Congenital Syphilis (CS) can have major health impacts on your baby. How CS affects your baby’s health depends on how long you had syphilis and if — or when — you got treatment for the infection.

CS can cause:

• Miscarriage (losing the baby during pregnancy),
• Stillbirth (a baby born dead),
• Prematurity (a baby born early),
• Low birth weight, or
• Death shortly after birth.

Up to 40% of babies born to women with untreated syphilis may be stillborn, or die from the infection as a newborn.

For babies born with CS, CS can cause:

• Deformed bones,
• Severe anemia (low blood count),
• Enlarged liver and spleen,
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes),
• Brain and nerve problems, like blindness or deafness,
• Meningitis, and
• Skin rashes.