Postpartum Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections that are diagnosed during the postpartum period (defined as the 3 months after delivery). STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study of women delivered of infants at greater than or equal to28 weeks of gestation at an urban hospital from 1992 through 1998, including each woman's first delivery during this period. Postpartum C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae testing were routine. Data were extracted from an electronic medical record system. RESULTS: Of 13,086 women with eligible deliveries, 7258 women (55.5%) underwent postpartum C trachomatis tests; 191 of those women (2.6%) had positive test results. Similarly, 7148 women (54.6%) underwent postpartum N gonorrhoeae tests; 95 of those women (1.3%) had positive test results. Most women with positive postpartum tests had prenatal testing (182/191 with C trachomatis; 94/95 with N gonorrhoeae), and the last prenatal test results were usually negative (153/182 women with negative prenatal C trachomatis testing; 91/94 women with negative prenatal N gonorrhoeae testing). CONCLUSION: Substantial rates of C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae were found in postpartum women, most of whom had negative results on the last prenatal test.