STIs During Pregnancy: Birth Complications Risk
Pregnancy and STIs: Unveiling the Risks to Birth Outcomes
Table of Contents
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during pregnancy can significantly impact the health of both mother and baby, leading to a range of adverse perinatal outcomes. New research sheds light on these critical associations, emphasizing the importance of early detection and treatment.
understanding the Landscape: Participant Characteristics and Risks
A comprehensive population-based cohort study involving 59,465 births in the northern Territory, Australia, provided crucial insights into the prevalence of STIs and their links to pregnancy complications. The studyS findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, highlight that while many mothers in the cohort maintained healthy practices during pregnancy-with 79.5% not smoking and 97.5% abstaining from alcohol-STIs were still present. Chlamydia was reported in 2.6% of cases,gonorrhea in 1.4%, trichomoniasis in 4%, and syphilis in 0.2%.
The research identified significant associations between maternal stis and adverse birth outcomes, particularly concerning babies born small for their gestational age.
Small for Gestational Age (SGA):
Maternal Chlamydia: Relative Risk (RR) of 1.86
Maternal Gonorrhea: RR of 1.76
Maternal Trichomoniasis: RR of 1.10 (compared to no maternal STI)
Beyond SGA, other serious complications were also linked to specific STIs:
Stillbirth: Women with gonorrhea faced an RR of 1.97.
Preterm birth: Those with trichomoniasis had an RR of 1.23.
Though, the study noted that maternal STIs were not found to be linked to spontaneous preterm birth or premature rupture of membranes. Data linking maternal syphilis with premature rupture of membranes and stillbirth had to be suppressed due to small cell counts, indicating a need for further investigation in larger cohorts.
Beyond Individual Infections: Congenital STIs and Co-infections
The impact of STIs extends to congenital infections, where the transmission occurs from mother to baby during pregnancy or childbirth. Congenital syphilis, in particular, demonstrated a strong association with adverse outcomes:
Congenital Syphilis:
Preterm Birth: RR of 3.34
Small for Gestational Age: RR of 2.22
Interestingly,congenital chlamydia did not show a link with small for gestational age in this study. Similar to the maternal syphilis findings,other associations involving congenital STIs were suppressed due to small cell counts.
The study also explored the effects of STI co-infections, where a mother is infected with more than one STI.Only one significant association emerged:
Co-infection (Gonorrhea and Trichomoniasis):
Small for Gestational Age: RR of 1.81
the research underscores the considerable risks that STIs pose to pregnancy outcomes, reinforcing the critical need for proactive screening and management.
The Call for Early Intervention
As Dr. Dunne, a key figure in this research, emphasized, ”Many of these infections are common, preventable, and treatable; we just need to be able to catch them in time to treat them as early as possible.” This sentiment highlights the public health imperative to ensure pregnant individuals are screened for stis and receive timely treatment to safeguard maternal and infant health. Early detection and intervention are paramount in mitigating the serious perinatal complications associated with these infections.
References
- Research reveals STIs during pregnancy linked to adverse birth complications.Curtin University.July 21, 2025. Accessed July 28, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1092014
- Dunne J,Tessema GA,Legge M,et al. The association between sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy outcomes in the Northern Territory, Australia: a population-based cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific*. 2025;60. doi:10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101610