Patient's question:
My husband just got a thorough check and found gonorrhea. I am 38 weeks pregnant and 22 weeks along, and I also got tested for gonorrhea infection. What should I do to save the baby? Will the medication affect the fetus??Doctor's answer:
In the second and third trimesters of early pregnancy, if a person contracts gonorrhea, it is prone to develop into disseminated gonococcal infection, leading to complications such as intraamniotic infection, premature rupture of membranes, and preterm labor. Severe cases may result in postpartum infection, postpartum sepsis, and endanger the lives of both the mother and child. If gonorrhea is not treated thoroughly during pregnancy, during labor, gonococci in the birth canal can infect the newborn, commonly causing neonatal gonococcal conjunctivitis. The preferred treatment medication is penicillin; if allergic, cephalosporin drugs can be used.