While bacterial vaginosis will not stop you from getting pregnant, or “stop pregnancy”, it can cause complications.
According the Queensland (Australia) Government Health website “Bacterial vaginosis is somehow related to complications of pregnancy including premature birth. If a woman who had a premature birth with a previous pregnancy is found to have bacterial vaginosis during a subsequent pregnancy, she should be treated.”
(source: http://access.health.qld.gov.au/hid/InfectionsandParasites/BacterialInfections/bacterialVaginosis_fs.asp)
What Can Happen If You Have BV While Pregnant
These are possibilities of complications that could arise from having bacterial vaginosis when you are pregnant. See your doctor to find out if you are at risk.
- Miscarriage
- Premature birth
- Having a low birth-weight baby
- Uterine infection after delivery of your baby
BV Screening for Pregnant Women
Doctors won’t usually screen women for bacterial vaginosis unless they feel you are at risk. That means if you either have the symptoms, or if your doctor thinks you are at risk of giving birth prematurely (e.g. if you’ve had a premature baby previously). Your doctor can then advise on the appropriate treatment for you.
It’s still not 100% clear what the link is between pregnancy complications and bacterial vaginosis, but there is no doubt that there IS a link of some sort. Not all pregnant women who have BV will have pregnancy complications, but many do and that’s why specialists are trying to work out exactly what it is that causes the problems.
