Gonorrhea in pregnancy shouldn’t be ignored – Gynaecologists

Gynaecologists have asked pregnant women diagnosed with gonorrhea not to ignore it, warning that it could have adverse effects on the pregnancy if left untreated.

A Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Dr Ochuwa Babah, said gonorrhea is worth treating among expectant mothers, considering the complications associated with it if left untreated.

Gonorrhea infection is a sexually transmitted diseases. In the past, there used to be this general belief that sexually transmitted diseases cannot occur in pregnancy.

Babah said pregnant women with the infection should avoid self-medication, urging them to seek proper medical care from qualified medical personnel to prevent the drugs from having a further negative impact on their babies.

The experts said untreated gonorrhea in pregnancy causes continuous miscarriage and eye infection in children, which they noted may lead to blindness.

Pregnant women with gonorrhea who manage to carry the pregnancy for a longer period are at risk of preterm birth.

Preterm birth, according to the World Health Organisation is the leading cause of under-five mortality globally.

Babah said, “But we now have evidence to show that they do occur in pregnancy. Gonorrhea in particular is an infection that can occur in about 0-14.2 percent of pregnancy. The prevalence varies from place to place depending on behavioural attitude of the people.

“Gonorrhea is not as common as Chlamydia trachomatis which is another sexually transmitted disease. However, it has been found to impact adversely on pregnancy both in women who have HIV and even in women who do not have HIV.

“The commonest of these complications is the occurrence of continuous miscarriage. It starts with vaginal bleeding and some abdominal cramp and before you know it, the bleeding becomes heavy and by the time the woman gets to the hospital, she would be told she lost the pregnancy. This happens at the early stage of the pregnancy.

“It has been found that those who can carry the pregnancy for a longer period, have a higher risk of preterm birth.

“This infection spreads upward from the vagina towards the cervix and then towards the uterus. It weakens the membrane surrounding the baby. When the weak membrane gets torn, the water drains out. So, the woman can present with what we call premature rupture of the membrane.

“Also, the infection might spread to the uterine lining and cause irritation that will trigger a contraction and the woman will go into early labour. If the infection becomes overwhelming, it can affect the baby to the extent of killing the baby. At the end of the day, the baby dies in the womb.”

WHO says with over one million STIs occurring daily worldwide, it is vital for countries to tackle this challenge, to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 on universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services.