What are the symptoms and causes of gonorrhea during pregnancy

Pregnancy complicated by gonorrhea can occur at any stage of pregnancy. If the gonorrhea virus is infected during pregnancy, the harm to the pregnant woman and the fetus is more direct. Pregnant women should have sufficient knowledge about gonorrhea during pregnancy, and have sufficient understanding of its symptoms and causes.

What is gonorrhea during pregnancy?

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Gram-negative Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococci), with purulent infection of the urogenital system as the main manifestation. In recent years, the incidence of gonorrhea in our country is very high. It can occur at any age, but most patients are between 20 and 30 years old. Gonorrhea has an affinity for columnar epithelium and transitional epithelium, and can easily hide in the female urogenital tract and cause infection.

It is not uncommon for pregnant women to be infected with gonorrhea. Pregnancy complicated by gonorrhea can occur at different stages of pregnancy. Gonorrheal infection at any stage of pregnancy has a great impact on pregnant women. In early pregnancy, gonococcal cervicitis can lead to infected abortion and infection after induced abortion. In late pregnancy, gonococcal cervicitis can easily increase the fragility of the fetal membranes and lead to premature rupture of the membranes. Premature rupture of membranes may cause intra-amniotic infection syndrome and delayed labor during delivery. The impact on the fetus is that it is prone to premature birth and intrauterine infection.

Pregnant women with gonorrhea may experience premature birth. If the fetus is infected, fetal distress, intrauterine growth retardation, and even stillbirth or fetal death may occur. If the fetus survives birth, it may die from gonococcal sepsis.

Symptoms of gonorrhea during pregnancy

The incubation period of gonococcal infection ranges from 1 to 14 days. Neonatal gonococcal conjunctivitis usually occurs within 1 to 2 weeks after birth. Symptoms include swollen eyelids of both eyes, red conjunctiva, eyelashes sticking together, purulent secretions when eyes are open, and pus overflow when local pressure is applied. If not treated promptly, conjunctivitis will worsen and cause gonococcal orbital cellulitis. It may also infiltrate the cornea to form corneal ulcers, opacities, and even lead to blindness.

Pregnancy complicated by gonorrhea can lead to infected abortion and infection after induced abortion. In the late pregnancy, pregnant women may also suffer from premature rupture of membranes, or amniotic fluid rupture, due to gonococcal cervicitis. If the fetal membrane ruptures prematurely, the pregnant woman will develop intra-amniotic infection syndrome and experience delayed labor during delivery. The fetus may be born prematurely or suffer from intrauterine infection. Data show that the incidence of premature birth in pregnant women with gonorrhea is about 17%. Fetal infection is prone to fetal distress, intrauterine growth retardation, and even stillbirth.

In addition, pregnant women with gonorrhea often develop postpartum infection. If the fetus can be delivered vaginally, neonatal gonococcal conjunctivitis, pneumonia, and even gonococcal sepsis may occur, increasing the neonatal mortality rate.

3. Causes of gonorrhea during pregnancy

Gonorrhea during pregnancy is mainly caused by bacterial infection. This bacterium is gonococcus, a Gram-negative coccus that mostly parasitizes the urogenital system of patients with gonorrhea. The surface of gonococci contains adhesion factors, which can not only adhere to and invade the mucosal epithelium, but also cause damage, necrosis and shedding of mucosal epithelial cells. This bacterium is able to resist the killing effects of antibodies and complement, can multiply in large numbers in the infected lesions, and spread in the urogenital system.

In traditional Chinese medicine, unclean sexual behavior, dampness, heat, filth, etc. entering the female vagina will cause local blood and qi to flow poorly, which will lead to kidney deficiency and yin deficiency, and internal blood stasis over time, which is actually a manifestation of kidney deficiency.