Testing for STD’s whether or not you are pregnant is a step for being more proactive about your health. Primary reason is that most STD’s are asymptomatic – meaning you may carry the infection but you may not know it or show any of the signs.
But being pregnant would be more dangerous as STD’s may complicate pregnancy and may have serious consequences for both women and her developing baby.
CDC’s SCREENING RECOMMENDATIONS
CHLAMYDIA
First Prenatal Visit: Screen all pregnant women <25 years of age and older.
Third trimester: Rescreen if <25 years of age or at continued risk
Risk Factors:
- Multiple sex partners
- Sex partner with concurrent partner
- Sex partner with STD
GONORRHEA
First Prenatal Visit: Screen all pregnant women <25 years of age and older.
Third trimester: Rescreen for women at continued risk
Risk Factors:
- Living at high-morbidity area
- Previous or co-existing STD
- New or multiple sex partners
- Exchanging sex for money or drugs
- Inconsistent condom use among persons
- not in mutually monogamous relationships
SYPHILIS
First Prenatal Visit: Screen all pregnant women.
Third trimester: Rescreen for women who are:
- At high risk for syphilis;
- Live in areas with high number of syphilis cases;
- Who are not previously tested or had a positive test in the first trimester.
HIV
First Prenatal Visit: Screen all pregnant women.
Third trimester: Rescreen women at high risk for acquiring HIV infection
HEPATIS B
First Prenatal Visit: Screen all pregnant women.
Third trimester: Test those who are:
- Not screened prenatally;
- Engaging in behaviors that put them in high risk of infection
- With signs and symptoms of hepatitis at the time of admission to the hospital for delivery.
Risk Factors:
- Having had more than one sex partner in the previous six months
- Recent or current injection-drug use
- An HBsAg-positive sex partner
HEPATIS C
First Prenatal Visit: Screen all pregnant women at increased risk
Risk Factors:
- Past or current injection-drug use having received a blood transfusion before July 1992,Receipt of unregulated tattoo
- Long-term dialysis
- Known exposure to HCV
Risk reduction is encouraged by obtaining prevention counselling from your health care provider. The treatment can be with antivirals or antibiotics and other preventive measures to reduce the risk of passing the infection to the baby.
INFOGRAPHICS
