Funding outcome

Many women are infected with chlamydia or gonorrhea, but are not aware of the infection. If a woman is pregnant, she can unknowingly pass the infection to her baby. In a baby, chlamydia and gonorrhea can be very serious, and cause blindness or breathing problems. As of 2018, all women are supposed to be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea at the beginning of their pregnancy, however, we don't know if doctors have been ordering this testing for their patients. By examining provincial data, we will be able to understand which doctors or groups have missed testing their patients. This will allow our study group to have direct conversations with doctors who are not ordering the testing and hold educational sessions for them to improve testing of chlamydia and gonorrhea in pregnant women. Additionally, from our previous work with pregnant women, we know it is not unusual for a woman in Alberta to acquire sexually transmitted infections while she is pregnant. Women are also supposed to be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea at the end of their pregnancy if their doctor thinks that they are at high risk for infection. The problem with testing only women who are thought to be at high risk is (1) the doctor often does not know the sexual history of the woman, and (2) the doctor knows nothing about the sexual history of her partner(s). Therefore, women who are actually at high risk of getting a chlamydia or gonorrhea infection may not be tested because their doctor doesn't think they could be infected. In this study, we will test all women giving birth at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton for chlamydia and gonorrhea at the end of their pregnancy. This will identify all women who are infected, and allow appropriate treatment and follow-up for the mother and their baby. Additionally, it will provide information on whether all women should be tested at the beginning and end of her pregnancy, or if it is enough to test all women in the beginning and only a select group at the end of their pregnancy. If testing all women identifies more infections than testing only a select group of women, than the Alberta government may permanently add chlamydia and gonorrhea testing at the beginning and at the end of pregnancy for all pregnant women in Alberta.