Pregnancy is a period in which hormonal factors, immunological factors cause specific immunological changes, the result of which is an anti-infective immunosupression, and therefore pregnant women are more exposed to infections. Consequence: urinary tract infections, intrauterine infections, postpartum infections. Undetected or untreated properly at the right time (more difficult to treat when you are pregnant, some treatments may harm the unborn), can cause complications of the most serious: stopping the pregnancy from evolving, delays in the fetus development, or birth defects.

Urinary tract infections are the most common types of bacterial infections in pregnancy, being recommended screening (uroculture) for bacteriuria on the first prenatal visit, and in women with asymptomatic bacteriuria (determination of more than 100000 bacterial colonies/ml), the collection of urine should be obtained at monthly intervals until the end of pregnancy. The most commonly isolated micro-organism is Escherichia coli.
Intrauterine infections are rare (up to 4% of pregnancies) and have a major impact both on premature childbirth and neonatal complications. Since early clinical signs can be subtle, diagnosis requires a high degree of attention. Intrauterine infection is usually a polymicrobial infection (Gardnerella vaginalis due to the decrease in number of Lactobacilli, E. coli, Klebsiella, Streptococcus group B, anaerobic, Mycoplasma genitalium).

Postpartum/puerperal infections remain the most common cause of maternal mortality (occupying 2-3 after bleeding and eclampsia), with fatalities due to complex postpartum endometrial infections of pelvic abscesses, peritonitis or pelvic thrombophlebitis. The determinant factors of the puerperal infection are the microbial agents: Streptococcus group B (most commonly isolated from the blood cultures of patients with endometriosis), aerobic pathogens (e.g. E. coli, Enterococcus spp) anaerobic pathogens (e.g. Bacteroides, Clostridium) or microbial associations in 80% of cases.