Staphylococcus in pregnant women: causes, symptoms and treatment

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

Waiting for a baby is the most touching and crucial moment. Unfortunately, joyful emotions can overshadow such a negative moment as illness. What to do if staphylococcus aureus develops in a pregnant woman? Is it possible in such a situation to give birth to a full-fledged child? It is worth considering this issue in detail.

What is a disease?

Staphylococcus aureus in pregnant women is a harmful spherical shaped bacteria that causes serious illness. Most often they are clusters that can only be seen under a microscope in the laboratory. They look like a small bunch of grapes.

Disease classification

There are several forms of manifestation of staphylococcus in pregnant women:

• Staphylococcus aureus is a pyogenic bacterium. Doctors say that this is the most common, and at the same time, the most dangerous type of illness during pregnancy, which can causesignificant harm, both to the he alth of the mother and to the he alth of the unborn baby.
• Staphylococcus epidermidis. The presence of these bacteria in the body manifests itself in the form of rashes on the dermis. Doctors also refer to it as a skin bacterium. Compared to Staphylococcus aureus, it is practically safe for pregnant women, especially for women with good immunity. But purulent processes of internal organs may occur when penetrating through the skin or an open wound.
• Saprophytic Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that forms only in the urinary tract. Most often, it causes the development of urogenic sepsis or nephritis.
• Hemolytic Staphylococcus aureus are purulent bacteria. If they enter the body, conjunctivitis or blepharitis may develop. This type of disease is also practically harmless. It causes mild and short-term discomfort in a person.

As it turned out, the most dangerous form of the disease for pregnant women is Staphylococcus aureus. The infection can progress on the mucous membranes or in the uterus. When it appears, the he alth of a woman and a baby is at risk. It is required to immediately consult a doctor and choose the optimal treatment.

What makes him appear?

There are several reasons why staphylococcus aureus appears in a pregnant woman. It is worth considering the most common of them:

1. Close contact with an infected person, such as interacting with them at home orsharing food.
2. Surgery or blood transfusion. The infection enters the body through a medical instrument or equipment.
3. A long-term non-healing wound, which becomes a favorable environment for the development of bacteria.
4. Some types of diseases, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, HIV, respiratory infections, and influenza stamps.
5. Often, the reason for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus in a smear in pregnant women is non-compliance with hygiene standards.
6. Give a "push" can also take certain types of drugs, especially antibiotics and hormonal drugs.

There are many reasons for the development of such a dangerous bacterium as staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, it is very important to protect your he alth from negative factors while waiting for your baby.

Transmission methods

Based on the above reasons, it is not difficult to guess about the ways of infection with this disease. There are 6 main ways of transmission of staphylococcus:

• airborne;
• exogenous;
• contact household;
• food;
• fecal-oral;
• medical.

Through one of these forms, the bacterium enters the human body. Further, it begins to multiply and produce toxins, which leads to the development of inflammatory processes and pathological phenomena.

How to recognize the disease?

As it turned out, Staphylococcus aureus in pregnant women is a rather serious disease. The sooner it willidentified and the sooner measures are taken to eliminate it from the body, the more chances a woman has to save her he alth and her baby. You can recognize it by several characteristic features:

• Changes in the appearance of the skin: the appearance of blackheads, eczema, redness, dermatitis and other lesions.
• Prolonged runny nose is a characteristic symptom for the formation of staphylococcus aureus in the nose of a pregnant woman.
• Severe pain in the throat and problematic swallowing. In the early stages of bacteria reproduction, only mild discomfort is felt: the appearance of dryness and itching.
• Prolonged lack of appetite.
• Severe discomfort when urinating. The appearance of a sharp pain in the lower abdomen and back is a characteristic symptom of the formation of staphylococcus aureus, this bacterium can be found in the urine of pregnant women.

A woman planning to become a mother should listen to her body herself. Report any new suspicious symptoms to your gynecologist.

Diagnostic examination

If the patient has a reason to suspect staphylococcus aureus, then she needs to see a doctor immediately. The specialist will listen to the concerns of the expectant mother and prescribe a series of diagnostic examinations for her.

First of all, you will need to pass a urine test. Under laboratory conditions, it will be revealed whether there is sepsis or Staphylococcus aureus in the culture of a pregnant patient.

Additionally, a Laura consultation will be required, he will examinethroat. Also, the uncharacteristic value of the hemolytic type of the bacillus can cause suspicion. Specialists, namely, an ophthalmologist, dermatologist or nephrologist, will only need to be visited if the relevant symptoms occur: skin lesions, conjunctivitis, pain in the lower abdomen and discomfort when urinating.

Most often, doctors detect staphylococcus aureus in pregnant women in a smear. During the examination, the gynecologist takes the "material" from the vagina and transfers it to the laboratory. A very serious problem is if a microbe is found in it, as there is a high risk of transmitting the bacterium to the child through the birth canal. Therefore, the patient is prescribed immediate treatment or she is transferred to a hospital.

If there is a suspicion of Staphylococcus aureus in the nose of a pregnant woman, then an additional swab is taken from the mucous membranes in the laboratory.

Medicated treatment

Staphylococcus can hardly be called a disease. This is a harmful bacterium that penetrates the body and disables its important mechanisms. It is highly not recommended to deal with it on your own, using traditional medicine methods. Firstly, this will not bring the desired effect, that is, the patient will provide more time for the full development of the bacterium. Secondly, against the background of improper treatment, the chances of complications increase.

