A pregnant woman can get bacterial infections right from the implantation of a fertilized egg through the time of delivery and even peripartum period. Sometimes these infections may also affect the fetus and your newborn baby. As bacterial infections during pregnancy are asymptomatic, it is necessary to follow the high degree of clinical awareness along with adequate screening.
Here are the different types of bacterial infections that a pregnant woman most prone to get:
Urinary tract infection: Usually pregnant women are suggested to undergo a urine test because, during the pregnancy period, 10-15 percentage of women are prone to develop asymptomatic bacteriuria. This can cause various complications like premature labor and pyelonephritis.
Syphilis:If left untreated, there is 100 percent risk of transferring the infection to your baby. It can cause various difficulties like late abortion, stillbirth, latent infection, neonatal disease or even death. Once you are diagnosed with syphilis, you should also get screened for other sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HIV.
Listeriosis: One-third of women who are diagnosed with listeriosis are pregnant. This bacterial infection mainly occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy. This infection occurs due to the consumption of contaminated food, but in rare cases, it can also occur from direct contact with infected animals. Bacteremia is normally found in patients with listeriosis and is asymptomatic. This infection can cause symptoms like muscle aches, influenza, nausea, diarrhea, etc.
Streptococcus infection: This bacterial infection is of two types: group A and B. Among these, 15-20 percentage of pregnant women are more prone to get Group B streptococcus infection. Almost 50% of the babies born to women with streptococcus infection transfer it to their babies during birth. This infection can lead to various problems like:
- Premature rupturing of fetal membranes
- Blood infection to your newborn shortly after the birth
Bacterial vaginosis: Women with this kind of infection may notice the light or heavy discharge with a fishy smell. It is not a sexually transmitted disease, instead, it develops when there are too many bacteria present in the vagina when compared to normal levels. If the infection is left untreated, it can even infect uterus and fallopian tubes. This disease can cause pregnancy complications like premature birth, infection to the amniotic fluid, and premature rupturing of the fetal membranes.
