Why Does Alternatives Pregnancy Center provide STD Testing & Treatment? Good Question!
So, one quick answer to the good question of why Alternatives (a pregnancy center) offers STD Testing & Treatment is simple. The priority of healthy pregnancy and early access to life-affirming care includes STI/STD testing. A clean bill of health allows a pregnant woman to know she will not pass an infectious problem on to her unborn.
Sexually Transmitted Infections left untreated can be dangerous and they are on the rise nationwide.
The State of Colorado is experiencing an alarming rate of STIs and, in fact, there is an epidemic in cases of congenital syphilis. Over the last five years, Colorado’s rates of infection have quadrupled.1 Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection, while congenital syphilis occurs when the infection is passed onto an unborn child in utero. Left undetected and untreated, congenital syphilis can cause stillbirth, premature birth, miscarriage, low birth weight and death shortly after birth. Additionally, surviving infants can suffer from deformed bones, severe anemia, enlarged liver, blindness or deafness.2
In response to the growing concerns, Public Health Order 24-01 was issued on April 18, 2024, by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. The order requires all healthcare facilities and providers who medically evaluate and treat anyone pregnant to offer early syphilis testing to patients to prevent complications to women and their babies.
Alternatives is prepared to serve during this epidemic at no cost to patients. Alternatives is offering syphilis testing to clients who receive a positive pregnancy test and are in the first trimester. The licensed, medical care team is committed to protecting and preserving the health of women and their unborn babies.