Intrauterine infection is a condition in which the baby is contaminated with microorganisms still inside the uterus due to situations like rupture of the membranes and the pouch more than 24 hours without the birth of the baby or due to the transmission of diseases of the mother to the baby, such as toxoplasmosis.
Main symptoms
Symptoms of intrauterine infection in women
The intrauterine infection may or may not present symptoms in the pregnant when they generate, they are:
- fever;
- fetid discharge;
- leukocytosis;
- abdominal pain;
- fetal tachycardia.
Symptoms of intrauterine infection in the baby
The signs and symptoms of a newborn with intrauterine infection are:
- difficulty breathing;
- purplish skin and lips;
- apnea;
- little suction;
- apathy;
- fever;
- low temperature;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- slow movements;
- yellowish skin (jaundice).
Learn more details of the symptoms and treatment of infection in the baby.
What Causes Intrauterine Infection
Some possible causes of intrauterine infection are the presence of beta-hemolytic group B streptococcus bacteria in the vaginal canal associated with rupture of the pouch more than 18 hours without the birth of the baby, food intake contaminated with toxoplasmosis and urinary tract infection during pregnancy and childbirth.
How To Treat Intrauterine Infection
The infected baby should be treated quickly. Identifying the group of colonizing bacteria of the baby is fundamental to the success of the treatment and to reduce the risk of sequelae, although in some this is no longer possible, because the baby can be born with some congenital deformation, as in the case of rubella.
Prenatal care and follow-up of all obstetrician's recommendations are very important attitudes to reduce the risk of situations such as those mentioned above.
