Preventive antibiotics after childbirth almost halve maternal infection rates

Giving women a prophylactic dose of antibiotics following childbirth can cut the rate of infections by half, according to a new study. Here’s what else you need to know:

• The context: Nearly 20,000 women in 2016 died from pregnancy-related infections. But fearing antibiotic overuse, the WHO currently does not recommend that women who have assisted vaginal births take antibiotics as a preventive measure.
• The findings: Researchers followed some 3,400 women in the U.K. and found that a single preventive dose of antibiotics after women had given birth with the help of forceps or vacuum extraction nearly halved infections compared to placebo. The rate of antibiotic use — from women not getting subsequent infections — was also reduced by 17%.  
• The takeaway: Preventive antibiotics could mean 7,000 fewer cases of sepsis in the U.K., or 5,000 fewer cases in the U.S. Given these potential benefits, the authors recommend that the WHO guidelines be changed to include prophylactic antibiotics.