Today, chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. In the world, the number of sick people is constantly growing, while chlamydia during pregnancy is of particular danger. During gestation, this disease leads to premature birth, spontaneous miscarriages, missed pregnancy. At the same time, this infection is observed in 50% of newborns. They develop pneumonia, vulvovaginitis, urethritis and other pathologies. Modern medicine has quite effective methods of treatment, the main thing is to diagnose the disease in time.
Description
Chladymiosis urogenitalis an STD that develops when the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis enters the body, which affects the mucous membrane and appendages of the human genital organs. During pregnancy, the disease is sluggish and asymptomatic, so it is difficult to detect. Women have no discharge.
Chlamydia first affects the genitourinary system, in particular the urogenital canal, so very often the patient develops urethritis, but the development of the disease can occur in different ways. Quite often the eyes, nasopharynx, and lungs are affected. Chlamydia in women during pregnancy affects not only the genitourinary tract, but also the amniotic membranes and the fetus itself, where they enter through the amniotic fluid. Microbes settle on the mucous membranes of the fetus.
Chlamydia trachomatis are microorganisms that are larger than bacteria but smaller than viruses. They are localized in the germ cells of a woman, therefore they affect the genitourinary system, including the cervix. But pathogens may not be present all the time, so diagnostic smear testing is only effective in 30% of cases.
Chlamydia can be asymptomatic for a long time, so the carrier of the infection may not even know about his disease. Chlamydia during pregnancy means that the microbes entered the woman's body through close contact with the mucous membranes of an infected person before or after conception. Over time, they are introduced into the cells of the epithelium and the immune system, where they can stay for several years. The woman's immune system begins to produce white blood cells, resulting in inflammation, the intensity of which can vary.
Danger of disease
Chlamydia during pregnancy can have negative consequences if the disease is not diagnosed and treated in time. In a pregnant woman, microbes cause an inflammatory process in the pelvic organs, in the uterus and its appendages. As a result, salpingitis or endometritis develops. Often the pathology leads tothe formation of Refter's syndrome, accompanied by arthritis, urethritis and conjunctivitis. Scars appear on the epithelium of the urethra, provoking narrowing of the urethra.
When a woman is infected in early pregnancy, spontaneous miscarriage or fetal development arrest is possible due to placental insufficiency, which causes a lack of oxygen. As a result, fetal hypoxia develops. With moderate hypoxia, the organs of the unborn child are affected, in a mild case, this will manifest itself as a violation of muscle tone after birth. In severe cases, damage to the nervous system or death is possible.
Chlamydia during pregnancy has a negative effect on the fetus. When a woman becomes infected, the child may stop receiving nutrients, so he may be born prematurely or with low weight, anemia, beriberi.
When a woman is infected late in pregnancy, chlamydia affects the kidneys, liver, and pancreas. In a child, the disease manifests itself in the following pathologies:
- encephalopathy with convulsions;
- conjunctivitis;
- infectious pneumonia;
- Fitz-Hugh-Curtis disease.
Causes of illness
The cause of chlamydia is Chlamydia trachomatis, which enters the human body through sexual contact or household contact. Chlamydia during pregnancy can appear in the body due to non-compliance with hygiene rules in the pool and other places of rest. With the bloodstream, the bacterium canspread throughout the body, settling in organs and tissues. The disease provokes the development of adhesions in the affected organs as a result of the inflammatory process, weakening of the immune system. In the external environment, microbes easily die under the influence of boiling, ultraviolet, antiseptics. Most often, the causes of chlamydia during pregnancy lie in sexual contact, which is not protected.
When planning a pregnancy, doctors recommend being screened for latent infections to eliminate the risk of complications and miscarriage.
Symptoms and signs of illness
Chlamydia symptoms may not appear during pregnancy. About 65% of women do not know about their disease, in other cases, the signs of pathology are not pronounced, often the woman does not pay attention to them.
Infected pregnant women may experience the following symptoms:
- mucous or purulent vaginal discharge;
- bad smell and yellow discharge;
- pain in the vulva;
- itching and burning;
- weakness, fatigue.
All of the above signs may indicate the development of other diseases, so a woman cannot accurately determine infection with chlamydia. But the presence of these signs should be the reason for contacting a gynecologist.
Survey methods
Since chlamydia has mild symptoms, it is not possible to recognize the disease. Diagnosis is based onresults of laboratory tests for the presence of the infectious agent and its antigens. For analysis, a swab is taken for chlamydia during pregnancy from the cervical canal or urethra. In 30% of cases, the Romanovsky-Giemsa test helps to identify the bacterium. But this research method is not effective, so the doctor additionally prescribes other diagnostic measures.
Analysis for chlamydia during pregnancy is often carried out using serological and immunological diagnostic methods. A woman takes smears and blood for the study of antibodies to chlamydia by ELISA and PIF. If a small concentration of antibodies is detected, it can be argued that the disease is chronic, with a high content of antibodies, they speak of an exacerbation of the pathology that requires immediate therapy.
