Health Tips: Common Vaginal Infections That Affect Pregnant Women

During pregnancy, there is an increase in vaginal discharge which is usually clear in color and odor free. Certain infections find the extra discharge during pregnancy a good place to thrive therefore exposure to certain factors which includes sharing of public services can cause a woman to contract these infections. If your discharge during pregnancy is yellowish and has odor, you need to speak with your doctor soon.

Disruption to the PH levels is the reason for vaginal infections. These disruptions can come via having sex, and can be treated by taking antibiotics.

There are four common vaginal infections ranging from common to rare that can affect a pregnant woman. These infections are:

#1   Yeast Infections

During pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone help create an environment that the yeast infection thrives in and exposure to it can lead to contracting it.

The itching and burning sensation in the vagina when one has contracted yeast infection comes from the overgrowth of candida, which is a fungus that lives naturally in the vagina.

Your doctor can diagnose a yeast infection with a simple vaginal culture; she inserts a cotton swab, collects a sample of your discharge, and looks at it under a microscope.

Symptoms

• Pain and itching in the vagina; the area can sometimes feel raw too
• Redness and swelling of the vagina and labia
• Thick, curdled whitish-yellow discharge; may or may not have an odor that smells like bread baking
• Pain or discomfort during sex
• Burning while urinating

Treatment:

A cream or ovule that you insert into your vagina, or an oral antifungal medicine such as Diflucan.

Prevention:

• Wear cotton underwear, which will allow air to circulate and absorb any discharge.
• Sleep without underwear–this can reduce your risk of infections.
• Stay well hydrated to help flush out toxins. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
• Urinate regularly to help eliminate infection-causing bacteria.
• Eat complex carbohydrates and whole grains instead of refined sugar to help decrease the environmental factors for infections.
• Consume yogurt often. Lactobacillus, naturally found in yogurt, is a probiotic that promotes proper digestion and is known to help prevent vaginal infections.

#2   Trichomoniasis

According to Center for Disease Control ad Prevention, there’s an estimated seven-point-four-million new cases of trick or trich (as its popularly called) every year. It is the most common and most curable STD. This infection lives in the vagina and is transmitted sexually.

Symptoms

• Greenish yellow discharge with a frothy look and foul smell.
• Itching, burning and irritation during sex.

Treatment

• Your doctor can treat Trich with Oral antibiotics.

Prevention

1. You and your partner should get tested when you get pregnant so that any STDs found will be treated in both of you rather than the woman being treated only to be reinfected by the man later.
2. Stay with one sexual partner to avoid catching trich.
3. If you or your partner has trich, always use protection when you want to have sex.

#3   Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)

Survey carried out by the National Institutes of Health records ”approximately one in every five women will develop the itchy and irritating infection called Bacterial Vaginosis”. 

Shifting hormones during pregnancy sometimes influences the overgrowth of bacteria that lives naturally in the vagina. BV, if left untreated, will have persistent symptoms and the baby may be born premature, or underweight. For non-pregnant women, BV can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause infertility or damage the fallopian tubes.

BV can be diagnosed with a simple vaginal culture; your doctor inserts a swab, collects a sample of your discharge, and looks at it under a microscope.

Symptoms

• Thin grayish-white discharge
• Pain during urination
• Itching around the vagina

Treatment

• BV is one of those very rare infections that goes away on it’s own without needing any form of treatment. Doctors usually wait to treat you in your second trimester if it’s diagnosed you have BV.
• More often than not, the infection Clears up in the first trimester. Certain antibiotics will do the trick so talk to you your doctor on what works for you.

Prevention

• Never sit around in a wet bathing suit or sweaty panties; always put on a clean pair of cotton underwear after you’re finished swimming or working out.
• Wear comfortable, cotton underwear that will allow air to circulate. Avoid tight pantyhose or pants, which can cause bacteria-inducing sweat.
• Sleep without underwear–this can reduce your risk of infections.
• Wipe front to back when you go to the bathroom. This will keep bacteria spreading from your anus to your vagina.
• Skip bath oils — they can trap bacteria.

#4   Group B Strep (GBS)

20 to 25 percent of all healthy woman have GBS bacteria living in their system, usually in the intestinal tract, rectum, or vagina. Your doctor will automatically test you for GBS between weeks 35 and 37 of your pregnancy.

Because many healthy people have GBS living in their bodies, it’s unclear why some individuals develop more serious infections from GBS while others do not, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. – parents.com

Symptoms

• While GBS may cause Urinary Tract Infection, UTI in some women, it shows no symptom in others. General signs of UTI includes cloudy urine, a sudden urge to urinate, pain or burning during urination.

Treatment 

• If a woman tests positive for GBS, she will be required to take antibiotics during delivery to avoid passing on the infection to her baby. (Without antibiotics your baby is at risk for early-onset GBS disease, which causes fever, difficulty feeding, and lethargy.)

Prevention

Unfortunately, there’s no way to prevent GBS.

Photo Credit, health.usnews