Conditions

The conditions on this page have one thing in common: in gynaecology they matter not because of how common they are but because of timing. Rubella is harmless for an adult – in the first weeks of pregnancy it can seriously harm the baby. Whooping cough is a nuisance for the mother, life-threatening for a newborn. Hepatitis B is passed on at birth if nobody knows about it. And human papillomavirus is the only cause of cancer for which there is a vaccine.

Before a pregnancy it is therefore worth looking at your vaccination record and, where it tells you nothing, having a blood test: immunity to rubella, measles and chickenpox can be checked and topped up with live vaccines – at least a month before you stop contraception. During pregnancy itself, the vaccination against whooping cough is among those expressly recommended, and testing for hepatitis B is part of the Eltern-Kind-Pass. What to bear in mind about vaccination is explained under Vaccination before and during pregnancy.

HPV is the subject that concerns every woman: almost every woman is infected, almost every infection clears on its own, and the rest is the reason the annual smear exists. Vaccination, test and screening are brought together on the page HPV – human papillomavirus.

Allergies quite often show themselves first in the genital area – as an itch that is not thrush and does not respond to thrush treatment. Which tests exist and which medicines are possible in pregnancy is explained under Allergies and allergy testing.

The articles below describe each condition with cause, course, vaccination and what it would mean for a pregnancy. If you have symptoms, a fever during pregnancy or contact with one of the infections named here: do not wait for the next appointment, call. Make an appointment.