Your provider will also check for chlamydia and gonorrhea, either through a test on the same specimen collected for your Pap Test, or sometimes through a separate culture from the vagina. The treatment for both chlamydia and gonorrhea is antibiotics.
Why it’s important (gonorrhea): Gonorrhea can cause potential blindness in a newborn. It can also cause chorioamnionitis, which is an infection of the membrane surrounding the bag of water that surrounds the baby. This can result in premature rupture of membranes, resulting in premature births and subsequent infant complications.
Why it’s important (chlamydia): If a mother has chlamydia, half of all babies who pass through her birth canal will get the infection, which could cause conjunctivitis or chronic pneumonia.
