Can MRSA Affect Pregnancy

Having a baby is quite possibly one of the greatest experiences in one's life. Bringing somebody into the world is incredibly exciting, as well as incredibly scary. There are a lot of things that can happen while a baby is still in its mother's womb. Everything the mother does, and everything that is done to the mother can have a direct result to the baby. Even getting sick has a huge effect on the unborn child.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA is an incredibly dangerous staph infection. It used to only be typically found in hospitals, however the infection has grown into a community-associated infection and can be caught anywhere. It generally attacks people who have a weakened immune system, and pregnant women are no exception. MRSA infection outbreaks have been documented in pregnant and postpartum women and in infants in neonatal intensive care units. A test was done to see the effects MRSA has on pregnant women and their children.

The study took several rectal and vaginal specimens were collected from women who were between 35 and 37 weeks gestation. Suring the six month study, 17 percent were positive in having staph infections, and 2.8 percent of them have MRSA. Although this number is very small, the scientists conducted that there was still a chance that MRSA could be transmitted down to their infants. However, the situation could only become problematic if the mother's immune system becomes impaired for any reason during the pregnancy. In the case of MRSA, it can cause congenital anomalies in the fetus.

Other ways the MRSA infection could spread is during the delivery. The baby's immune system is under developed and isn't strong enough to battle serious infections and could put the newborn in potential danger of contracting MRSA.

The only thing a mother can do to fight MRSA is to take the antibiotic muciprocin and apply it to the surface of your skin and inside of your nose where MRSA usually resides. If muciprocin doesn't work there are some alternatives, some stronger antibiotics, but they can be dangerous for the pregnant women and can put the pregnancy in potential danger. If you fear you have the MRSA infection, it is important to talk with your physician to see what your best option is. Knowing that you have it before the pregnancy is the best way to stop the potential spread of the infection to your child.