How STIs Impact Pregnancy
Mar 25, 2025
Sexually transmitted infections (STI) or sexually transmitted diseases (STD) refer to diseases that can be transmitted during sexual interactions. Most people contract STIs when they have unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex with an already infected partner. However, STIs like HIV can be transmitted without sexual interaction, through pregnancy, or by sharing unsterilized clippers or needles. Some of the most common STIs include syphilis, HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and herpes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has noted that 20 percent of United States adults are being treated for at least one form of STI. Pregnant people are not isolated from STIs. Medical professionals have pointed out that STIs tend to pose serious health challenges for pregnancies. Pregnant people have a higher chance of experiencing aggravated symptoms ranging from premature labor to stillbirth.
The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) has pointed out that contracting an STI while pregnant can result in an infection in the uterus even after birth. The OWH further noted that STIs like gonorrhea and chlamydia make a pregnant person more prone to ectopic pregnancy which is a life-threatening condition defined as a pregnancy outside of the uterus. If these infections are not given the necessary attention, they could also lead to complications such as infertility or result in other life-threatening conditions.
Further, STIs during pregnancy could also negatively impact the baby. Depending on the type of STI the pregnant mother is currently experiencing, the baby might be susceptible to blindness, acute hepatitis, pneumonia, meningitis, deafness, brain damage, stillbirth, chronic liver infection, and low birth weight (weighing below five pounds at birth). Some STIs can be transferred to the baby before, during, and after birth. For instance, STIs like gonorrhea, hepatitis B, genital herpes, and chlamydia can be transmitted to the baby during labor while the baby goes through the birth canal. Infections like syphilis can go through the placenta and infect the baby while it is still in the womb. Similarly, the baby might contract HIV during delivery or through the placenta while it is still in the womb.
Due to the adverse implications of STIs on the pregnant mother and the child, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that, at their first prenatal visit, pregnant women should get tested for a wide range of STIs. These STIs routinely include hepatitis B and C, HIV, and syphilis. The CDC specifically recommends that pregnant women who have higher risk factors or are below the age of 25 should get screened for gonorrhea and chlamydia. The CDC also now recommends that pregnant women be checked for STIs again during their third trimester.
Some of the common symptoms of STI in pregnant women include abnormal vaginal odor, sores or warts around the genitalia, unusual discharge from the vagina, fever, itching, soreness, or bleeding in the anus, frequent and painful urination, redness and itching of the genital area. If a pregnant person experiences any of these symptoms and/or has reasons to believe that they might have contracted an STI, they should consult with their doctor and get tested. If they test positive for any STI, they are then given treatments to neutralize the STI or prevent it from escalating.
Finally, If the STI is a bacterial infection like syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia, the doctors might prescribe pregnancy-safe antibiotics like nitrofurantoin, vancomycin, or cephalosporins. If a viral infection like HIV, hepatitis, or herpes is diagnosed, the doctor will recommend antiviral or antiretroviral therapy to suppress the symptoms of the disease. If the infection can be transmitted when the baby passes through the birth canal or the mother is experiencing a genitalia outbreak at the time of delivery, the doctor might recommend a C-Section.