Knowledge and feeling of women on gestational and congenitalsyphilis

Objective: Understanding women's knowledge and feelings about gestational syphilis and congenital syphilis and prenatal care in health services. Method: Qualitative approach, with 10 (ten) women, who are accompanying their children in a hospital unit, with a confirmed diagnosis of congenital syphilis. The semi-structured interview was used as a data collection instrument from September to October 2018. Data were analyzed using Bardin's methodology. Results and Discussion: From the interviews emerged three categories: Knowledge about syphilis; Prenatal care; and Feeling in relation to syphilis. Knowledge gaps may be related to low schooling, low information demand, and difficulties in prenatal care. The lack of knowledge of the clinical manifestations and of the forms of prevention and transmission of the disease was expressed. The mothers were worried, feeling responsible for transmitting the disease to their children. They reported fear, despair and impotence in the face of hospitalization and the procedures to which their children would be subjected. Conclusion: The most consistent action in the control of syphilis is expressed in the assurance of a wide and quality assistance, in order to guarantee the integrality of the care, detection, diagnosis and treatment of syphilis, at an early stage.