How to Prevent Infections Before and During Pregnancy
The physical and mental changes women experience during pregnancy can be a challenge unlike any other she has ever faced, particularly for first time mothers. Maintaining the health of a developing fetus is another challenge that expectant mothers face during pregnancy.
Julie Szumigala-Farkash, MD, FACOG, Medical Director Kaleida Health Outpatient OB/GYN, says, “Certain infections before and during pregnancy can hurt both expectant mothers and their babies. A great way to prevent these is to ensure routine vaccinations such as hepatitis, influenza, and whooping cough are up to date.” Lu Anne Brown, RN, Executive Director of Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network (BPPN), agrees, saying, “Serious illness, birth defects, and even lifelong disabilities such as hearing loss and learning problems, can result from infections before and during pregnancy. Thankfully, many infections that occur before and during pregnancy are preventable.”
Dr. Szumigala-Farkash offers the following important tips to help prevent these infections.
- Frequently wash hands with soap and water. We know the importance of washing hands after using the bathroom. But the risk of infection before and during pregnancy can be reduced if women also wash their hands after preparing food, eating, gardening, touching dirt or soil, handling pets, spending time around people who are sick, getting saliva on their hands, caring for and playing with children, and changing diapers. It’s especially important that women wash their hands after touching raw meat, eggs, or unwashed vegetables.
- Avoid saliva and urine from babies and young children as much as possible. Women may be able to reduce their risk of getting cytomegalovirus (CMV) if they reduce their contact with the saliva and urine from babies and young children. CMV can cause various problems for young babies, including microcephaly and hearing loss, and the virus can be passed from infected women to their developing babies during pregnancy. Wash hands after changing diapers and do not share utensils with young children and babies.
- Do not touch or change any cat litter. Pregnant women with cats at home should avoid touching or changing dirty cat litter. Toxoplasmosa is an infection caused by a single-celled parasite that can be found in cat feces. Women infected with toxoplasmosa during pregnancy or right before pregnancy can pass the infection on to their developing babies. Women should also wear gloves when gardening or touching soil to avoid contact with fecal matter left behind by outdoor cats.
- Get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. STDs, including HIV and hepatitis B, can be transmitted from pregnant women to their developing babies. Such diseases do not always produce symptoms, so it’s imperative that women be tested and that infected women speak with their health care providers about how to lower the chances that their babies will be infected.
Dr. Szumigala-Farkash says, “Taking steps to prevent prenatal infections can help women and their developing babies stay healthy.”
Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network (BPPN) has a long history of caring for the most vulnerable women in Buffalo, ensuring they are safe, have access to health care, and a healthy birth. Learn more at www.bppn.org or call 716-884-6711 for free confidential help and services.
