Treatment of Clamidiosis during pregnancy
Treatment of Clamidiosis is not an easy task. This infection is difficult to treat, because chlamidia dwell inside the cells of human body, and only few antibiotics are capable of penetrating there. Clamidiosis had long been treated with tetracycline antibiotics, but this method of treatment was rejected due to great number of side effects occurring due to continuous treatment with these antibiotics. Besides that, tetracycline antibiotics are contraindicated during pregnancy.
Presently standard therapy for clamidiosis includes using macrolide antibiotics. In the Europe the recommended medicines for treating clamidiosis are: Zithromax (Azithromycin) -1mg taken once a day, or Doxycycline – 100mg taken twice a day during one week.
Other medicines which also could be used for the treatment are Erythromycin (PCE), Biaxin (Clarithromycin), Floxin (Ofloxacin). Their dosage should be determined by a healthcare professional individually for each patient.
For treating clamidiosis during pregnancy, it is recommended to use Erythromycin (PCE), which is considered to be safe for pregnant women and fetus.
Multimodality therapy for clamidiosis during pregnancy includes a course of intestinal and vaginal micro flora correction and a course of immunity stimulation (with herbal immunomodulators, vitamins and minerals). The general treatment regimen is specified by the pregnancy supervising doctor.
Prevention of Clamidiosis during or before pregnancy consists in personal hygiene and use of physical methods of protection against infections (condoms). It is very important to detect clamidiosis timely and start effective treatment before pregnancy.
Clamidiosis symptoms during pregnancy
The symptoms of clamidiosis depend on the stage of the infection development and localization of the inflammatory process. Chlamydia usually causes urethritis (inflammation of the urinary tract) and prostatitis in men. Cases of urethritis in women are much rarer. The symptoms of urethritis caused by Chlamydia include scarce discharges from the urinary tract, urethral burning and pain; but very often the infection runs without any apparent symptoms.
In women Clamidiosis usually affects the neck of womb (cervicitis). The infection develops in the cervical canal of the uterus (neck of womb); the neck of womb becomes edematic, enlarged and inflamed. Continuous inflammation leads t desquamation of uterine neck epithelium and cervical erosion.
In pregnant women, young girls and menopausal women clamidiosis is mainly localized in vagina or in subvaginal glands. Such a localization of the infectious process during pregnancy is associated with hormonal changes in a body of a pregnant woman (lack of estrogens).
Development of Clamidiosis during early pregnancy may cause miscarriage or interruption of pregnancy. One of the reasons for interruption of pregnancy in women infected with clamidiosis is development of placental insufficiency which becomes a reason for oxygen and nutrient supply failure to the developing fetus. During late pregnancy the disease affects placenta, fetal membranes and internal organs of the fetus.
It is worth mentioning that urogenital Clamidiosis may develop in a lantern form (without apparent symptoms). That is why diagnosing Clamidiosis and timely eradication of the disease is crucial in the periods of pregnancy planning or prenatal care.
Disease process. Phases of clamidiosis.
Clamidiosis develops in the following way: when a person contacts with the source of infection (infection carrier) Clamidia get into mucous membranes of his body. Then these microbes get into epithelial cells where they are able to survive for a long time. In response to infection an inflammatory response is developed which leads to observable changes in the structure of the affected tissues. Involvement of uterine tubes and ovaries may result in infertility. During pregnancy clamidiosis is often localized in the regions of neck of womb. Chronic inflammation has a negative effect on the development of pregnancy and in some cases may become a reason for termination of pregnancy. Prenatal infection of the fetus leads to various developmental defect and even death of the fetus.
What is clamidiosis? How is the disease transmitted?
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Chlamydia is a group of microbes which resemble both bacteria and viruses at the same time. Chlamydia is much larger than viruses and smaller than bacteria. Like viruses Chlamydia cannot exist outside host’s body, where it parasitizes inside cells.
Chlamydia are unable to generate energy on their own, that is why they are able to survive only inside the cells of the infected organism. Chlamydia have high affinity to epithelial cells of the urogenital tract; this explains why Chlamydia mostly affects genital and urinary tracts of the patients. However, in some cases Chlamydia may inhabit the epithelium of the large intestine. It usually happens due to intestinal disbacteriosis. During pregnancy Chlamydia affects urogenital tract of a woman, though very often it also affects the fetus and fetal membranes.
The source of Clamidiosis is Chlamydia carrier. It is worth mentioning that very often the disease runs without any symptoms in the carrier so that the carrier himself may not suspect that he is a source of these microbes.
Clamidiosis is a classic example of a sexually transmitted disease. Actually, Chlamydia infection is mainly transmitted by sexual intercourse. Condoms may slightly reduce the risk of getting Clamidiosis. It is also possible to get infected through contaminated objects; however the rate of this form of transmission is rather insignificant. During pregnancy vertical transmission of the infection occurs (i.e. from mother to fetus). Clamidiosis is spread to fetal membranes and penetrates into amniotic fluid. Fetal infection occurs when the fetus ingests the infected amniotic fluid or when the infection gets into the mucous membranes of the fetus.
Generally, clamidiosis is detected in 10% of pregnant women who have no complications in anamnesis (medical history). If the patient has cases of miscarriage, sterility or tubo-ovaritis in her medical history, the risk of having chlamydia exceeds 60%. This fact should be taken notice of, and if you have a record of the mentioned complications in your anamnesis, you should necessarily be examined and possibly receive proper treatment for clamidiosis.
This may help to avoid complications during pregnancy.
Clamidiosis
Clamidiosis is a sexually transmitted disease but may also pass on from mother to baby during childbirth. Clamidiosis often accompanies other sexually transmitted diseases.
Clamidiosis agent (Chlamydia) first affects the neck of womb, and then advances causing inflammatory diseases of sex organs.
Clamidiosis represents a serious risk for pregnant women, since it may become a cause of miscarriage and severe complications. Babies born by infected moms come into world weak and unhealthy.
In men Chlamydia are localized in urethra causing prostitutes, urethral inflammation and other diseases.
After getting into body, Chlamydia is not likely to manifest itself within the first month of the infection. If you have been infected long, the disease will cause complications. Sometimes the disease does not manifest its symptoms at all (lantern form).
If you have been diagnosed with Clamidiosis, you should undergo the treatment course together with your sexual partner to avoid repeated infection.