The numbers in the results of the analysis should be twice as high as the norm, if they are less, this indicates a false result of the study. In this case, additional diagnosis is required using the PCR method, which is considered the most effective today.
The doctor can prescribe an examination for all family members to identify the stages of development of the pathology and develop effective treatment. Usually during pregnancy, an analysis is prescribed for three pathogens: chlamydia, ureaplasma and mycoplasma.
Knowing how dangerous chlamydia is during pregnancy, the doctor may prescribe an analysis that will show the presence of infection in the fetus. To do this, he takes amniotic fluid under ultrasound control. This method allows you to determine the possible danger and eliminate the riskdevelopment of negative consequences for the child. An examination of internal organs is also prescribed, since drugs are used to treat chlamydia, which can affect the affected organs.
Chlamydia treatment
During therapy, a pregnant woman should be under the supervision of a gynecologist. This is due to the fact that many representatives of the weaker sex stop taking medications on their own when unpleasant symptoms disappear, which is absolutely impossible to do. Microbes that survive become resistant to the drugs, so eliminating them from the body will be difficult.
Treatment of chlamydia during pregnancy is not possible with all drugs, antibacterial agents from the tetracycline group are contraindicated for women, as they have many side effects. Most often, the doctor prescribes macrolides. But self-treatment is strictly contraindicated, only an experienced doctor can prescribe a harmless drug in each case.
Chlamydia during pregnancy can be treated in several ways:
- A single dose of an antibacterial drug that has a negative effect on pathological microorganisms.
- Therapy with antibiotics, enzymes and immunomodulators. In this case, the treatment will be long, but effective.
In each case, the attending physician selects the therapy of the disease. Usually, pathology requires complex treatment, which allows you to completely cure the disease. In medicine, it is establishedthat chlamydia is an infection that cannot be eliminated by the human immune system, so it must be treated with various drugs.
The choice of a suitable antibacterial drug is carried out by the doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of the body of a pregnant woman and the presence of concomitant diseases. He must conduct an antibiogram to determine the sensitivity of the bacteria to the drug. Probiotics are also prescribed to protect the intestines from the development of dysbacteriosis and diarrhea.
The role of immunomodulators and enzymes
In case of violations of the immune system, immunomodulators are prescribed, which are aimed at increasing the body's defenses. Studies have shown that women who have a compromised immune system in 63% of cases fully recovered after the use of immunostimulants.
An important role in the treatment of chlamydia is played by enzymes, they have a positive effect on human immunity, increasing the concentration of the drug in the lesion, stimulating kidney function, and neutralizing toxins. They contribute to the return of membrane permeability to normal, reduce allergic reactions to drugs, and have anti-edematous and analgesic properties. In addition, enzymes help to increase the effectiveness of antibacterial treatment, restore blood circulation. Together with enzymes, the doctor can prescribe vitamin and mineral complexes.
Monitoring the results of therapy
Given how chlamydia affects pregnancy, aftertherapy, the doctor prescribes a second diagnosis for the presence of an infection in the body. For this, various methods are used. Two weeks after the end of treatment, bacteriological culture is performed, and three weeks later - PIF and PCR. This diagnosis allows you to reliably determine the effectiveness of treatment.
Forecast
If chlamydia is detected in a pregnant woman in time, and the doctor has carried out effective treatment, the prognosis will be favorable, since the woman can be completely cured. With advanced pathology, therapy will take a lot of time. It is necessary to take into account the development of complications in the disease, which negatively affect the he alth and life of not only the pregnant woman, but also her child. Self-medication in this case is contraindicated. The doctor must strictly monitor the woman's compliance with all recommendations and prescriptions.
Prevention
Chlamydia prevention is based on the use of a condom during sexual intercourse. The person must also have one sexual partner. If you have had unprotected intercourse with an unfamiliar partner, it is recommended to immediately be tested for chlamydia, even in the absence of symptoms and signs of the disease.
When planning pregnancy, both partners must comply with preventive measures, they must pass all tests to detect latent infections and STDs. If chlamydia is detected, it is necessary to undergo therapy before pregnancy to eliminate the risk of developing irreversible consequences.
Chlamydia during pregnancy today is a common occurrence that occurs in everythe tenth representative of the weaker sex, who has good he alth. Most often, those women who have treated infertility in the past, had miscarriages and inflammation of the appendages are most susceptible to the disease. They have a 65% risk of developing chlamydia. Therefore, such patients should take special care of their he alth and undergo examinations on time.
Doctors should definitely test for the presence of chlamydia in women who have:
- chronic diseases of the genitourinary system;
- menstrual disorder;
- abortions and miscarriages in the past;
- SARS;
- fever of unknown origin.
Also, doctors must examine newborns if a woman has been treated for chlamydia in the past. Timely diagnosis and effective therapy can completely get rid of the disease, eliminate the risk of developing pathologies in a child and a woman. Therefore, it is important to take a responsible approach to pregnancy planning, following all doctor's prescriptions.
