Every future mother is dreaming about the birth of a healthy baby, and at the same time she is not delighted with frequent visits to women's consultations and the delivery of various analyzes. But all these studies are simply necessary to protect the still unborn child from the insidiousness of intrauterine infection. And in order not to talk about its terrible consequences, it is better to do everything for its prevention.
Intrauterine infection (VUI) refers to the infectious processes or diseases of the fetus and newborn, the causative agents of which are bacteria (streptococci, chlamydia, E. coli, etc.), viruses (rubella, herpes, influenza, hepatitis B, cytomegaly, etc.), fungi genus Candida, protozoa (toxoplasm). The most dangerous for the baby are those with whom his mother first met during pregnancy, that is, if she already has immunity to rubella, including after vaccination, then this infection will not affect the fetus.
Intrauterine infection of the fetus may occur before the onset of labor through the placenta (hematogenous way, through the blood) or less often through amniotic fluid, the infection of which can cause infections of the vagina, fallopian tubes or amniotic membranes. In this case, we are talking about antenatal infection of the fetus. And if he becomes infected while passing through the infected birth canal - about the intranatal.
Intrauterine fetal infections - symptoms
Symptoms of an infection that affects the fetus depend on the gestation age at which the infection occurred and the routes of infection:
- a few weeks after conception - there is a miscarriage, and a woman may not know about her pregnancy;
- 2-10 weeks - the main organs and systems are affected by their formation, this can result in miscarriage or the birth of a child with vices that are practically incompatible with life;
- 10-28 weeks - infection causes a lot of incurable or long-term treatment of systemic defects;
- 28-40 weeks - fetal development abnormalities are compatible with life, but require obligatory medication;
- childbirth - infection leads to pneumonia in the newborn.
Intrauterine infection of newborns and young children - consequences
As studies show, the effects of intrauterine infection in newborns, which are often born in 36-38 weeks, are hypoxia, hypotrophy, respiratory disorders, edema. And in most newborns, mildly expressed signs of the disease is a problem in their diagnosis.
A few months later, children with VUI can experience pneumonia, conjunctivitis, urinary tract infections, encephalitis, meningitis, and hepatitis. Diseases of the kidneys, liver and respiratory organs in such children of the first year of life are amenable to treatment. But already at the age of 2 they have a delay
Because of the pathology of vision, hearing, motor and mental disorders, epilepsy, they become disabled, and the development gap leads to the impossibility of obtaining an education. This problem can only be solved with the timely detection and correction of deviations in the development of children who have undergone intrauterine infection.