Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (also called STI, sexually transmitted disease or STD). An STI is an infection you can get from having unprotected sex or intimate physical contact with someone who is infected. You can get an STI from unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex. You also can get syphilis by having direct contact with (touching or kissing) an infected person’s syphilis sore. Sores usually are found on the external genitals (also called sex organs) or in the vagina, anus or rectum. They also can be on a person’s lips and in the mouth. If you have syphilis and don’t get treated right away, you can pass the infection to your baby. Up to 2 in 5 babies (40 percent) born to women with untreated syphilis die from the infection. Most of the time, syphilis is passed from mom to baby during pregnancy, but it can happen during vaginal birth if a baby has direct contact with a syphilis sore. Vaginal birth is when contractions in your uterus (womb) help push your baby out through the vagina. When your baby is born with syphilis, it’s called congenital syphilis. At your first prenatal care visit, your health care provider does a blood test to check for STIs like syphilis. Your provider also asks about your sexual history to see if you may be at risk for having syphilis. A sexual history is a set of questions your provider asks about your sex life. For example, your provider asks about your sex partners, what kinds of sex you have, if you use birth control, if you’ve had an STI in the past and how you protect yourself from STIs. If your provider thinks you may have syphilis or another STI based on your sexual history, she may test your blood again in your third trimester and after you give birth.
Can syphilis during pregnancy cause problems for your baby?
Yes. Having syphilis can cause problems during pregnancy, including:
Having syphilis during pregnancy can cause problems for your baby after birth, too, including neonatal death and serious lifelong health conditions for your baby. Neonatal death is when a baby dies in the first 28 days of life.
Stillbirth and neonatal death are more likely to happen to your baby if you have syphilis and don’t get treated. What are the signs and symptoms of syphilis and how is syphilis treated?Signs and symptoms of syphilis depend on how long you’ve been infected and when you get treatment. Even if your signs and symptoms go away without treatment, the infection can get worse. If you think you have syphilis, tell your provider. If you’re pregnant, have syphilis and get treated for syphilis before 26 weeks of pregnancy, your baby is probably safe from the infection. Signs and symptoms of syphilis happen over time in stages. The stage you’re in depends on whether or not you get treatment. Treatment usually is with an antibiotic called penicillin. Antibiotics are medicines that kill infections caused by bacteria. Treatment can prevent you from moving to the next stage, so it’s important to get treated as soon as you know you’re infected. Stages of syphilis include:
Primary syphilis. The first sign of syphilis is a small, hard, painless sore called a chancre that usually develops in the genital or vaginal area. You may have one or a few sores. They last for about 6 weeks, even if you get treatment.
Secondary syphilis. In the second stage, you have sores and a rash on the palms of your hands and on the bottoms of your feet. You also may have:
Latent syphilis. In this stage, your signs and symptoms go away, but you’re still infected. The infection can stay in your body for years without having any signs or symptoms.
Late syphilis. If you don’t get treatment for syphilis, you can have signs and symptoms later in life, including:
If you have primary or secondary syphilis, one shot of penicillin usually can cure the infection. If you have latent or late syphilis, you may need more than one shot. How can you protect yourself from syphilis?Here’s what you can do:
If congenital syphilis is suspected a specialist should be consulted. Antenatal syphilis screening is recommended in the first trimester. Patients at increased risk, for example, Aboriginal women, should have a further test in the third trimester. Additional antenatal screening is required in high-risk communities during syphilis outbreaks:
The Communicable Disease Control Branch, SA Health issues public health alerts when a syphilis outbreak occurs. Positive tests during pregnancy should be evaluated rapidly on history and examination, with testing of contacts and, if unresolved a further RPR (two weeks after the first test). Syphilis in pregnancy should be treated with the standard regimen used for the same clinical stage of syphilis in non-pregnant people. The only exception is early syphilis diagnosed in the third trimester of pregnancy, which should be treated with: Benzathine penicillin G 1.8 gm (2.4 million units) im weekly for two weeks. Coordination of pre-natal and post-natal care is vital. When syphilis is diagnosed in the second half of pregnancy an ultrasound evaluation for congenital syphilis should be done, but should not delay treatment. If active syphilis cannot be reasonably excluded by this process the patient should be treated for early syphilis, as a safeguard against foetal infection. Pregnant patients with a history of penicillin allergy should be desensitised and treated with penicillin. No proven alternatives for maternal or foetal infection exist. Treatment for syphilis in pregnancy should have follow-up RPR at 28 to 32 weeks gestation and at delivery, and beyond for their clinical stage of syphilis. Treatment during the second half of pregnancy involves a risk of premature labour and foetal distress, due to a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. Patients over 20 weeks of pregnancy requiring treatment for syphilis should be discussed with the attending Obstetrician prior to treatment, but treatment should not be delayed. HIV testing should be offered to all patients with syphilis, including pregnant patients. If the patient completes treatment with penicillin more than four weeks before delivery, risk to the infant is minimal, and follow up of the infant involves clinical examination at birth, serology at birth and thereafter three monthly until RPR is negative. If maternal treatment was:
The infant should be treated at birth and have repeat serology three-monthly until the RPR becomes negative. The CSF should be examined before treatment if there is a substantial risk of congenital syphilis. Aqueous crystalline penicillin G 50,000 units/kg i.v. 12 hourly for the first seven days of life and every eight hours thereafter for a total of ten days OR Aqueous procaine penicillin G 50,000 units/kg im in a single daily dose for ten days. For asymptomatic infants with normal CSF and for whom follow up cannot be guaranteed: Benzathine penicillin G 50,000 units/kg im as one dose. Further informationFor further information on the management of syphilis during pregnancy contact Adelaide Sexual Health Centre. DisclaimerThese guidelines are based on a review of current literature, current recommendations of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV and local expert opinion. They are written primarily for use by Adelaide Sexual Health Centre staff and some flexibility is required in applying them to certain private practice situations. ^ Back to top |