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Summary
During pregnancy, some common infections like the common cold or a skin infection do not usually cause serious problems. But other infections can be dangerous to you, your baby, or both. Some infections may lead to preterm birth and low birth weight babies. Others can cause serious illness, birth defects, and lifelong disabilities, such as hearing loss or learning problems.
Some of the infections that can be dangerous during pregnancy include:
- Bacterial vaginosis (BV)
- Group B strep (GBS)
- Hepatitis
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Toxoplasmosis
- Urinary tract infections
- Yeast infections
- Zika virus
To try to prevent infections,:
- Don't eat raw or undercooked meat
- Don't share food or drinks with other people
- Wash your hands frequently
- Don't empty cat litter. Cats can transmit toxoplasmosis.
If you do get an infection during pregnancy, contact your health care provider about how best to protect you and your baby. Only some medicines are safe during pregnancy.
Diagnosis and Tests
-
Strep B Test
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Caring for a Child or Family Member Sick with Dengue (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Foods to Avoid or Limit during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Group B Strep Infection: Prevention in Newborns (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- HPV Vaccine and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
- People at Risk: Pregnant Women (Department of Health and Human Services) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Flu Vaccine Safety and Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella and the MMR Vaccine during Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Meningococcal Disease (Bacterial Meningitis) Vaccine and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) Vaccine and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Travelers' Health: Pregnant Travelers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Vaccines and Pregnancy: 8 Things You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Vaccines for Pregnant Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Specifics
- 5 Things to Know About Zika and Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- CMV Facts for Pregnant Women and Parents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
- E. Coli and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
- Food Poisoning during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Listeriosis and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Microcephaly and Other Birth Defects: Zika Virus (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Pregnancy and Fifth Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Pregnancy Complications: Group B Strep Infection (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People (COVID-19) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Pregnant Women and Influenza (Flu) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Sexually Transmitted Infections (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Sexually Transmitted Infections, Pregnancy, and Breastfeeding (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
- Staphylococcus aureus and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
- STDs and Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Toxoplasmosis and Pregnant Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Tuberculosis Treatment and Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Vibrio and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
- Yeast Infection during Pregnancy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Zika - Sexual Transmission and Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Zika Virus: Plan for Travel (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
- Zika Virus: Protecting Pregnant Women and Babies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Infections and Pregnancy
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Wellbeing and coping of UK nurses, midwives and allied health professionals...
- Article: Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) among Women...
- Article: mSep: investigating physiological and immune-metabolic biomarkers in septic and healthy pregnant...
- Infections and Pregnancy -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
- March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Also in Spanish
-
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Patient Handouts
- Group B streptococcal septicemia of the newborn (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Group B streptococcus - pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Pregnancy and the flu (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Pregnant Women Need a Flu Shot (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Protect Your Baby for Life: When a Pregnant Woman Has Hepatitis B (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Summary of Maternal Immunization Recommendations (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Toxoplasmosis: An Important Message for Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF