about them since you already have enough to think about. Make good choices about your health during pregnancy, and you'll keep your baby safe from harm. Make the most of your pregnancy.