Chlamydia during pregnancy: symptoms, treatment, consequences for the baby

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Boy or girl? Who will the child look like the most? This question is usually asked by future parents in anticipation of the long-awaited replenishment in the family. There are also many other pleasant troubles and worries ahead: you need to have time to pick up a name, visit more than one store in search of suitable things. And it seems that nothing can overshadow the joy of the upcoming holiday. But that was not the case - in some cases, such a phenomenon during pregnancy as chlamydia can be observed.

What is this pathology and where can it come from? However, this is not the only issue to be concerned about. Much more important is what consequences it threatens and how it affects the intrauterine development of the fetus.

General information

Chlamydia is a disease caused by the microorganism Chlamydia trachomatis. Moreover, this pathology is not such a rare phenomenon. According to statistics, 10% of women become infected with chlamydia. This indicates,that among all cases of genitourinary infections, this disease occupies a leading position.

Chlamydia in their structure resemble bacteria, and they live, as a rule, in the cell of the carrier, which is also characteristic of viruses. At the same time, the dimensions of the Chlamydia trachomatis microbe are larger than those of the virus, but inferior to the dimensions of the bacterium. For this reason, chlamydia is invulnerable, and the treatment of chlamydia during pregnancy is not as easy as we would like.

A woman can become infected with this disease both during sexual contact and during childbearing. It flows imperceptibly, and microorganisms begin to multiply only on the third day. As a result, the expectant mother may not even assume that uninvited guests have settled in her body.

Initially hitting the cervical canal, later chlamydia freely penetrate the fallopian tubes, provoking the development of salpingitis and endometritis. Subsequently, this leads to the appearance of various kinds of pathologies. After all, the body of a pregnant woman is very vulnerable.

Chlamydia trachomatis

Women are most susceptible to chlamydia, and infection occurs in most cases sexually. You can also catch this infection through household contact, for example, when visiting a bathhouse, sauna, but in practice this is extremely rare.

Chlamydia trachomatis - the causative agents of chlamydia during pregnancy - have special properties that allow them to remain in the shadows for a long time:

• Not capable of selfmove around.
• May take a special form to wait out conditions unfavorable for successful development.
• When the host's immunity is weakened, the pathogen senses this and begins to actively multiply.
• There are many variations of chlamydia, resulting in several varieties of diseases they cause.

Without a doubt, Chlamydia trachomatis is the most dangerous enemy that can only settle in the human body, especially for all pregnant women! And here the main thing is to prevent infection, which is much easier than undergoing treatment later. Therefore, it is worth being vigilant!

Consequences of chlamydia during pregnancy

Chlamydia in a woman's body can lead to a variety of complications, and the symptoms are observed not only in the mother, but also in the child. Babies born to women with Chlamydia trachomatis have a low body mass index, underdeveloped muscle mass, and other severe illnesses.

Chlamydia begins to have its negative impact on pregnancy from the very beginning. The presence of microorganisms in the late period of gestation can provoke spontaneous abortion.

Because of this risk, expectant mothers are not accidentally screened three times during the entire period of pregnancy. This comprehensive examination includes blood donation for analysis, which allows you to identify the presence of an infectious disease, sexually transmitted.

Thus, duringa timely visit to the antenatal clinic can detect the presence of chlamydia during pregnancy in time, which will avoid the development of serious complications.

Symptoms of the presence of chlamydia in a woman's body

The first signs of the introduction of chlamydia into the mucous membrane appear after some time, usually this is a period of one to three weeks. In most cases, the pathology does not make itself known to the woman, and the discovery of pathogens, as a rule, shocks her.

Among the characteristic signs are unusual yellowish discharge, which is uncharacteristic during pregnancy. The secreted mucus is thick and has an unpleasant odor. In addition, itching and burning appear, and in the lower abdomen a woman may feel discomfort, pain occurs.

In cases where the disease has already been going on for quite a long period of time, the symptoms become more pronounced. This is the first sign that indicates the onset of inflammation of the genitourinary system. As a result, the appearance of urethritis, cystitis, adhesions in the appendages and colpitis. Below we will analyze the consequences of chlamydia and what is the threat to a mother with a child.

A threat to a pregnant woman

The appearance of symptoms of chlamydia in women during pregnancy can subsequently provoke the development of diseases not only of the genital organs, but also of other systems. For example, in a future mother, the occurrence of Reiter's disease is not excluded, in which damage to the eyes, joints andgenitals.

Being in the blood of the female body, chlamydia contribute to the development of an immune response, as a result of which their own antibodies, being defenders, begin to attack the cells of the joints and eyeballs, mistakenly perceiving them as foreign organisms. Actually, a sign of this is the ongoing inflammation of these organs. Tellingly, the syndrome may continue to develop even after recovery, as tissues are attacked by antibodies rather than microbes.

Another pathology caused by chlamydia is urethral stricture. Here we are talking about inflammation of the urethra, which can lead to the development of adhesions. Due to chlamydia in women during pregnancy, the urethral mucosa is replaced by scar tissue, as a result of which the lumen of the canal narrows. This may be partial or spread to the entire urethra. Treatment of this disease is carried out surgically.

Inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs are also provoked by the penetration of chlamydia. For example, it is endometritis, salpingitis, oophoritis. If the disease has been going on for a long time, this also leads to the formation of adhesions. And as a result - tubal infertility.

