title: Assessment of the value of rescreening for syphilis in the third trimester of pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim is evaluating the need for repeating tests for syphilis on pregnant women in the third trimester.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-center retrospective cohort study was performed on all women delivering 7/03-6/04.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study interval, 2244 women delivered at our hospital. Of those women having available records and attending at least one prenatal visit, 1940 (98.9%) were screened for syphilis at the first prenatal visit. Of the 1627 women beginning prenatal care prior to 27 weeks and delivering after 32 weeks, 1377 (84.6%) were rescreened in the third trimester. No cases of syphilis were identified with either the initial (upper limit of 95% CI 0.24%) or repeat (upper limit of 95% CI 0.34%) screening.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our obstetric population, syphilis is so uncommon that mandated prenatal screening on more than one occasion seems unjustified and laws requiring repeated screening should be reevaluated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0294, USA.
authors.forename: Rodney K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Langstraat
authors.forename: Daina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Greene
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011295:Prenatal Care; D015995:Prevalence; D013587:Syphilis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis