Which infections can affect pregnancy?For the latest information on COVID-19 and pregnancy, visit CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/pregnancy-breastfeeding.html.

Infections that tin can bear on the health of the pregnant woman, the pregnancy, and the baby after delivery include (only are not limited to):

  • Bacterial vaginosis is the most common vaginal infection in women of reproductive age. It increases the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and may play a role in preterm labor. The condition results from a change in the residual of leaner that commonly live in the vagina. Having unprotected sex activity and douching tin can increase the risk of bacterial vaginosis. The Centers for Disease Command and Prevention (CDC) recommends that significant women get tested for bacterial vaginosis if they accept symptoms and get treated if necessary.1
  • Chlamydia infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased run a risk of preterm birth and its complications.2 If the infection is present and untreated at the fourth dimension of delivery, it can lead to middle infections or pneumonia in the infant.1 In nearly hospitals, infants' eyes are routinely treated with an antibiotic ointment shortly after nascency. The ointment can prevent incomprehension from exposure to chlamydia leaner during delivery in case the pregnant woman had an undetected infection.
  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a mutual virus present in many body fluids that can be spread through close personal contact, such as kissing or sharing eating utensils, every bit well as sexual contact. The virus usually does non cause wellness problems, but one time it is in a person's body, it stays there for life and can reactivate at unlike times. A pregnant woman may non fifty-fifty know she has the infection, and she may pass the virus on to her fetus, causing congenital CMV infection. Most infants with congenital CMV infection never evidence signs or have health problems. Nonetheless, some infants have health problems such as hearing or vision loss, seizures, or intellectual disabilities that are apparent at birth or that develop later during infancy or childhood.iii Currently, routine screening for CMV during pregnancy is not recommended. Researchers are working on treatments for CMV and vaccines to attempt to prevent new infections during pregnancy and to reduce the risk of transmission to the infant.ivBuilt CMV infection can be diagnosed past testing a newborn baby'southward saliva, urine, or blood. Treatment with antiviral drugs may decrease the risk of wellness bug and hearing loss in some infected infants.
  • Fifth disease is caused past homo parvovirus type B19. The virus causes a mutual babyhood illness that spreads easily from person to person. Children who go it ordinarily have a fever and a red rash on their cheeks. Parvovirus B19 unremarkably does not cause issues for meaning women or the fetus, but in rare cases, the woman might have a miscarriage or the fetus could develop anemia. There is no vaccine or treatment for 5th disease. Yous can reduce your chance of being infected with parvovirus B19 or infecting others by fugitive contact with people who have parvovirus B19 and by thoroughly and regularly washing your hands. Sometimes health care providers recommend testing significant women to see if they are immune to the virus already.
  • Untreated gonorrhea infection in pregnancy has been linked to miscarriage, preterm nativity and depression nascency weight, premature rupture of the membranes surrounding the fetus in the uterus, and infection of the fluid that surrounds the fetus during pregnancy. Gonorrhea tin also infect an infant during delivery as it passes through the birth canal. If untreated, infants can develop eye infections and blindness. In most hospitals, infants' eyes are routinely treated with an antibiotic ointment soon after nascency to forbid eye problems from exposure to gonorrhea during delivery, in case the pregnant adult female had an undetected infection. Treating gonorrhea as soon every bit it is detected in pregnant women reduces the take a chance of transmission.
  • Grouping B streptococcus (GBS) can cause serious health problems in infants. But giving antibiotics during labor can forbid the spread of GBS, so it'southward important to get tested for the infection during pregnancy. Learn more near GBS and pregnancy.
  • Pregnant women who get infected with genital herpes late in pregnancy have a high risk of infecting their fetus. The risk of infection is particularly high during delivery.1 Herpes infections in newborns are serious and potentially life-threatening. Infection with the canker virus during pregnancy or at the time of delivery can lead to brain damage, blindness, and damage to other organs. Rarely, canker infection during pregnancy can lead to serious complications in the female parent, including severe liver harm and peradventure expiry.
    • If a pregnant adult female has had genital herpes in the past, in that location are medications that she can accept to reduce the take a chance that she volition have an outbreak, which too reduces the risk to her fetus.
    • If a adult female has active herpes sores when she goes into labor, the infant can be delivered by cesarean section to reduce the chance that the baby will come in contact with the virus.5
  • If a adult female is infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) during pregnancy, the virus could infect her fetus. The likelihood of transmission depends on when during pregnancy the female parent was infected. If the mother gets the infection later in her pregnancy, the run a risk that the virus will infect her fetus is quite high. If the infection occurs early in pregnancy, the risk of the virus infecting the fetus is much lower. For more information about Hep B during pregnancy, visit the Centers for Affliction Command and Prevention (CDC) website. In infants, HBV tin can be serious and can atomic number 82 to chronic liver illness or liver cancer subsequently in life. In improver, infected newborns accept a very high risk of condign carriers of HBV and tin spread the infection to others.
    • In some cases, if a woman is exposed to HBV during pregnancy, she may be treated with a special antibody to reduce the likelihood that she will get the infection.
    • All healthy infants should exist vaccinated against HBV to give them lifelong protection.
    • Infants born to women with evidence of ongoing HBV infection (HBV surface antigen positive) should as well receive hepatitis B hyperimmune globulin as soon as possible later on birth.7
  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV). CDC offers more than data nigh HCV.
  • HIV/AIDS . HIV can be passed from mother to infant during pregnancy before birth, at the time of delivery, or after birth during breastfeeding.6
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV). CDC offers more than information virtually HPV, including vaccine recommendations.
  • Listeria or listeriosis is a serious infection ordinarily caused by eating food  contaminated with a item type of bacteria. Infection during pregnancy tin can lead to pregnancy loss, stillbirth, preterm nascency, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. Listeriosis is about often associated with eating soft cheeses and raw milk, but recent outbreaks take been associated with fresh and frozen produce. Prevention recommendations include checking food labels to avoid eating unpasteurized cheese (made from raw milk) and other actions. Learn more most preventing listeria during pregnancy.
  • Lyme disease is the almost common vector-borne disease in the United States. It is caused past strains of the bacteriaBorrelia and is transmitted through the bite of sure species of ticks. The National Plant of Allergy and Infectious disease has more information on lyme disease. In addition, the CDC provides a handout about pregnancy and lyme disease (PDF ane.2 MB)
  • Getting rubella (sometimes called German measles) during pregnancy can crusade problems with the pregnancy equally well as birth defects in the infant. Health intendance providers recommend that women get vaccinated against rubella before they go pregnant. Learn more well-nigh rubella and pregnancy.
  • Syphilis may laissez passer from an infected female parent to her fetus during pregnancy. The infection has been linked to preterm birth, stillbirth, and, in some cases, expiry presently afterwards nascency. Untreated infants who survive tend to develop problems in many organs, including the brain, eyes, ears, heart, skin, teeth, and bones. All pregnant women should be screened for syphilis during their get-go prenatal visit. Women considered to exist high risk should be screened again in the tertiary trimester.1
  • Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a parasite that tin be present in cat feces or used cat litter. Cats become the parasite from eating minor animals or birds. In humans, the disease is usually mild, but if the parasite passes from a meaning adult female to the developing fetus, it tin cause intellectual disabilities, blindness, or other bug. Women who are trying to get pregnant or are significant can take steps to preclude exposure to the parasite, such as having someone else clean or alter the cat litter box and wearing rubber gloves to handle cat litter or while gardening.
  • Trichomoniasis. CDC offers more information about trichomoniasis.
  • Zika is acquired past a virus spread mainly by the bite of a certain type of mosquito, only it is also spread through sexual contact. Although its symptoms are usually mild, Zika infection during pregnancy tin cause pregnancy loss and other pregnancy complications, as well every bit birth defects and other issues for the babe.