Besides this, there may be other diseases that occur only in men or women. But these cases are more common.

The effect of chlamydia on the fetus

There are several ways to infect the fetus:

• Intrauterine.
• Transplacental.
• Hematogenous.

Depending on how the infection has penetrated, chlamydia in an unborn child can be different. Moreover, in each case, the inflammatory process also begins in its own way. During the course of chlamydia during pregnancy, the consequences for the child, as a rule, are not the most rosy, since pathogens negatively affect the development of certain organs and systems of the fetus.

Intrauterine infection

When intrauterine infection, the first thing that happens is the appearance of chorioamnionitis - inflammation of the fetal membrane, which can result in fetal death or premature birth. However, this may not happen. In this case, microorganisms rush straight into the amniotic fluid, after which they penetrate directly into the fetus.

It's not that difficult, because the child makes breathing reflexes and swallows the contaminated fluid that enters the lungs. As a result, chlamydia easily penetrate into the intermediate tissues of the lungs, which leads to the onset of the development of pneumonitis, if it enters the mucous membranes of the eyes - conjunctivitis, and damage to the intestinal membranes ends with enteritis.

Due to chlamydia during pregnancy, the impact of the infection on the baby continues after birth. When he takes the very first breath of air in his life, insidious microorganisms immediately rush to the alveoli. As a result, pneumonitis changes shape and develops into severe pneumonia. And since the amniotic fluid leaves the body of the fetus through the genitourinary system, theninfection occurs in other organs (kidneys).

Transplacental infection

In this case, the infection occurs through the placenta. Microorganisms freely penetrate the fetal vascular system, and in this case, the mucous membranes of absolutely all internal organs are at risk of infection. In particular, we are talking about such pathologies as:

• Meningitis.
• Pyelonephritis.
• Pneumonitis.

This type of infection is dangerous because fetal death can occur regardless of the gestational age.

Hematogenous infection

This type of chlamydia during pregnancy is a bit like transplacental infection, only chlamydia enters the body not through the placenta (in particular, it means through the vessels), but through the umbilical vein, and in a significantly larger amount. It can be said that this is the most dangerous infection, since the infection simultaneously penetrates the digestive, respiratory and urinary systems through the blood vessels and mucous membranes.

In this case, a tragic outcome is also possible - the death of the fetus, regardless of the period of its gestation. In addition, the child is not excluded hemorrhage in the brain, kidneys, adrenal glands, lungs.

Disease diagnosis

As it is now clear, the disease is a serious threat to the mother and her child. Therefore, it is extremely important to timely identify the presence of pathogens at the stage of diagnosis and begin treatment of chlamydia in women during pregnancy. Various methods are currently used for this:

• Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR. It is the main way in which a woman has to donate blood for analysis. Experts determine whether chlamydia genetic material is present in the sample.
• Immunoassay testing. In this case, the presence of specific antibodies or antigens to a particular disease, in this case, chlamydia, is determined. But since a he althy woman also has antibodies, the method is practically not used.
• Taking a swab from the vagina, followed by cultivation of microorganisms. This method is quite laborious, and therefore is not used so often.
• When using an electron microscope, chlamydia can be detected, but since the method requires large financial costs, it is relevant only for scientific research.

There are mini-tests on sale in the network of pharmacies, with the help of which you can supposedly determine the presence of this pathology.

However, the accuracy of the results is only 20%, no more. For this reason, it is impossible to check the reliability of the symptoms of chlamydia during pregnancy with these means, and it is not recommended at all.

Treatment

For the appearance of a he althy and strong baby without any complications and pathologies, it is necessary for the mother to be he althy. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of timely diagnosis and prevention of those diseases that are easily transmitted from person to person.

Treat with folk remedies aloneand changing your lifestyle for the better is impossible. Chlamydia is an infectious disease, so a full course of therapy is indispensable.

During pregnancy, the situation is complicated by the current situation, since a competent selection of the necessary drugs is required, which, in the treatment of chlamydia, will not have a negative effect on the fetus. To do this, the doctor must first conduct a comprehensive study, which will assess the general condition of the female body. In some cases, treatment for chlamydia during pregnancy may be delayed until the last trimester or after the baby is born.

Medicine use

The basis of therapy is antimicrobial agents of the macrolide group. These antibiotics are a special type of medication that can destroy microbes that are inside cells. Therefore, this is a sure remedy for the fight against chlamydia. In addition, fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines have good efficacy. But for the treatment of pregnant women, only macrolides or the latest generation of floxocins are allowed to be used.

Pregnant women should never self-medicate, as this threatens to overdose, which in any case has a bad effect on the intrauterine development of the fetus.

As an addition

For treatment it is necessary to use only those remedies prescribed by the doctor, but some other remedies can be used as a supplement. How to winchlamydia:

• For full treatment, you need to take sick leave, because you need peace, which is very difficult to achieve at work.
• Eat a he althy and balanced diet.
• The need to take vitamin preparations must be agreed with your doctor.
• Until the PCR control result is obtained, it is worth refraining from intimacy.
• The woman's partner should also be tested for chlamydia.
• Probiotics - Linex, Hilak Forte and a number of others will help prevent side effects due to taking antibiotics.

All this will increase the effectiveness of therapy. Timely conduct of a full diagnosis and a full course of treatment will avoid serious complications. Even according to numerous reviews of chlamydia during pregnancy, everyone agrees that this pathology still needs to be treated.