Despite recommendations that pregnant women have tests for certain sexually transmitted diseases, many may not be getting them, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that of nearly 1.3 million U.S. women who had blood work done during pregnancy, only 59 percent were tested for Chlamydia — a common STD that can cause pregnancy complications or be passed on to newborns.

That’s despite the fact that experts generally recommend pregnant women be screened for Chlamydia.

In addition, 57 percent of women in the study were screened for gonorrhea — a test recommended for some pregnant women.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that all pregnant women should be tested for Chlamydia at their first prenatal visit. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has said the same since 2007.

As for gonorrhea, the CDC and other groups recommend screening for pregnant women who are at increased risk. that includes women younger than 25 and those living in areas of the country where gonorrhea is common.

“As our study shows, there’s a significant gap between the recommendations and actual practice,” said Dr. Jay M. Lieberman, who is medical director for infectious diseases at Quest Diagnostics inc. and worked on the study.

Quest is a diagnostic testing provider that operates labs throughout the U.S. The company offers STD testing and funded the new study.

Since not all pregnant women are advised to have gonorrhea testing, it’s difficult to tell whether the 57-percent rate in this study is appropriate or not, according to Lieberman.

However, he said, even women who should be screened, based on guidelines, are sometimes not. Of pregnant women ages 16 to 24, 69 percent were tested for gonorrhea, the researchers report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Screening plays an important role in catching Chlamydia or gonorrhea because both STDs often have no symptoms, Lieberman pointed out.

“These two infectious diseases are easy to diagnose, and easy to treat and cure,” he said.

But without screening, Lieberman added, many cases will be missed.

If left untreated, Chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to infertility or an ectopic pregnancy — a dangerous condition in which the fertilized egg grows outside the uterus.

Both STDs can also infect the baby during childbirth. Chlamydia can cause eye infections or pneumonia in newborns, while gonorrhea can lead to joint infections or serious blood infections.

A limitation of the current study is that it’s based on pregnant women who had blood tests done between 2005 and 2008. and during those years, screening guidelines were in flux; the ACOG recommendation came out in 2007, for example.

“Clearly, this is still evolving,” Lieberman said. But, he added, “there’s also no evidence that screening rates have improved.”

A 2009 CDC study, for example, found that only a minority of U.S. women who should be screened for Chlamydia actually had been. Screening is advised not only for pregnant women, but for certain other at-risk groups — like women age 25 or younger (see Reuters story of April 16, 2009).

Exactly why some pregnant women are not tested as recommended is unclear. “Our data don’t speak to that,” Lieberman said.

For some women, access to prenatal care is a hurdle, he noted. But the data in this study all came from women already in prenatal care.

Lieberman suggested pregnant women talk to their doctors if they have not been tested for STDs or are not sure if they have had testing. other STD tests done during pregnancy include ones for syphilis and HIV.

Sometimes, Lieberman noted, women are put off by the suggestion that they have STD testing. “But doing these tests is not a judgment on them or their behavior,” he said. “We’re just trying to do what needs to be done to make sure you’re healthy and your newborn is healthy.”

According to the CDC, about 100,000 pregnant women in the U.S. are infected with Chlamydia each year. Just over 13,000 have gonorrhea.

Pregnancy Nutrition Myths, if your tummy is growing, then you are probably the recipient of unsolicited advice on everything from what not to do, to what not to eat. Pregnancy nutrition is an important thing that you must take good care of during your pregnancy. Perfect pregnancy nutrition will also prove very helpful in decreasing the possible risk of having pregnancy complications and severe mood swings.

As with most situations, the most important factor in prepregnancy nutrition is ensuring that the mother is healthy and without any major factors which could worsen the chances of conceiving. Factors such as anorexia or bulimia are thought to be direct links with infertility; the minimum body mass index for conceiving mothers being 20.

With the proper pregnancy nutrition and continued medical care, you are on your way to enjoying a happy, healthy pregnancy and a wonderful birth. Your next call naturally enough is to your mother who has been through all this twice before and can help to guide you through the murky waters which the whole pregnancy nutrition question put into your head.

Use a pregnancy calendar to find out how your baby is growing and how to cope with pregnancy symptoms. An Introduction During pregnancy, you and your growing baby need more of several nutrients.

The importance of proper nutrition before and during pregnancy has been well documented for a long time. When preparing a pregnancy nutrition diet plan make it really personal.

Expecting moms are often motivated to improve pregnancy nutrition by wanting to do the right thing for their developing babies. Nutritional counseling and assessment should be a part of prenatal care and proper adequate nutrition is encouraged for optimal health for the mother and her baby.

Nutrition experts advise eating from the five basic food groups every day, drinking plenty of water, and taking a prenatal multivitamin recommended by your doctor or dietitian. Nutritionists recommend six to eight glasses of water a day and as a bonus it will help you avoid constipation. Learn which foods you should avoid, and how much weight you should gain.

Women at risk of gaining too much weight should be cautioned to limit their intake of sweetened fluids, including juice, and to consume more water. Women who are pregnant and breastfeeding, and those who intend to become pregnant, should eat between two and three cans of tuna (95gm) per week. Women who eat well and gain an appropriate amount of weight are more likely to have healthy babies.

Women who count calories during pregnancy could be condemning their unborn children to a lifetime of obesity, scientists have warned. on average, overweight women gain less weight than their thinner counterparts. though it is not unusual for obese women to achieve normal birth outcomes with less than the recommended weight gain.

