Genital Tract Infections in Women, Pregnancy and Neonates

Treatable genital infections in women and pregnancy are common globally and they pose a significant risk to the health of women and infants in LMIC settings. Timely testing, diagnosis, and treatment of STI are critical, but access is limited for many women. Given recent advances in the availability of high-quality diagnostic testing and the option of self-collected vaginal swabs, improved health outcomes are ex-pected when international guidelines and clinical practice shift from syndromic man-agement of symptomatic persons to routine, universal screening for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in women and during pregnancy. Urgent change in practice is needed to meet the WHO's strategy of global STI elimination by 2030.

Automated summary

Treatable genital infections in women and pregnancy are common globally and pose significant risks to the health of women and infants in low- and middle-income countries. The availability of high-quality diagnostic testing and self-collected vaginal swabs offers improved health outcomes when international guidelines shift towards routine screening for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Urgent practice change is needed to meet the WHO's global STI elimination strategy by 2030.