Can Herpes Stop You From Getting Pregnant?

The complications PID can have on pregnancy and fertility are as follows:

• Ectopic pregnancy – ectopic pregnancy is pregnancy outside of the uterus, where pregnancy should occur. In its early stages, it carries out as a healthy pregnancy would. However, the most noticeable sign will be vaginal bleeding, which you should get checked immediately. The worst cases could lead to death. 
• Tubo-Ovarian Abscess – is an inflammation in a woman’s fallopian tubes, ovaries, or surrounding organs. This is a potentially life-threatening condition, which will require medication or surgery. 
• Tubal Factor Infertility – this is when a woman’s fallopian tubes are damaged or blocked, prohibiting fertilization. In cases of partial blockage, these could lead to ectopic pregnancies.

Gonorrhea

Like chlamydia, gonorrhea is a commonly spread bacteria in the United States. While it is more common in men than women, it can hit women during pregnancy too. In many cases, this STI can lead to miscarriages, premature birth, and low birth weight.

According to Healthline, some common symptoms are:

• discharge of yellow mucus and pus from the vagina
• painful urination
• abnormal menstrual bleeding

Gonorrhea can be passed on to children during vaginal delivery. It could cause scalp infections, upper respiratory infections, urethritis, and more. What’s scarier is that many pregnant women will not show the usual symptoms. It’s recommended to be tested for common STIs regularly during pregnancy.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

HPV is the most common STI in the United States, with 79 million Americans having this infection. This virus is so common that if you regularly have sex, you are bound to get at least one strain of it in your lifetime. Certain types of it can cause genital warts and cancer. Most people who have HPV will typically not even exhibit symptoms throughout their lives.

When it does show symptoms, it’s usually in the form of genital warts and abnormal Pap tests for women. Luckily, HPV and its vaccines do not lead to infertility. However, if precancerous cells are found in your cervix, the treatment may affect future pregnancies. If the procedure removes too much cervical tissue, this may lead to miscarriages.

Syphilis

Syphilis is an STI that generally goes through stages (primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary). The visual indication of syphilis are sores that are usually found around the mouth, genitals, and anus. You can get this virus by coming into direct physical contact with one of these sores.

Doctors will typically conduct a blood test to diagnose syphilis. If you’re pregnant while having this virus, you are likely to pass it onto your child. In 40% of untreated cases, the infant was stillborn or succumbed to the infection as a newborn. Babies born with congenital syphilis will have numerous health complications. If syphilis is not treated, it can spread to the brain and nervous system, even kill you.

Syphilis in pregnant women can be treated through antibiotics. However, you may need more aggressive procedures to address the damage syphilis has done.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

HIV is a virus that attacks your immune system. In severe cases, it evolves into Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a chronic and potentially life-threatening disease.

HIV does not affect fertility, meaning you can still can pregnant despite having it. However, there is a very real chance that you may pass the virus onto your newborn. If you plan on getting pregnant, you must start taking HIV medicine if you haven’t already. Doing so will highly reduce the odds of passing this virus on.

You might also want to consider a cesarean section to reduce those odds further. After giving birth, you will likely be asked not to breastfeed as HIV can be transmitted through breastmilk.