A handful of STI tests are a standard part of prenatal care, some for everyone, others added by your age or risk, and getting them at the right visit is what keeps an infection from ever reaching your baby. Tell the tool where you are in your pregnancy and it maps out exactly which tests to expect, and when.

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Congenital syphilis is surging, and almost all of it is preventable

Prenatal screening isn't box-ticking. For syphilis in particular, a timely blood test is the difference between a healthy birth and a preventable tragedy.

  • More than tenfold: congenital syphilis cases have risen over the past decade.
  • 3,700+ U.S. babies were affected in a single recent year, including hundreds of stillbirths and infant deaths.
  • ~9 in 10 of those cases could have been prevented with timely testing and treatment (CDC).

How screening protects your baby

Each test on the prenatal panel earns its place by heading off a specific, preventable harm.

  • Syphilis → penicillin prevents stillbirth. Untreated syphilis crosses the placenta and can cause stillbirth or serious harm. A blood test and penicillin, the earlier the better, reliably prevent it, which is why syphilis is rechecked later in pregnancy for those at risk.
  • HIV → treatment nearly eliminates transmission. With HIV treatment during pregnancy and delivery, the chance of passing HIV to the baby drops to about 1% or less. Knowing your status early is what makes that possible.
  • Hepatitis B → a birth-dose shot. If you carry hepatitis B, your baby gets the vaccine plus immune globulin within 12 hours of birth, which prevents nearly all mother-to-child infections.
  • Chlamydia & gonorrhea → healthier delivery. Both are linked to preterm birth and newborn eye infections, and both are easily treated in pregnancy once found. That's why they're screened for younger and higher-risk pregnancies.

Keep exploring on EasySTD: which STD test you need, your risk of an STD and Syphilis testing.