[Antimicrobial therapy in pregnancy (author's transl)]. / Antimikrobielle Therapie in der Schwangerschaft.

At the present time there is no medicament completely harmless to the embryo or fetus. Passage through the placenta probably occurs by simple diffusion. Substances with a molecular weight under 600, low protein binding, a low degree of ionization and good solubility in lipids cross the placenta most easily. The harmful effects of the different groups of medicaments are describedand the substances classified into those not particularly toxic, those which can only be used in certain conditions and those only to be used in exceptional cases. The treatment of the most common infections in pregnancy is dealth with in detail. Infections of the maternal urinary tract and amnionitis raise most problems. For the treatment of amnionitis, direct instillation of the medicament into the amniotic sac is recommended.