[The diagnosis of infections in pregnancy]

The frequent questions in which symptoms which infections should be excluded cannot be answered in a simple manner. In daily practise only such infections are possible to be excluded meaning a certain risk for the fetus. Of course other infections may be taken into consideration for differential diagnosis additionally. Especially Coxsackie-echoviruses, mycoplasmas and mononucleosis have been discussed as fetal damaging factors. Coxsackie-echovirus infections in late pregnancy may be responsible for severe neonatal diseases. Occasionally each banal infectious disease of a pregnant woman the gynaecologist is confronted with the question for the fetal risk. According to the symptoms the most important infections listed in tabl. XIV should be excluded. The remaining ones belong to the complex of the so called normal risk of 3.5 per cent in each pregnancy. This fact should be mentioned towards the pregnant women because of legal reasons.