Skip to main contentMain content
Start free
Practice this topic

Maternity and newborn

STI and reproductive care

NCLEX reproductive chapter: STI recognition and partner teaching, PID red flags, BPH obstruction cues, and TURP catheter and bleed safety.

Clesial Editorial TeamReviewed by Clesial Editorial Team, Clinical Content Review

4 minUpdated Aug 6, 2026
Contents7 sections

Reproductive items split into infection teaching that stops reinfection, and male urinary obstruction care that keeps a TURP catheter patent. Maternity and newborn drug chapters stay separate — this page owns STI patterns and BPH/TURP.

STI recognition and teaching

Sexually transmitted infections spread because many are asymptomatic and because untreated partners return the organism. Exam stems care less about memorizing every organism’s Latin name and more about discharge or ulcer cues, pelvic pain with fever (PID), and the teaching triad: finish treatment, treat partners, abstain until both are cleared as directed.

Pattern (as tested)Teaching / action angle
Chlamydia / gonorrheaAntibiotics; partner treat; retest as ordered; risk of PID if ignored
Syphilis stagesPenicillin pathway as ordered; reportable; partner follow-up
HSV outbreaksAntivirals as ordered; condoms reduce but do not erase shedding risk
HPV / wartsVaccine prevention talk; wart therapy ≠ removing all cancer risk teaching
TrichomoniasisTreat partners; avoid alcohol with metronidazole as commonly taught

Pelvic inflammatory disease is ascending infection that can scar tubes. Lower abdominal pain, fever, and cervical motion tenderness patterns need prompt evaluation — do not send the client home with “period cramps” reassurance when the stem screams infection. Abscess and infertility are the long game the exam expects you to prevent with early treatment.

  • Confidential counseling still allows legally required reporting of named diseases.
  • Condoms and vaccination (HPV, hepatitis B where relevant) are prevention, not optional footnotes.
  • Pregnancy + STI stems escalate to obstetric pathways — treat infection and protect the fetus as ordered.

Safety

Severe pelvic pain with fever after untreated STI risk: think PID / abscess — escalate, do not delay for “one more day of home rest.”

BPH: obstruction picture

Benign prostatic hyperplasia squeezes the urethra. The client reports hesitancy, weak stream, dribbling, incomplete emptying, and nocturia. Stagnant urine invites UTI and acute retention — a painful full bladder that will not empty is an emergency catheterization pathway as ordered, not a “drink more tea” tip.

Nursing teaching before surgery focuses on timed voiding, reducing evening fluids if ordered, avoiding OTC anticholinergics that worsen retention when the stem flags them, and reporting fever, back pain, or inability to void. Alpha-adrenergic blockers relax prostate smooth muscle but can cause orthostatic hypotension — first-dose bedtime teaching and slow position changes appear often.

  1. Assess retention: bladder scan / post-void residual as protocol allows.
  2. Treat infection cues promptly — fever with obstructive symptoms is not “just BPH.”
  3. Prepare for TURP teaching when medical management fails on the stem.

TURP and continuous bladder irrigation

Transurethral resection of the prostate removes obstructing tissue. Continuous bladder irrigation (CBI) flushes blood clots so the catheter stays open. Expect pink-tinged urine that gradually clears. Bright red drainage with clots, sudden abdominal pain, or a dry drainage bag with a tense bladder means obstruction or arterial bleeding — stop and notify, hand-irrigate only as protocol allows, and never ignore a clamped-feeling system.

Continuous bladder irrigation bag on a pole with tubing toward a drainage bag.
CBI keeps the catheter patent after TURP — pink to clear is expected; ketchup-red clots are not.
FindingMeaningAction
Pink → clearer over hoursExpected postopMaintain CBI; titrate per order
Bright red + clotsActive bleed / obstruction riskNotify; follow irrigation protocol
No output + distended bladderCatheter blockedEmergency patency pathway
Hyponatremia / confusion (TURP syndrome pattern)Absorption of irrigantStop irrigation per protocol; notify now

After the catheter comes out, temporary dribbling is common — teach Kegels as ordered and protect skin. No heavy lifting, straining, or prolonged sitting on a hard surface as directed; stool softeners prevent bearing-down bleeds. Sexual function questions go to honest counseling with the provider — do not invent guarantees.

Priority map

SituationFirst move
STI treatment teachingPartners + finish meds + abstain until cleared
Pelvic pain + fever (PID risk)Escalate; do not minimize
Acute urinary retention (BPH)Bladder relief pathway as ordered
TURP: no drainage + tense bellyPatency / notify emergency
TURP: ketchup-red clotsBleed pathway; notify

Revision

Must know

  1. 1STI teaching always includes treat partners, abstain until cleared as directed, and finish antibiotics — silent partners reinfect.
  2. 2PID: pelvic pain, fever, cervical motion tenderness patterns — escalate; untreated infection risks infertility and abscess.
  3. 3Reportable diseases follow public-health rules; protect privacy while meeting mandatory reporting duties (see rights chapter for reporting mechanics).
  4. 4HPV and herpes teaching: viral shedding and condom limits — honesty beats false “cured after one cream” promises.
  5. 5BPH: hesitancy, weak stream, nocturia, retention risk — watch for infection and post-void residual problems.
  6. 6TURP: continuous bladder irrigation keeps urine pink-tinged progressing to clear; bright red with clots or sudden stop of outflow is emergency.
  7. 7After TURP: no heavy lifting/straining as ordered; expect temporary incontinence teaching and catheter care.
  8. 8Alpha-blockers for BPH can drop BP — caution with first dose and position changes.

Memory hooks

  • Treat the pair

    STI stems almost always need partner treatment and abstinence until both are cleared.

  • Pink to clear, not ketchup

    TURP irrigation should lighten. Bright red clotty output or no output means act now.

How it's tested

Stems ask what to teach after chlamydia treatment, when PID needs escalation, why CBI slows, or what bright red TURP drainage means. Distractors skip partner therapy, clamp irrigation for “rest,” or promise viral STIs are permanently gone after one course.

Next in Maternity and newbornImmunisation and HIV

More in maternity and newborn