Intrauterine infection

Intrauterine infection is a condition in which the baby is contaminated with microorganisms still inside the uterus due to situations such as rupture of the membranes and the pouch for more than 24 hours, without the birth of the baby or due to the transmission of diseases from the mother to the baby, like toxoplasmosis.

Main symptoms

Symptoms of intrauterine infection in the woman

Intrauterine infection may or may not show symptoms in pregnant women, 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 the infection in the baby.

What causes intrauterine infection

Some possible causes of intrauterine infection are the presence of group B betahemolytic streptococcus bacteria in the vaginal canal associated with rupture of the bag more than 18h without the baby's birth, ingestion of food contaminated with toxoplasmosis and urinary tract infection during pregnancy and childbirth.

How to treat intrauterine infection

The infected baby should be treated promptly. Identifying the group of bacteria that colonize the baby is essential for the success of the treatment and to reduce the risk of sequelae, although in some cases this is no longer possible, as the baby may be born with some congenital deformation, as in the case of rubella.

Doing prenatal care and following all the obstetrician's recommendations are very important attitudes to reduce the risk of situations such as those mentioned above.