Sexual testing can prevent infertility, health expert notes

Several health authorities recently told the Wall Street Journal that getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can reduce the risk of developing serious fertility problems.

Jennifer Redmond, the editor-in-chief of Fertility Authority, said that having an up-to-date knowledge of one's state of uterine and sexual health can be crucial in preventing infertility or future birth complications.

Another healthcare professional, John Jain, agreed with Redmond that STDs can affect a woman's ability to conceive more than almost any other health issue.

Jain, the medical director of the Santa Monica Fertility Center, told the newspaper that while herpes and the human papillomavirus receive plenty of media coverage for the threat they pose to fertility, chlamydia and gonorrhea can have more devastating consequences.

He added that the latter two STDs often present no symptoms until the infection is quite advanced, by which time a woman's fertility may be at significant risk.

Both health experts told the news source that STD tests are vital in protecting a woman's ability to get pregnant.

Women who are at risk for STDs or who suspect that they have contracted one may consider looking into online testing services.

Approximately 10 to 15 percent of women with chlamydia develop pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to infertility and abdominal pain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.