While childbirth usually goes well, complications can happen. They can cause a risk to the mother, baby, or both. Possible complications include

  • Preterm (premature) labor, when labor starts before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy
  • Problems with the umbilical cord
  • Problems with the position of the baby, such as breech, in which the baby is going to come out feet first
  • Birth injuries

For some of these problems, the baby may need to be delivered surgically by a Cesarean section.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria. It infects the genital area, lips, mouth, or anus of both men and women. You usually get syphilis from sexual contact with someone who has it. It can also pass from mother to baby during pregnancy.

The early stage of syphilis usually causes a single, small, painless sore. Sometimes it causes swelling in nearby lymph nodes. If you do not treat it, syphilis usually causes a non-itchy skin rash, often on your hands and feet. Many people do not notice symptoms for years. Symptoms can go away and come back.

The sores caused by syphilis make it easier to get or give someone HIV during sex. If you are pregnant, syphilis can cause birth defects, or you could lose your baby. In rare cases, syphilis causes serious health problems and even death.

Syphilis is easy to cure with antibiotics if you catch it early. Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading syphilis.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

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