What can pregnant women do to prevent problems from STIs?
Pregnant women should be screened at their first prenatal visit for STIs, including: • Chlamydia • Gonorrhea • Hepatitis B • HIV • Syphilis In addition, some experts recommend that women who have had a premature delivery in the past be screened and treated for bacterial vaginosis (BV) at the first prenatal visit. Even if a woman has been tested for STIs in the past, she should be tested again when she becomes pregnant. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis, and BV can be treated and cured with antibiotics during pregnancy. Viral STIs, such as genital herpes and HIV, have no cure. But antiviral medication may be appropriate for some pregnant woman with herpes to reduce symptoms. For women who have active genital herpes lesions at the onset of labor, a cesarean delivery (C-section) can lower the risk of passing the infection to the newborn. For women who are HIV positive, taking antiviral medicines during pregnancy can lower the risk of giving HIV to the newborn to less than 2 p