CDC provides additional information on infections during pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy.

Citations

Close Citations

  1. Centers for Disease Command and Prevention. (2016). STDs during pregnancy - CDC fact sheet (detailed). Retrieved January 17, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/std/pregnancy/stdfact-pregnancy-detailed.htm
  2. Rours, Thou. I., Duijts, 50., Moll, H. A., Arends, L. R., de Groot, R., Jaddoe, Five. Due west., et al. (2011). Chlamydia trachomatis infection during pregnancy associated with preterm delivery: A population-based prospective accomplice study.European Periodical of Epidemiology , 26(six), 493–502. Retrieved January 18, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21538042
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and congenital CMV infection. Retrieved Dec 28, 2015, from http://world wide web.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html
  4. Krause, P. R., Bialek, S. R., Boppana, Due south. B., Griffiths, P. D., Laughlin, C. A., Ljungman, P., et al. (2013). Priorities for CMV vaccine development. Vaccine, 32(1), 4–x. Retrieved January 18, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/manufactures/PMC4623576/
  5. Medline Plus. (2017). Genital Canker. Retrieved Jan 18, 2017, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000857.htm
  6. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2012). HIV and pregnancy. Retrieved January 18, 2017, from http://world wide web.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/HIV-and-Pregnancy external link
  7. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2019). Hepatitis B and hepatitis C in pregnancy. FAQ093. Retrieved December 30, 2020, from https://www.acog.org/womens-wellness/faqs/hepatitis-b-and-hepatitis-c-in-pregnancy external link

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