In plain words
Chorioamnionitis is an infection of the membranes that surround the baby and the amniotic fluid. Bacteria can reach these membranes from the vagina or cervix. It is most often diagnosed during labor, when a mother has a fever, a fast heart rate, a tender uterus, or fluid that smells bad. The risk goes up the longer the membranes have been broken before birth, and it is more common with prolonged labor. Chorioamnionitis is treated in hospital with antibiotics and prompt birth in most cases. It is not the same as a urinary infection or a yeast infection, though those can also cause fever. Mothers who have a fever in labor will usually be checked for it.
The deeper version
Chorioamnionitis is defined clinically by maternal fever of 38.0 degrees Celsius or higher plus two or more of maternal tachycardia, fetal tachycardia, uterine tenderness, foul amniotic fluid, or maternal leukocytosis, and histologically by neutrophil infiltration of the chorion and amnion. Risk rises with the duration of membrane rupture, with the increase steepest beyond about 18 to 24 hours, and with the number of vaginal examinations. Early-onset neonatal sepsis and neonatal intensive care admission are the main neonatal consequences. Management is guided by ACOG Committee Opinion 712 (2017, Intrapartum Management of Intraamniotic Infection), and ACOG Practice Bulletin 217 (2020) on informs the timing of delivery after prolonged rupture. Controversy remains over the timing and routes of antibiotic therapy after birth.
Where it comes up
- When your water breaksGetting Ready for Birth
- Group B strepPregnancy: Your Body
- Food safety: listeria, mercury, raw foodsPregnancy: Eating
What mothers here say about chorioamnionitis
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Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Practice Bulletin No. 217: Prelabor rupture of membranes, 2020
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease: guidance, 2019