Exposed to Vaginal Infection during Pregnancy. Is dangerous

Pregnancy can make your body vulnerable to infection, one of which is a vaginal infection. Pregnant women who experience this will certainly worry and wonder whether getting vaginal infections during pregnancy can be dangerous or not. To find out the answer, let's consider the following review. Pregnant women are prone to vaginal infections due to a weakened immune system. A number of complaints, such as vaginal discharge, itching in the genitals, and the unpleasant odor from the vagina, can be a sign that pregnant women have vaginal infections. If not treated properly, it has the potential to cause health problems for the fetus in the womb.

Two Common Causes of Vaginal Infection During Pregnancy

Pregnant women need to recognize the symptoms of vaginal infections and their proper treatment. In general, vaginal infections during pregnancy can be caused by two things, namely:

Vaginal infections due to fungus

Fungal vaginal infections may be caused by increased pregnancy hormone levels during pregnancy. This high hormone can make your vagina produce more sugar, called glycogen. This substance can make mold grow more easily in the vagina. If you have a vaginal yeast infection, the symptoms that can appear are:

• White and thick liquid comes out of the vagina. This liquid does not smell.
• The vagina and surrounding areas are itchy and painful, tender, reddish in color, and sometimes accompanied
• Pain during urination and sexual intercourse.

Fungal infections in the vagina are a common problem during pregnancy, especially in the second trimester of pregnancy. This infection does not endanger pregnancy. Even so, the symptoms caused can make you uncomfortable. In addition, although it does not endanger pregnancy and fetal development, this condition can cause thrush in newborns. This happens because the baby is in contact with the fungus in the vagina when he was born. Therefore, it is important to treat vaginal yeast infections during pregnancy. But during pregnancy, you should not treat any yeast infection with over-the-counter medicines without a doctor's prescription. Consult your doctor first so that you can get medicines that are safe for pregnant women.

Bacterial vaginal infections (bacterial vaginosis)

Under normal conditions, the vagina is protected by good bacteria. If the growth of good bacteria is disrupted or the number of good bacteria decreases, the bad bacteria that cause disease can grow. This condition is called bacterial vaginosis or bacterial vaginosis (BV). There are several factors that can increase your risk of having this infection, including the consumption of antibiotics, the use of vaginal cleansers, hormonal changes during pregnancy, and risky sexual relations. Some women who suffer from BV do not feel any symptoms. But if this infection causes symptoms, you may experience:

• A white or grayish-smelling discharge comes out of the vagina. In certain cases, the liquid can foam.
• Itching or tenderness which can also be felt around
• Pain when urinating.

In pregnant women, vaginal infections due to bacteria that are not handled properly can increase the risk of pregnancy complications, such as miscarriages, premature babies, low birth weight babies, and pelvic inflammation after giving birth. If this disease occurs due to unprotected sex, then you, your partner, and the baby in the womb are also at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as herpes, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Vaginal infections caused by bacteria can generally be treated using antibiotics prescribed by doctors, both in the form of tablets taken or ointments applied to the vagina.

This method can prevent you from getting vaginal infections during pregnancy

There are several things you can do to avoid vaginal infections during pregnancy, namely:

• Avoid cleaning the vagina with feminine soap or cleaning fluid. Just clean your vaginal area with warm water.
• Use loose, cotton underwear to absorb sweat around the genitals.
• Try to sleep without wearing panties, to facilitate the exchange of air to your intimate area.
• Clean the vagina from front to back, that is from the direction of the vagina to the anus, not vice versa.
• After swimming or doing activities that make your underwear wet, immediately replace it with dry underwear.
• Use condoms during sex.

Even though there are many over-the-counter medicines that can be purchased without a prescription to treat vaginal infections, you are still advised to consult a doctor if you experience vaginal infections during pregnancy. This aims to ascertain what causes it, as well as determine safe treatment.