An unexpected pregnancy brings enough questions on its own. Adding a possible sexually transmitted disease (STI) to the list can feel like more than you can handle.
However, knowing your STI status is essential because it affects your health today and your ability to grow a family later.
Sexually transmitted infections or diseases spread easily and silently, but most are treatable once they are found. Left alone, some of them can complicate a pregnancy and harm the organs needed to conceive.
LifeLine Pregnancy Center in Grover Beach is a great first step toward finding answers through our no-cost, confidential services. Schedule your appointment today.
Symptoms Are Not a Reliable Warning
Most people picture an infection making itself known through itchy bumps or other visible signs. Many STIs do not. Between 50% and 70% of people with chlamydia never notice symptoms, and gonorrhea often stays just as quiet.
Mild discomfort gets written off as a yeast infection or a rough cycle. Testing is the only way to know, which is why regular screening is recommended for anyone sexually active or with a new partner.
What an Untreated Infection Can Do During Pregnancy
When an STI goes untreated during pregnancy, the risks are specific: premature birth, low birth weight, and, in some cases, stillbirth.
Certain infections pass to the baby during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding, which can lead to newborn pneumonia, serious eye infections, permanent vision loss, or liver damage. Syphilis can cause birth defects.
The CDC recommends screening for certain infections early in pregnancy so a provider has time to treat what is treatable and monitor the rest.
The Fertility Side of the Question
Untreated chlamydia and gonorrhea can travel up from the cervix into the uterus and fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID causes scar tissue, and that scarring can bring chronic pelvic pain and make it difficult or impossible to conceive.
Narrowed tubes also raise the odds of an ectopic pregnancy, where a pregnancy implants outside the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy cannot continue and is a medical emergency.
Antibiotics can often resolve many types of STIs, but they cannot undo damage that has already been done, which is why timing matters so much.
Here to Help
LifeLine Pregnancy Center is here to help.
Our no-cost, confidential appointments are a great first step toward getting answers about your reproductive health.
If you have had a positive at-home pregnancy test or suspect you are pregnant, we offer free confirmation through our medical-grade pregnancy tests. We can also refer you to an on-site medical clinic for limited ultrasound scans to provide the important details of your pregnancy that you need to know.
If you are pregnant and suspect you have an STI, or have had multiple sexual partners, we provide referrals to trusted local providers who can provide STI testing, treatment, and follow-up care.
Our client advocates also offer fact-based, medically sound education so that you can weigh every option with real information in front of you
Contact LifeLine Pregnancy Center today to schedule your no-cost, confidential appointment.
