A Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Joseph Akinde has warned pregnant women against taking sexually transmitted infections lightly, noting that it is dangerous in pregnancy.
According to the maternal health expert, pregnant women should ensure they are screened and properly treated for any sexually transmitted infections to prevent preterm birth.
Akinde stressed that untreated sexually transmitted infections in pregnancy can affect the unborn child and in extreme cases may lead to the death of the baby.
According to a November 2021 report of the World Health Organisation, almost one million pregnant women were estimated to be infected with syphilis in 2016, resulting in over 350,000 adverse birth outcomes including 200,000 stillbirths and newborn deaths.
The global health body noted that sexually transmitted infections have a direct impact on sexual and reproductive health through stigmatisation, infertility, cancers and pregnancy complications and can increase the risk of HIV.
WHO noted that more people should embrace preventive measures against sexually transmitted infections.
“When used correctly and consistently, condoms offer one of the most effective methods of protection against STIs, including HIV”, it said.
Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise, Akinde, who is the medical director of Living Spring Hospital and Maternity, Ejigbo, said some of the sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis can cause a preterm rupture of the womb.
Explaining how such infections after pregnancy, he said, “When a pregnant woman has sexually transmitted infection, it may occur in the cervix which is the mouth of the womb and infections there can result in the premature rupture of the membrane which will now lead to labour.
“In this case, the membrane gets ruptured much earlier than expected which is before the baby is mature enough and because the membrane has ruptured the baby is no longer in that safe environment so the baby comes before his due date.”
Akinde explained further that such premature babies are also confronted with immediate problems such as difficulty in breathing, difficulty in feeding, jaundice and in extreme cases, death.
To prevent such outcomes, Akinde advised that pregnant women to take steps to prevent sexually transmitted infections and also properly treat any infection they have.
According to a population-based study conducted in the US, sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, or syphilis in pregnancy affect the neonatal outcome and in particular, cause preterm birth.
The study published in the medical journal, JAMA, stated that pregnant women who left such disease untreated are at risk of preterm birth where the babies were delivered at gestational age less than 37 weeks.