Thus, only an experienced specialist should prescribe drug therapy after a diagnostic examination. Most often, there is a need forstrong drugs - antibiotics. They may be different depending on the affected area:

• Local antibiotics - with the development of staphylococcus aureus in pregnant women on the mucous membranes, for example, in the nose. After the detection of the bacterium, the modern drug "Chlorophylliptom" can be prescribed.
• Antibiotics for internal use - when the microbe multiplies in other areas ("Azithromycin", "Vancomycin", "Amoxicillin").
• If a woman is infected with a golden species, then complex treatment is prescribed. It consists of local treatment and taking drugs that increase the mother's immunity, without affecting the fetus - "Activin", "Timalin".
• The most effective treatment is taking staphylococcal bacteriophage.

The course of treatment of pregnant women from staphylococcus and the dosage of drugs is also strictly selected by a specialist. While taking antibiotics, the effectiveness of drug therapy is checked without fail, in its absence, other drugs are selected.

Additional treatment measures

It has already been said above how staphylococcus aureus is treated in pregnant patients. As it turned out, an integral part of this process is the use of antibiotics. However, in some cases it becomes necessary to use additional medicines and equipment:

1. Quartzation of the room in which the expectant mother lives. This action is necessary to prevent infection of the household and a second wave of the disease for the patient herself.
2. Conjunctivitis requiresput tetracycline ointment under the eyelid or instill drops based on this active ingredient in each eye.
3. Additionally, anti-inflammatory and pain medications (Ibufen, Paracetomol, Ketorol) may be prescribed.
4. If staphylococcus manifests itself in the form of lesions on the skin of a person, then it will be necessary to apply gentamicin ointment.

The most important thing that a future mother should do is to fully comply with the doctor's recommendations and take care of her baby. An important factor is the absence of stress. Only the body in a calm state can fully cope with the elimination of harmful bacteria. With the right approach, the disease can be quickly forgotten.

Complications

As soon as a woman saw two stripes on the test, she should understand that now she needs to take care not only of herself, but also of another organism that is actively developing under her heart. Therefore, if any suspicious symptoms appear, she should forget about all matters and immediately consult a doctor. If you do not start treating staphylococcus in a timely manner, a number of complications may appear:

• The bacterium will begin to multiply rapidly and infect the body. It can cause the development of pneumonia, peritonitis, dermatological or purulent diseases.
• The body of the expectant mother from the very first week of pregnancy begins to prepare for lactation. This means that the mammary gland is more affected, therefore, mastitis is often formed.
• The most dangerous complication of the disease is inflammation of the inner membranes of the heart, which can lead to the death of the patient.
• While the bacterium grows and multiplies in the human body, it releases very harmful toxins. They instantly spread throughout the body, including penetrating to the child. During the period of their exposure, the baby will feel bad and experience pain. In addition, due to disruption of the body, it will not be able to fully develop, which will lead to the formation of gross pathologies.

Staphylococcus is not just a bacterium, but a provocateur of serious diseases and complications. To maintain your own he alth and ensure the full development of the crumbs, you need to start the right treatment as soon as possible.

Preventive measures

After identifying the causes of staph in pregnant women, preventive measures have been developed to prevent infection with this bacterium:

• It is strictly required to observe the rules of personal hygiene. Of course, expectant mothers are banned from taking a hot bath for 9 months, but it is still recommended to shower daily and wash the vagina with an antibacterial agent.
• A woman during pregnancy exposes her body to various diseases. This is due to an increase in the load on the body, and, consequently, with a decrease in immunity. This means that in order to avoid the development of bacteria, it is necessary to strengthen it: walk more, give up bad habits, eat right, and do light exercise.
• Requiredcreate an environmentally friendly atmosphere in the room in which the expectant mother lives: regularly do wet cleaning and ventilate the room.
• After every visit to the street and public places, it is mandatory to wash your hands and change street clothes into home clothes.
• Don't communicate with infected people. During pregnancy, it is worth staying at home more, avoiding crowded places.
• It is strictly forbidden to allow hypothermia.
• You should not visit clinics that do not inspire confidence. Before each procedure, make sure that the equipment and medical instrument comply with safety standards.

Of course, the observance of preventive measures does not guarantee that staphylococcus can be avoided. However, the chances of his appearance will be reduced several times.

Forecast

Unfortunately, more and more expectant mothers are diagnosed with such a serious problem as staphylococcus aureus. Specialists have already developed a strategy to eliminate it from the body, so the chances of a full recovery are quite high, but only if the microbe is detected in a timely manner, and the patient adheres to all the doctor's recommendations.

But the threat to a pregnant woman still exists. It is worth noting that carrying a baby is a complex process that causes a certain load on the body. Under its influence, the condition may worsen. Quite often, against the background of this condition, complications appear and other concomitant diseases develop. risk alsois, for both mother and baby, premature birth and the birth of a child with low body weight, which also occurs for the same reason.

Who else is predisposed and active periods

There are certain people and certain moments at which the risk of spreading the infection increases many times. As for staphylococcus, the chances of being affected by it increase in the following cases:

• when pregnant at any time;
• when there are some chronic diseases, oncological pathologies, eczema, rheumatism or diabetes mellitus;
• when taking drugs that adversely affect immunity;
• in case of acute illness: SARS or acute respiratory infections;

Except for pregnant women, this disease often occurs in medical workers, as due to official circumstances they constantly have to contact with infected people.

How to give birth?

The presence of a bacterium in the body does not affect the process of giving birth to a child if it has not had time to penetrate into the organs. If you find any problems, you should contact the gynecologist, he will independently assess the he alth of the pregnant woman and determine whether she will be able to give birth on her own or still have to do a caesarean section.

Staph during pregnancy is not always a problem. With it, you can fully live, adhering to drug therapy. You can save your and your baby's he alth if you listen to the advice of qualified doctors and turn to us for help in a timely manner.