Background:
Background: An understanding of sexually transmitted disease during pregnancy (STD/P) has been indistinguishable in Louisiana before 2004.

Objective:
Objectives: Analyze trend of STD/P and highlight key characteristics of women who had STD/P in Louisiana.

Method:
Methods: 1996-2004 STD data were linked with 1997-2004 birth records data. A woman was defined to have STD/P if distance between her date of exam, which had a positive result of any STD, and date of birth of her newborn was less than gestational age of her newborn. Linear regression was used to analyze the trends of STD/P using SAS 9.0.

Result:
Results: Percents of STD/P were .7 (confidence interval 95% (CI): .6 -. 8), 6.9 (CI: 6.6 – 7.2), and 3.3 (3.1 – 3.4) in 1997 and increased to 1.7 (CI: 1.6 – 1.8), 12.2 (CI: 11.8 – 12.6), and 6.0 (5.8 – 6.2) in 2004 for whites, blacks, and all races, correspondingly. An annual increase in percent from 1997 to 2004 was .11 (CI: .06 - .17) in whites, .66 (CI: .49 - .84) in blacks, and .33 (CI: .23 - .43) in all races. Based on combined 1999-2004 STD/2000-2004 birth records linked data, percents of women who were black, unmarried, did not graduate high school, < 25 years old, lived in urban, and began prenatal care (PNC) after first trimester or no PNC were 84.9, 93.4, 85.8, 83.4, 66.3, and 31.0, respectively, among pregnant women who had STD/P, versus 41.1, 47.1, 48.4, 56.3, and 17.6, respectively, among total pregnant women.

Conclusion:
Conclusion: In Louisiana STD/P has increased steadily over the last eight years for both whites and blacks. Black, unmarried, less educated, younger, no or later prenatal care beginning and living in urban are key characteristics of population with STD/P.

Implications:
Implications for programs, policy, and/or research: Highlighting key characteristics of STD/P will help STD intervention program effectively focus on high-risk population.