What You Need to Know About Chlamydia and Pregnancy

The last thing you want to worry about while you’re expecting a baby is STDs, but Chlamydia and pregnancy seem to go hand-in-hand for many. We’re often too quick to assume that the presence of an STD indicates infidelity or promiscuity which is why so many pregnant women are shocked to find that they have Chlamydia while pregnant and in a monogamous relationship. The truth is that Chlamydia causes no symptoms for the majority of those infected and can be in your body for years and years without you realizing it.

Getting Tested

Since doctors are becoming more and more aware of the risks when it comes to Chlamydia and pregnancy, many are suggesting a woman get tested while pregnant or when she mentions that she is starting to try for a baby. Getting tested for Chlamydia is simple and can be done by taking a sample using a swab or through urine analysis—both of which can be done at your doctor’s office or family planning clinic. If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant then you should request being tested for Chlamydia even if you feel perfectly fine and are in a monogamous relationship. You or your partner could have the infection from a previous relationship and not know.

The Risks of Chlamydia and Pregnancy

Even though over 75 percent of women infected show no symptoms of Chlamydia, this does not mean that it’s ‘no big deal’, as many might assume. The risks of Chlamydia and pregnancy are very real for both mother and baby. They start with the possibility of early labor which can harm both you and your baby. Other risks involved are those that affect your baby. Because Chlamydia can be passed to the baby through delivery, a newborn is at risk of developing infections and complications that can include blindness, pneumonia and even death.

A baby’s eyes are susceptible to your infection when they pass through the birth canal and come into contact with the Chlamydia. This can cause eye infections that can cause blindness. The nose and mouth offer the infection a place to enter the body during delivery as well, which puts your baby at risk of pneumonia and infections of the lungs. And also, the genitals are another part of the body that is very susceptible to infection on their way out of the canal. No matter how you look at it Chlamydia and pregnancy can prove extremely harmful to your baby.