Chlamydia. This is one of the most common STDs. On its own, the disease doesn't cause infertility, however 40% of women with chlamydia develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID affects the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, often leading the woman to become infertile.
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are both bacterial STIs which are treated with antibiotics. Left untreated, however, they can cause fertility issues in women and possibly in men . In women, untreated chlamydia or gonorrhoea can spread to the womb, ovaries or fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID ).
Among the STIs listed above, chlamydia is the most common. In 2018, there were 1.8 million cases of chlamydia reported in the United States—more than twice the amount of reported cases of gonorrhea and syphilis combined.
There are three major causes of STDs/STIs: Bacteria, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Viruses, including HIV/AIDS, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Zika. Parasites, such as trichomonas vaginalis, or insects such as crab lice or scabies mites.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that can cause infertility. They are also two of the leading causes of preventable infertility both in the U.S. and around the world.
Untreated gonorrhea can lead to major complications, such as: Infertility in women. Gonorrhea can spread into the uterus and fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can result in scarring of the tubes, greater risk of pregnancy complications and infertility.
Who is at risk for gonorrhea? Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. In the United States, the highest reported rates of infection are among sexually active teenagers, young adults, and African Americans 2.
Chlamydia is more common than gonorrhea. According to a 2017 report, over 1.7 million cases of chlamydia were reported in the United States, while just over 550,000 cases of gonorrhea were documented.
According to 2017 data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rates of syphilis are particularly high in the male population (16.9 per 100 000 males) compared to the female population (2.3 per 100 000 females).
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) — or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) — are generally acquired by sexual contact. The bacteria, viruses or parasites that cause sexually transmitted diseases may pass from person to person in blood, semen, or vaginal and other bodily fluids.
Chlamydia. This is the most common bacterial STI in the United States. An estimated 1.4 million new cases are diagnosed each year. It is transmitted through unprotected vaginal and anal sex.
Three bacterial STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis) and one parasitic STI (trichomoniasis) are generally curable with existing single-dose regimens of antibiotics.