| Disease |
Symptoms |
Danger
to Mother |
Danger
to Baby |
Treatment |
| AIDS |
long lasting
infections, diarrhea, night sweats, fever, weight loss, swollen
glands, coughing, shortness of breath |
immune system
damage leading to cancer, pneumonia, brain damage, death. |
fetus can get
virus from mother during pregnancy or delivery: immune system
damage leading to death in a few years |
drugs now improve
the outcome for infected individuals: drug treatment of HIV
positive women reduces the risk of passing the infection on to the
baby by two thirds |
| Chlamydia |
itching or
burning during urination, vaginal discharge, whitish discharge
from penis, pelvic pain, or no symptoms at all |
pelvic disease,
sterility |
baby can catch
during vaginal birth, causing ear and eye infections, pneumonia |
can be cured with
antibiotics |
| Genital
Herpes |
sores on penis or
vagina, vaginal discharge |
First attack very
painful, recurrent less painful |
baby can catch
during vaginal birth, causing severe skin infections, nervous
system damage, blindness, mental retardation, death |
symptoms can be
treated; no cure for the disease; may occur 4 to 7 times per year |
| Gonorrhea |
vaginal
discharge, burning during urination; most women have no symptoms |
pelvic disease,
infertility, arthritis |
baby can catch
during vaginal birth, causing serious eye infection, blindness |
can be cured with
drugs; once fetus is damaged, there is no cure |
| Syphilis |
sore penis or
vagina, mouth, anus, or elsewhere; low fever, sore throat, other
sores or rashes |
if untreated can
cause damage to heart, blood vessels and nervous system,
blindness, insanity and death |
fetus can catch
before birth, damaging bones, liver, lungs, blood vessels;
infected fetuses can die before or after birth. |
can be cured with
drugs; once fetus is damaged, there is no cure |
