How do STDs affect pregnancy?
At your first prenatal visit, your doctor or midwife will perform some standard blood tests. He or she will check for several sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including syphilis, hepatitis B, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and possibly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. Finding out you have an STD can be very frightening. But not knowing, and not getting treatment, can be harmful or even fatal to you or your baby. The following are some common STDs. If you think you may have been exposed to one or more, or you are unsure, talk with your doctor. He or she is there to help you get the treatment you need during your pregnancy. Remember, even if you are getting treatment for an STD, you can be reinfected by a sexual partner who is not being treated. Protect yourself from STDs by practicing safe sex: Use condoms and spermicides unless you know for sure that you and your partner are disease-free and monogamous. HIV The number of women with HIV (human immunodeficiency