You can gain a lot of weight eating junk food, or you can gain a lot of weight eating the right amount of healthy foods. if you’re concerned because you drank alcohol before you knew you were pregnant or you think you need help to stop drinking, talk with your health care provider.

Weight gain during pregnancy is both something pregnant women hate to talk about and something that is continuously confusing for most women. Weight reduction diets, while pregnant, can cause grave harm to the baby.

Do not starve and do not try to lose weight during your pregnancy. You can eat more, but if you eliminate the junk foods and empty calories from your diet, you will not gain unnecessary weight. therefore, the total weight gain should be around 25-30 pounds.

The best way to increase average mass is to keep a check on the week by week gain by following a pregnancy nutrition diet plan. whatever your situation may be, you should be cautious of your diet during the nine-month period.

The most basic thing you can do to ensure that you have a successful pregnancy is to ensure that your diet is balanced. in fact, if you don’t get enough calcium in your diet during pregnancy, the growing fetus may take what it needs from your bones.

You want to shave WHERE?Cesareans are not simple procedures. They are MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERIES. with c-sections on the rise in the US, I was determined during my pregnancy not to be a statistic. I did natural childbirth with my first son and although I had placenta abruptia, I still delivered vaginally. I assumed I’d be fine with my second. Boy was I wrong! Caesarean! Not in the plan!

But when faced with pregnancy complications, what choice do women have? there are reasons for them: multiple births, complications (like abruptia!), maternal infection (had that, too), health concerns for mother or baby, abnormal birth positions (sounds familiar). the World Health Organization recommends no more than a 15 percent c-section rate. in the US? it was estimated to be 32 percent in 2007. THIRTY. TWO. That’s one-third, for those of you not good at math.

When I labored with #2, I was two weeks overdue and began having symptoms of abruptia. again. and then I was septic. Then they couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat. and on top of that fact he turned and was presenting shoulder first. Lucky me! That’s when they decided to do a c-section. Immediately or sooner. through my fever-induced delirium I thought, “C-section? Me? NO. I’m doing it naturally! no drugs! It’ll be fun!” Yeah, about that.

I had to have a cesarean. As in, NECESSARY. They called up the anesthesiologist and I got a very quick epidural (and now I know what heaven feels like. I’d still do natural all over again, though). Then, a nurse who apparently never shaved her carpet got a disposable razor out and hacked away at the hair to make room for the incision (Note: If you KNOW you are having a C? Do this yourself ahead of time. TRUST ME ON THIS). this itches like a MOFO later when it grows in.

Then they had me drink antacid so you don’t puke during the cesarean. except it made me puke immediately. SCORE! after I was “prepped” they took me to the OR across the hall and hooked me up to machines. All the while they told me NOT TO PUSH. Now, I was there for natural childbirth and had been laboring for hours and was fully dilated. Not pushing is kinda hard at that point.

When they got me situated on the table they let my husband come in. at least, I think it was him. Hard to tell, with the gown and mask and whatnot. first, they make an incision the lower abdomen, pull out your uterus (I think that’s what it was), and open it up to take out your baby. Sort of. Mine was kinda down in the canal a bit and they had to go in the other end (as in, through my vagina) and push him back in. that was fun. By the way, it kinda looks like spaghetti. For the record, I wasn’t supposed to be watching, but they didn’t realize I could see the reflection of everything they were doing on the baby warmer (until I opened my mouth and said, “Hey! I can see what you’re doing!” Then they moved it. Joy killers).

When they pulled the baby out, it was really anticlimactic for me. it was almost right out of Monty Python’s Meaning of Life, complete with the machine that says, “BING.” They showed me baby over the drape and took him to the nursery while I was stitched up (I had dermabond and steri strips. Much easier healing!). I couldn’t even hold him, my arms were strapped down with IVs. that sucked a little. OK, it sucked a lot.

Once in Recovery, I got to see my little man. Or not-so-little man, as he was eight pounds fifteen ounces AFTER the first bowel movement. When I got to our room, I could nurse and have privacy. They got me right up to start walking around and I could eat almost immediately. I stayed for seven days, due to the hemorrhaging, but most women I know stay three after the big C. THREE DAYS. after major abdominal surgery. I never ended up taking the narcotic pain killers they prescribed because I didn’t like the idea of baby being drugged along with me and also because I wasn’t coherent enough to take care of my kids. the pain? Not so bad, but I have a high tolerance (remember, I’m one of those wackadoos that does natural childbirth).

The hardest part? Not resuming normal activity for a few weeks. you know, because of the MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY. Cleaning up the dog stuff in the yard a week later? NOT ALLOWED.

Honestly? it wasn’t the worst experience of my life (except for the hospital food) and the end result was a healthy baby, which is more important than how he got here. in my case, it was necessary.  But my own opinion (and some will, no doubt, disagree with me) is that no one should have a cesarean unless there is an underlying medical condition or a complication that warrants one. They aren’t easy. They aren’t hard, either. But they aren’t fun. and c-sections are not convenient. I can’t figure out why for the life of me any one would CHOOSE to have one, if it wasn’t needed.

This was just my experience. your mileage might vary. my advice? Read up on all options long before you are due. make sure you know the risks involved in having a cesarean. Regardless of your decision, realize it is yours to make, between you and your practitioner.

Image via Marj Hatzell