Pregnancy with gonorrhea: symptoms, possible complications, treatment methods, reviews

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

Pregnancy is an important stage in the life of every woman. Getting sick at this time is unpleasant and dangerous. Many drugs are banned, and viruses and bacteria can adversely affect the development of the fetus. The most serious threat is posed by sexually transmitted diseases. For example, gonorrhea during pregnancy. What to do if it was not possible to maintain he alth, but an infection occurred? How to best protect the baby inside the womb?

Medical certificate

Gonorrhea is the most famous sexually transmitted disease. The people also use its other name - "clap". The infection is microbial, and affects men and women with the same frequency. Some time after infection, it manifests itself with unpleasant symptoms.

Infection occurs through sexual contact without barrier contraceptives with a sick partner. Pathology is of particular danger to women in the position of a child inside the womb. Infection with gonorrhea during pregnancy often leads to miscarriage.

Causes of illness

The only cause of gonorrhea is the penetration of microbes from the genus Neisseria gonorrhoeae into the body. A favorite place of localization is the epithelium of the genitourinary tract (mucous membranes of the genitals, urethra, internal organs). In some cases, gonococci affect the rectum and nasopharynx. Therefore, in terms of infection, both traditional sexual acts and other possible options pose an equal danger.

During pregnancy, the causative agent of the disease can manifest its activity in the cervical canal and the external os of the uterus. Subsequently, it passes to the body of the uterus, the fallopian tubes or to the ovaries. Possible damage to the placenta and membranes of the fetus, amniotic fluid. Infection of a pregnant woman also occurs due to unprotected intercourse with a sick partner. In rare cases, infection is observed through household contact.

Variants of the course of infection

In many ways, gonorrhea during pregnancy in women is similar to that outside of gestation, but there are a number of typical features. In medical practice, the disease is usually divided into three stages, each of which has a characteristic clinical picture. This is:

• fresh infection in acute or subacute form;
• chronic gonorrhea characterized by flaccid symptoms;
• latent infection without pronounced manifestations.

Fresh infection is diagnosed if up to 2 months have passed since the moment of infection. At the same time, the symptoms of the disease are pronounced andgradually increase over 2 weeks after unprotected intimate contact.

Torpid variety of gonorrhea is especially dangerous for pregnant women. Her symptoms are almost invisible. A woman is carrying a child and does not go to the doctor for treatment. This leads to the transformation of the disease into a chronic form, the therapy of which is much more difficult and lengthy.

The latent variant of the disease during pregnancy is extremely rare. This is due to the lack of a pronounced clinical picture. On the other hand, the process of conception becomes almost impossible. The latent form of gonorrhea is characterized by the formation of adhesions in the fallopian tubes, which is a kind of obstacle to the meeting of the egg and sperm.

Clinical picture

Despite the preventive measures recommended by doctors, gonorrhea during pregnancy is often detected. From the moment of infection to the development of its signs usually takes from 5 to 10 days. After this period, the following symptoms may occur:

• increased uncharacteristic vaginal discharge;
• cutting pain when urinating;
• discomfort in the lower abdomen.

The disease can provoke inflammation of the vaginal glands - bartholinitis. It is characterized by the appearance of a painful formation with a diameter of about 5 cm. At the same time, the woman's he alth is deteriorating, signs of intoxication are developing.

Penetration of pathogenic microflora into the uterine cavity in pregnant women is rare. ATIn such a case, the clinical picture is accompanied by an increase in abdominal pain. Discharge from the vagina becomes copious, may have streaks of blood or impurities of pus. Even less often, gonococci cause purulent inflammation of the ovaries and fallopian tubes, which is dangerous for the development of infertility.

In some cases, the disease occurs without a pronounced clinical picture. Sometimes signs of infection are not even considered as a manifestation of an STD. For example, doctors explain heavy discharge with candidiasis, and cramps during urination - with cystitis.

Diagnostic Methods

Diagnosis of the disease begins with a survey of women. Particular attention is paid to complaints of a pregnant woman, gynecological examination data and anamnesis. It is not possible to make an accurate diagnosis solely on the basis of the clinical picture. Therefore, a woman is required to undergo a series of tests.

First of all, the smear taken from the surface of the mucous membranes and the neck is analyzed for gonorrhea. During pregnancy, this study does not pose a threat to the fetus and the well-being of the woman herself. It is absolutely painless. The resulting material is stained and examined under a microscope. Normally, pathogenic microflora should not be present. Its detection indicates the presence of infection.

Also, scrapings are sown on nutrient media to determine the growth of a specific pathogen and its sensitivity to antibiotics. This approach allows you to choose the most effective and safe treatment for a given gestational age.

A smear for gonorrhea during pregnancy is not the only way to identify the disease. Another informative diagnostic method is the PCR technique. It implies a reaction with biological fluids to determine the DNA of the pathogen. However, with the help of such a study, it is possible to identify the presence or absence of gonococci. Their number, form of infection, this analysis cannot confirm.

Treatment with antibiotics

When a smear test for gonorrhea shows a positive result during pregnancy, the woman is immediately prescribed treatment. Usually it is started immediately at a gynecologist's appointment. Hospitalization may be required only with severe intoxication or a threat to the development of the fetus. In this case, not only the underlying disease is treated, but also associated complications.

The basis of treatment is antibacterial agents. Used drugs from the group of cephalosporins ("Cefixime", "Ceftriaxone"). The drug is administered intramuscularly once. In case of an allergic reaction to cephalosporins, they are replaced with Erythromycin or other drugs from the macrolide group.

A single course of therapy is enough to completely defeat the disease. Sometimes repeated administration of antibiotics is required. At the same time, another drug is selected, for which the pathogenic flora has not developed resistance.

Other treatments

When gonorrhea is combined with other ailments of the genital area, it is necessarytopical drugs are prescribed.

To reduce discharge and relieve itching in the first trimester, antiseptics are recommended ("Hexicon", "Fluomizin"). Treatment of gonorrhea during pregnancy in the second trimester is supplemented by more powerful drugs (Terzhinan, Macmiror). They come in the form of candles. Well relieve inflammation and eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of the infectious process. The duration of local treatment is no more than 10 days.

When complications arise due to gonorrhea, a pregnant woman is hospitalized in a hospital. In case of a threatened miscarriage, the main therapy is supplemented with means to reduce the tone of the uterus. Placental insufficiency is stopped with drugs that normalize blood flow in the uterus itself and the umbilical cord of the fetus.

Features of childbirth with gonorrhea

Gonorrhea during pregnancy in women is not an essential reason for the appointment of a caesarean section. As a rule, childbirth takes place naturally, unless there are other indications for surgical intervention. An obstetrician may advise a caesarean section if the fetus is in a serious condition due to infection or premature rupture of amniotic fluid.

The question of the operation arises when the "debut" of gonorrhea occurs at the time of childbirth. The fetus, passing through the birth canal, can get an infection. In addition, with severe intoxication, the process of the birth of a baby into the world often ends unsuccessfully. In this case, the method of delivery depends on the general he alth of the woman and the intensity of the clinical signs of the disease.

The consequences of gonorrhea for a woman

The consequences of gonorrhea during pregnancy for a woman can vary significantly and depend on the gestational age. In the first trimester, the infection often leads to the formation of endometritis and salpingo-oophoritis, which is dangerous for fetal fading, miscarriage and gross defects.

At a later date, there is a high probability of infection of the membranes, uterus and appendages. Such pathologies lead to premature birth or stillbirth. In addition, after gonorrhea, pregnancy in the future is difficult. When the fallopian tubes become inflamed, adhesions form in them, preventing the full fertilization of the egg.

The consequences of gonorrhea for the fetus

In the early stages, infection in the uterus can cause miscarriage or the development of serious malformations in the fetus. Even a successful pregnancy is no guarantee that there will be no problems in the later stages of gestation.

In the second half of pregnancy, the infection can penetrate the fetal membranes and provoke chorionamnionitis. Quite often, the disease leads to placental insufficiency, followed by hypoxia of the child. In the third trimester, the development of polyhydramnios is not excluded.

The consequences for the baby of gonorrhea during pregnancy after 30 weeks are often expressed by the outflow of amniotic fluid. A similar situation can provoke an infection of the baby, a birth earlier than expected. All premature babies are necessarily transferred to a specialized department, where they receive the necessary assistance.

Reviews

You can see what gonorrhea looks like in women in the photo in any medical reference book. This disease inspires fear in all the fair sex. If infection cannot be avoided, antibiotic therapy will be required.

According to reviews, many expectant mothers are afraid of antibacterial therapy. In their opinion, such medications can harm the fetus or provoke anomalies in its development. In fact, many antibiotics are allowed during pregnancy. Cephalosporins and macrolides have successfully passed clinical trials, where their effectiveness and safety for the baby in the mother's womb has been proven. However, only a doctor can choose a medication and its dosage. Therefore, self-medication is unacceptable. It is even worse to ignore the symptoms and not see a doctor. In this case, the pregnancy may end in miscarriage.

Prevention Methods

Any disease is easier to prevent than to treat it. For the prevention of gonorrhea, it is enough to follow the elementary rules:

• avoid casual and unprotected sex;
• treat infectious diseases in a timely manner;
• care for personal hygiene;
• take care of immunity by eating right and taking vitamin complexes.

Gonorrhea during pregnancy can be a significant danger for both the woman herself and the baby inside the womb. The main difficulty lies in the fact that the disease is not easy to diagnose without an appropriate examination, andtreatment does not always give a positive result after one course. Therefore, every woman needs to take care of the prevention of the disease, by following fairly simple rules.