Nurture :: screening for STI's during pregnancy

Screening for STI's during pregnancy

Alec Ekeroma, Bettina Ikenasio-Thorpe, Lesley Powell

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a major health concern, particularly when they occur in pregnant women. Chlamydia is the most common bacterial STI and most women do not experience any symptoms. When Chlamydia is present during pregnancy it can lead to a number of obstetric complications including: preterm labour, preterm rupture of membranes, miscarriage, stillbirth, small for gestation age births, amnionitis, intrapartum fever and postpartum endometritis. The baby is also at risk of contracting neonatal conjunctivitis and neonatal pneumonitis.

Chlamydia tends to be more prevalent amongst non-Europeans, those aged under 25 years and individuals not in a committed relationship or with a history of multiple partners. Rates of Chlamydia infection have risen dramatically in New Zealand in the past ten years, and neonatal infections have also increased recently.

Ministry of Health Guidelines recommend STI testing in situations where there are greater risks of adverse health effects from untreated infection – for example, during pregnancy. Screening and treatment of Chlamydia improves maternal and neonatal outcomes, but it is not known whether screening guidelines are adhered to by health providers at Middlemore Hospital.

This study aims to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes at Middlemore Hospital caused by STI infection in pregnancy. The researchers will look at a random selection of women who delivered their babies at Middlemore Hospital during 2008 – 2009 to determine the proportion, age and ethnicity of women who underwent antenatal screening for STI’s. They will also determine the prevelance and type of STI’s in pregnant women who delivered at Middlemore Hospital, the timing of intital and follow-up screenings and the impact of STI’s on maternal and perinatal outcomes.

The antenatal STI screening programme can then be assessed and improved for the future benefit of mothers and babies.

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pregnancy complications current projects

preventing late pregnancy complications suppressing prelabour contractions understanding the causes of stillbirth investigating the causes of preeclampsia improving antenatal genetic diagnosis pre-term birth and risk of later diabetes analysis of amniotic fluid to predict preterm labour cervical characteristics may predict preterm labour understanding the causes of perinatal and maternal deaths preventing respiratory distress syndrome in preterm babies screening for STI's during pregnancy