Teen Mothers Should Have STI Screening During Third Trimester

Routine sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening is being advised for pregnant teens during their third trimester. The screening process begins at the start of a teen pregnancy at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto and then again during the last term.

Dr. Anjali Aggarwal of Sick Kids says that the later testing is not done for adults. The concern for teenage woman who are pregnant is that studies have shown that the patients use condoms less if they are pregnant. 89 patients were assessed with a median age of 16 at the start, near the end and after their pregnancies. Of those patients 26 were diagnosed with an STI during or after their pregnancy. 17 of the patients started their pregnancies with an STI, 7 had one by the time they were in their third trimester and 1 became infected after she gave birth.

Elsevier Global Medical News reports:

“We screen all adolescent pregnancies at baseline and again during the third trimester. This is different from adults, who we only screen at baseline,” said Dr. Anjali Aggarwal of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

"The finding that more than 25% of the patients identified as having an STI were diagnosed in the third trimester justifies routine rescreening."

Those with the lowest risk of an STI were living with a partner, lived with the baby's father or had reported only one previous partner.