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Many pregnant women are not
following recommendations that they undergo testing for certain STDs, according
to a new study.
CDC and the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) say all pregnant women should be tested
for chlamydia at their first prenatal visit. CDC and other groups also
recommend gonorrhea screening for pregnant women at increased risk, including
those younger than 25 and residents of areas of the country where the STD is
common.
The new study showed that of almost
1.3 million US women who had blood tests done during pregnancy, only 59 percent
were tested for chlamydia. Fifty-seven percent were screened for gonorrhea.
Because not all pregnant women are
counseled to be tested for gonorrhea, it is difficult to determine whether the
57 percent rate is appropriate, according to Dr. Jay M. Lieberman, who worked
on the study. Lieberman is infectious-diseases medical director at Quest
Diagnostics Inc., which financed the research. But he noted the results found
that some women for whom guidelines indicated screening did not get tested: Of
pregnant women ages 16-24, only 69 percent were tested for gonorrhea. Left
untreated, both STDs can endanger the health of a mother and her baby.
One limitation of the study is that
it is based on tests conducted between 2005 and 2008, when screening guidelines
were in transition. ACOG issued its guidelines in 2007.
Despite acknowledging that the
situation is evolving, Lieberman said, “there’s also no evidence that screening
rates have improved.” In 2009, a CDC study found that only a minority of all US
women for whom chlamydia screening was indicated had undergone the test.
Lieberman said the current study’s
data do not indicate why women were not taking the recommended tests. While
access to care is a challenge for some, all the participants were receiving
prenatal care. Pregnant women should consult their doctors if they have not
been tested for STDs or do not know if they have been tested.
[PNU editor’s note: The study,
“Chlamydial and Gonococcal Testing During Pregnancy in the United States,” was
published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
(2012;doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2012.04.027).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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