Having syphilis during pregnancy: What you need to know

Syphilis in pregnant women can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death soon after birth. If they survive, babies born with congenital syphilis will have many serious medical problems such as blindness, deafness, meningitis. Syphilis can be effectively treated with penicillin, so to avoid dangerous complications for the fetus, pregnant women need to be treated immediately.

If you suspect that you have congenital syphilis, you should see a specialist at any time and as soon as possible. For syphilis and pregnancy, doctors recommend that pregnant women be screened for syphilis during the first trimester.
For high-risk pregnant women, such as sex workers, additional testing during the last 3 months is recommended. Additional prenatal screening is required for women living in high-risk communities at:
First prenatal visit 28 weeks 36 weeks Time of delivery 6 weeks postpartum

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Congenital syphilis is caused by the mother having syphilis and passing the bacteria through the placenta to the fetus. Transmission can take place at any stage of pregnancy and results in stillbirth or problems with organs such as the ears, eyes, liver, bone marrow, skin, bones, and heart. fetus. If the fetus lives until birth, there is a high risk of premature birth, low birth weight, congenital syphilis infection, or neonatal death.
Therefore, if you have syphilis, you need to take some precautions to limit the possibility of transmitting the disease-causing bacteria to the developing fetus.

Syphilis responds well to treatment with the antibiotic Penicillin G, which is also the only treatment used by specialists. When treated for syphilis, it will help reduce the risk of infection, but if it has already caused damage to the fetus, it will not be able to correct these problems anymore. Therefore, women should be tested early in pregnancy if they suspect that they or their husbands/partners have syphilis before or during pregnancy.

Currently, there is no substitute for penicillin for the treatment of syphilis during pregnancy. Pregnant women with a history of penicillin allergy should be desensitized and treated with penicillin. Therefore, pregnant women should perform a skin prick test with penicillin-resistant drugs before treatment, to determine whether the mother is at risk of an acute allergic reaction to this drug.
Tetracycline and doxycycline are two drugs contraindicated in the last 6 months of pregnancy. Erythromycin and azithromycin should also not be used because of unreliable efficacy.

Faithful or long-term relationship with a husband/partner who has been tested and confirmed to be free of syphilis. Use condoms correctly during sex. Although condoms can prevent transmission of syphilis by preventing contact with sores, you should know that sometimes syphilis sores occur in areas not protected by condoms and if Contact with these sores can still transmit syphilis. Vinmec International General Hospital offers a package of Examination and Screening for social diseases to help customers detect diseases early and have effective treatment and prevent dangerous complications. The screening package for social diseases at Vinmec is for all ages, both men and women.
When registering for the Social Disease Screening Package, customers will receive: Dermatology specialist examination; Perform tests such as: HIV Ab rapid test, Chlamydia rapid test, Treponema pallidium rapid test, qualitative and quantitative Treponema pallidum TPHA test, bacteriological smear test and staining fungal test soi...


SEE ALSO:
Syphilis: Causes, routes of transmission, signs to recognize Syphilis can be transmitted from mother to child through the placenta How is syphilis treated?

Reference source: americanpregnancy.or; Cdc.gov