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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
- TORCH Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Checklist of Foods to Avoid during Pregnancy (Department of Health and Human Services) Also in Spanish
- Foods to Avoid or Limit during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
- 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
- Protect Your Baby from Group B Strep! (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Protect Yourself and Your Baby from Dengue (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
Related Issues
- Caring for Pets When You're Pregnant (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- 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)
- Vaccinations during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Vaccines for Pregnant Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
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
- Colds and the Flu: Respiratory Infections during Pregnancy (American Academy of Family Physicians) 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
- Group B Streptococcus and Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
- Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
- Listeria and Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
- Microcephaly and Other Birth Defects: Zika (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Plan for Travel: Before, During and After (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Pregnancy and Fifth Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Pregnancy Complications: Bacterial Vaginosis (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Pregnancy Complications: Group B Strep Infection (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Pregnancy Complications: Salmonellosis (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Pregnant Women and Influenza (Flu) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Sexually Transmitted Infection (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) - PDF 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)
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: Update: Interim Guidance for Preconception Counseling and Prevention of Sexual...
- Article: Updated CDC Recommendations for Using Artemether-Lumefantrine for the Treatment of...
- Article: The Threat of Aerobic Vaginitis to Pregnancy and Neonatal Morbidity.
- Infections and Pregnancy -- see more articles
Find an Expert
Patient Handouts
- Group B streptococcal septicemia of the newborn (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Group B streptococcus - pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Immunization and Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- 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
- Toxoplasmosis: An Important Message for Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF