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 gonorrhea is contracted, 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 mother and child. If gonorrhea is not treated thoroughly during pregnancy, during labor, gonococci in the birth canal can infect the newborn. The most common manifestation is neonatal gonococcal conjunctivitis. Penicillin is the drug of choice for treatment. If allergic, cephalosporins can be used.