Repercussions of the diagnosis and the production of syphilis care during pregnancy: perceptions of women treated at a family health unit

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the repercussions of the diagnosis of Syphilis during pregnancy and the perception of care for these women in a Family Health Unit in a capital city in the Northeast of Brazil. This is an exploratory research with a qualitative approach, carried out in a Family Health Unit located in a capital city in the Northeast of Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were conducted containing questions about the sociodemographic profile, pregnancy, and the diagnosis of syphilis with pregnant women who had syphilis between 2019 and 2022. The interviews were conducted after signing the Free and Informed Consent Form. The content of the interviews was analyzed using the Content Analysis proposed by Bardin, through three stages. A total of 9 interviews were conducted, all with females, aged between 21 and 40 years old, the majority of whom were of mixed race/color and single marital status, with a number of children ranging from 0 to 7 children, all of whom declared themselves heterosexual, and most of whom had completed high school. Based on the interviews and through the Content Analysis proposed by Bardin, two thematic categories were developed: Feelings developed from the experience of gestational Syphilis and Knowledge about Syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections. The diagnosis of a condition or disease during pregnancy increases the development of negative feelings and causes concern throughout the pregnancy phase, since there is a possibility of affecting the fetus. In addition, this work reveals that the participants had little and/or insufficient discernment about Syphilis.                                                                        

Keywords: Pregnancy; Syphilis; Diagnosis.