Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Infections and Pregnancy
During pregnancy, some common infections such as the common cold or a skin infection do not usually cause serious problems. Some infections, such as the flu, can be more severe when you're pregnant. But other infections can be harmful to you, your fetus, or both.
Certain infections during pregnancy may lead to or cause complications or health problems for your fetus, such as:
- Preterm birth
- Low birth weight
- Serious illness
- Birth defects
- Lifelong disabilities, such as hearing loss or learning problems
Some infections that can be harmful during pregnancy include:
- Bacterial vaginosis (BV)
- Group B strep (GBS)
- Cytomegalovirus
- Hepatitis
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- Toxoplasmosis
- Urinary tract infections
- Yeast infections
- Zika virus
Sometimes, it's hard to know what's normal during pregnancy. Symptoms of an infection can vary based on the infection. Talk with your health care provider about what symptoms to look for and how to keep healthy. But, if something is worrying you, share your symptoms with your provider for early detection and treatment of infections.
If you do get an infection during pregnancy, contact your provider about treatment that will best protect you and your fetus. Only some medicines are safe during pregnancy.
Taking care of yourself and getting early and regular prenatal care from your provider may help identify and treat infections early.
To lower your risk of certain infections or prevent others:
- Don't eat raw or undercooked meat.
- Don't share food or drinks with other people.
- Wash your hands frequently.
- Don't clean litter boxes. Cats can transmit toxoplasmosis.
- Talk to your provider about vaccinations.
- If you have sex, use a condom every time.
Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health
It sits within Infections, Pregnancy and Reproduction and Female Reproductive System.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Infections and Pregnancy
3,392 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Study of AU-007, A Monoclonal Antibody That Binds to IL-2 and Inhibits IL-2Rα Binding, in Patients With Unresectable Locally Advanced or Metastatic CancerAulos Bioscience, Inc.
- Managing Hepatitis B (Hep. B) and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Related Cancers and Mental Health.Eunice Dube
- A Study to Investigate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of AZD4144in Participants With Sepsis-associated Acute Kidney Injury.AstraZeneca
- The Cancer Connected Access and Remote Expertise Beyond Walls Program to Provide In-Home Cancer Treatment and Improve Treatment Satisfaction in Cancer Patients Living in the Florida Panhandle and Surrounding AreasMayo Clinic
- Extended Follow Up of Young Women in Costa Rica Who Received Vaccine for Human Papillomavirus Types 16 and 18 and Unvaccinated ControlsNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Dual-Modality Immunotherapy for HPV Clearance (DUAL-HPV)Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital
Research already completed
- Study of the Safety of a Particular Herpes Vaccine in Adults With or Without Herpes InfectionNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- Phase 2b Study to Investigate the Safety and Efficacy of TIN816 in Sepsis-associated Acute Kidney Injury (CLEAR-AKI)Novartis Pharmaceuticals
- Oral Lactobacillus Crispatus Lc-G22 as Adjunctive Therapy for Vulvovaginal CandidiasisBioGrowing Co., Ltd
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Pregnancy ComplicationsDepartment of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health
Diagnosis and Tests
- Strep B TestNational Library of Medicine
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Human Papillomavirus (HPV) VaccineOrganization of Teratology Information Specialists
- People at Risk: Pregnant WomenDepartment of Health and Human Services
- Preventing Group B Strep Disease in NewbornsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Vaccine Recommendations Before, During, and After PregnancyCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Related Issues
- Flu Vaccine Safety and PregnancyCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine (In Pregnancy and While Breastfeeding)Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Meningococcal Vaccines and PregnancyOrganization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Pregnancy and VaccinationCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Pregnant TravelersCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine and PregnancyOrganization of Teratology Information Specialists
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Infections and PregnancyNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Pregnancy Complications, Infectious. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Infections and Pregnancy, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.