Infections and Pregnancy

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

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 infections (STIs)
• 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.
• Talk to your health care provider about vaccinations.
• If you have sex during pregnancy, use a condom every time.

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.

Start Here

• Pregnancy Complications (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Strep B Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
• People at Risk: Pregnant Women (Department of Health and Human Services) Also in Spanish
• Preventing Group B Strep Disease in Newborns (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Vaccine Recommendations Before, During, and After Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

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) Also in Spanish
• Meningococcal Vaccines and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy and Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Pregnant Travelers: CDC Yellow Book 2024 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• 5 Things to Know About Zika and Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• About STIs and Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• CMV in Newborns (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Congenital Zika Syndrome and Other Birth Defects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
• Flu and Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Food Poisoning during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Foundation)
• Group B Strep Infection (March of Dimes Foundation)
• Listeria Infection (Listeriosis) and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
• Parvovirus B19 in Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• People at Increased Risk for Toxoplasmosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Respiratory Viruses and Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Safer Food Choices for Pregnant People (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Sexually Transmitted Infections (March of Dimes 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 (Staph infection) and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
• Treatment for TB During Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Vibrio (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
• Yeast Infection during Pregnancy: Over-the-Counter Treatments OK? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Zika Virus: Recommendations for Travelers and People Living Abroad (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: Risk of Transmission of COVID-19 from the Mother to the Foetus:...
• Article: High sensitivity C-reactive protein in pre-eclamptic women living with HIV at...
• Article: Physical development of infants born to patients with COVID-19 during pregnancy:...
• Infections and Pregnancy -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• How to Find Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• March of Dimes 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)