Pregnant Women With Pets Have More Vaginal Infections

A Danish study found that Pregnant women who live with a dog or a cat are twice as likely as other women to have intestinal bacteria in their vagina.They were surprised to see such a strong correlation. In the study, E. coli bacteria were found in the vagina of one in six of the participating women. This study was of 709 woman.

You're more vulnerable when you're pregnant, so this is not the best time to have E. coli bacteria in your vagina.” says Jakob Stokholm, MD, PhD, a researcher at COPSAC, the Copenhagen Studies on Asthma in Childhood. He is the lead author of a new study, published in the journal Plos One.

Intestinal bacteria from dogs and cats seem to colonise pregnant woman's vagina. This increases the risk of urinary tract infections. This may be caused by bacteria travelling from the animal to the woman’s hands to her vagina. Pregnant woman should pay more attention to hand washing after they handle their pet especially since dogs  lick their behinds and their fur.

The study indicates that intestinal bacteria can spread to areas such as the urethra and may cause urinary tract infections (UTI), also known as acute cystitis or bladder infection. If the bladder inflammation spreads to the kidneys, it can become serious, and it may also increase the risk of giving birth prematurely. Treating the  mother with antibiotics can increase the chance of the child developing asthma later in life. Another good reason to use Phage therapy rather than antibiotics.

Other studies have also shown that the mother’s bacteria during pregnancy and birth may cause severe infections in the new-born baby The baby’s immune system is immature in the mother’s womb and in early life. This is another reason that pregnant women should pay extra attention to their hand washing, washing vigorously for at least 21 seconds.