STD testing is an important part of the process of family planning. Some STDs can interfere with fertility, making it difficult to get pregnant. Many STDs can also cause health problems for the baby, including blindness, brain damage, or death. Treatment can help, so testing is crucial.
Family planning allows the parents-to-be to prepare for the experience of pregnancy and birth. Any general health problems may affect the baby, so it’s important for the mother to have a check-up with her doctor. In addition, STD testing for both the male and female partners should be a part of the %family planning% process.
Many STDs may have no apparent symptoms, so it’s common for people to be infected with an STD and not to know it. Many of these diseases are also very prevalent, and so most people who are sexually active have been exposed to one or more STDs during their lifetime. Men and women may carry an STD for years and never know about it.
Some STDs can interfere with fertility, making it difficult to get pregnant. These include gonorrhea and chlamydia, which can affect a woman’s reproductive system (especially the fallopian tubes) even if they don’t cause noticeable symptoms. As part of the family planning process, it’s important to treat any condition that could make it difficult for the couple to achieve a pregnancy.
Many STDs can also cause health problems for the baby. Blindness can be caused by gonorrhea and chlamydia. Brain damage can be caused by herpes. Some STDs can even kill the baby, including HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis. Treatment of the STD as early as possible can protect the baby. Waiting until later in the pregnancy to begin treatment reduces the chances that it will work, which puts the baby at greater risk.
Many doctors don’t include %STD testing% as a part of a general health or pre-pregnancy check-up. Therefore, you should visit an STD clinic to get the necessary testing before you start attempting to get pregnant. It only takes one appointment to get all of the tests you need.
Both the male and female partners need to have STD testing before they begin the process of attempting to get pregnant. This protects both the mother and the baby. As they attempt to conceive, the couple will no longer be able to use condoms, and so the female partner won’t have protection from any STD that the male partner is carrying. STD testing ensures that he’s healthy, and that any STDs he has have been treated, so he can’t pass them to his female partner. If she acquired an STD from him, it would also affect the baby, so testing for the male partner is important to protect the baby as well as the mother.
Couples who skip the important step of %STD testing in Singapore% may find that they have trouble getting pregnant, or there may be health consequences for the baby later on. For many STDs, treatment is available, and can cure the infection or can help prevent it from being passed on to the baby. Treatment works best if it’s started as early as possible.
STD testing in Singapore will give your baby the best chance at a healthy life. If it’s included as part of family planning, you can increase your chances of conceiving a baby, and you can help to ensure that your child is born healthy. One appointment to an STD clinic could benefit your child for his or her whole life.
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “STDs During Pregnancy - CDC Fact Sheet.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published 20 May 2016. Accessed 9 Jun 2016.
http://www.cdc.gov/std/pregnancy/stdfact-pregnancy.htm
Mayo Clinic Staff. “STDs and Pregnancy: Get the Facts.” Mayo Clinic. Published 10 Jan 2015. Accessed 9 Jun 2016.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/stds-and-pregnancy/art-20115106