Can Chlamydia Lead To Infertility
Chlamydia is the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in the United States. Its estimated that more than 2 million cases occur throughout the country every year. However, just because its common doesnt mean that its well understood by the general population. If youve been diagnosed with chlamydia, you likely have a lot of questions running through your mind. The best thing you can do is get answers from a reputable source.
Dr. Daniel Kushner specializes in STDs and can give you all the information you need. With two offices in White Plains, New York, and Queens in New York City, he helps people throughout the area stay sexually healthy. When it comes to STDs like chlamydia, hes an expert in diagnosing and treating you so you can get back to your active, healthy life. Heres what you need to know about chlamydia.
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How Chlamydia Affects Your Unborn Baby
If you happen to contract chlamydia while youre pregnant, you need to know that you can pass the disease along to your baby during childbirth.
One way your chlamydia affects your baby is through the eyes. The infection is passed along through the mucous and the baby develops conjunctivitis.
Another way is through the lungs, and chlamydia can cause your baby to develop pneumonia.
Dr. Kushner can screen you for chlamydia during your pregnancy and offer you a safe treatment plan. However, it may be best to plan for a C-section to keep your baby safe during delivery.
If you have, or think you might have, chlamydia, . And just to be safe, come in for a screening even if you dont have symptoms. It could save you, your partner, and your future baby a lot of pain.
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Exact Answer: Up To 7 Days
Chlamydia is a fairly common disease in the category of Sexually Transmitted Infections , and the cause of the disease is a bacterium named Chlamydia Trachomatis. It can be passed through vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse.
However, it is not necessary that chlamydia would only be passed through when there is complete intercourse, it can also be passed if the genitals touch as it is a contagious disease.
Moreover, a person can also get infected with Chlamydia if they come in contact with infected semen, or get it in their eye. It cannot pass through general touches like hugging or shaking hands.
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Stds That Indirectly Cause Infertility
Herpes simplex virus , human papillomavirus and syphilis can indirectly affect fertility. HSV can cause the couple to abstain from sexual intercourse, which limits the chances of becoming pregnant. HPV can cause genital warts that may take months or years to treat. And some strains of HPV can also lead to cervical cancer or precancerous cells, the treatment of which can affect fertility. Syphilis if left untreated can affect infertility in women and men.
Vaginal Microbiome And Other Potential Pathogens
N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, and M. genitalium may not be the only organisms capable of damaging the reproductive tract. Both Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum, two common species of genital mycoplasma, have been investigated as possible causative agents for infertility and pelvic inflammation. M. hominis is commonly found in the upper genital tract. The adverse influence of M. hominis on the female reproductive tract was identified in 1976 by MÃÂ¥rdh and colleagues, as they demonstrated with in vitro organ cultures the swelling of the ciliated tubal epithelial cells due to M. hominis infection . The organism has been isolated from the fallopian tubes of women with a history of infertility and laparoscopically-confirmed salpingitis, although recent data have not necessarily reproduced these findings .
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What Are The Long Term Effects Of Chlamydia If Left Untreated
For women, the long-term effects of an untreated chlamydia infection may include:
- Severe infection with pain and fever requiring a hospital stay.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease, an infection of the upper reproductive tract.
- Scarring in the reproductive tract that causes infertility.
- Higher risk of ectopic pregnancy.
Can Infertility From Chlamydia Be Reversed
As mentioned above, when chlamydia goes undiagnosed and untreated, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease . PID can cause permanent damage to the uterus, fallopian tubes, and the surrounding tissues which can cause infertility. If PID is diagnosed early, however, it can be treated. And although treatment cant undo any damage that has already been done, it can reduce the risk of any further complications.
Its important to note that it is possible to get PID again even if you have already had it. In fact, according to the CDC, youre more likely to get PID if you have had it before.
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How Long After Chlamydia Exposure Are You Contagious
As contagious as Chlamydia is, the average person might not feel the symptoms until much later when the infection has taken place. Some of the symptoms a person having Chlamydia might face can include an increase in the vaginal discharge from normal days, they can also experience pain or a burning sensation during sex, it can also come off as a burning sensation while peeing, or heavier periods.
For men, symptoms of Chlamydia may include pain in testicles or swelling in testicles, burning sensation while peeing, etc. Chlamydia is common in women and men below the age of 25.
However, the infection caused by Chlamydia can be cured by antibiotics, and easily so. Chlamydia, however, can also be transmitted from the pregnant mother to her child.
The symptoms of Chlamydia usually appear after three weeks of the infection and are generally more easily seen in men rather than women.
Any sexually active person can experience Chlamydia as it is a fairly common STI and usually seen within younger people. The infected person can transmit the bacteria up to 7 days after getting it, and hence there is a high risk of exposure.
| Sex Of The Person Infected | Symptoms |
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Stds That Cause Infertility
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are sexually transmitted diseases that can cause infertility. They are also two of the leading causes of preventable infertility both in the US and around the world.
There were more than two million cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea in the U.S. reported by the CDC in 2017, making them the first and second most common infectious diseases in the country.
While chlamydia and gonorrhea are easily treated with antibiotics, many people may not realize they have an infection because, of the lack of noticeable symptoms. Unfortunately, the longer the infection is left untreated, the more damage that can be done. Women who do show symptoms may experience abdominal and/or pelvic pain, spotting, and unusual discharge.
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Men Are Responsible For About 20
If you and your partner are struggling to have a baby, just know you are not alone. Many people usually think that infertility is a problem only faced by women, but the reality is that male infertility is more common than you think. Generally, infertility is defined as the inability to conceive a baby naturally. If you and your partner have been trying to have a baby for more than a year without success, you might want to speak to your doctor to discuss infertility.
According to the World Health Organization, male infertility is largely underestimated, and that infertility, in general, affects many people across the globe. While there is a lack of concrete data worldwide, researchers strongly believe that men alone are responsible for nearly 20-30% of infertility cases, and contribute to about half of all cases overall.
While there are numerous potential causes of infertility in men, including overall health, genetics and drug abuse, the latest evidence tends to suggest that sexually transmitted diseases, or simply STDs, have a role to play in male infertility.
First Evidence Of Chlamydia Infection In Men
Research leader QUT Professor of Immunology Professor Ken Beagley, from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, said chlamydia infection in men has not been as widely studied as it has in women, despite similar infection rates.
Chlamydia infection has been associated with womens infertility but much less is known about its impact on male infertility, particularly if men do not experience symptoms, which is estimated to be in about 50 per cent of cases, Professor Beagley said.
When people have no symptoms they can unknowingly pass on the infection to sexual partners.
This is the first reported evidence of chlamydia infection in human testicular tissue, and while it cant be said that chlamydia was the cause of the infertility of the men, it is a significant finding.
It reveals a high rate of previously unrecognised chlamydia infection and the potential role of infection in the failure of sperm to develop in the testes.
Pre-clinical studies by our group support these human findings. Those studies show that chlamydia infection in male mice establishes a chronic infection in the testes that significantly impairs normal sperm development.
We believe future studies with male patients should look at how chlamydia infection might cause damage to the male reproductive system and contribute to infertility.
Normally a diagnosis of chlamydia infection is performed with a urine sample, but this may not always pick up the infection in men, he said.
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All You Need To Know About Chlamydia And Infertility
Can Chlamydia cause infertility? Chlamydia is one of the common sexually transmitted diseases that is caused due to infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia is among the most common STDs in the USA. According to estimates by the CDC , it affects 2.8 million people in America each year. Chlamydia may be transmitted via oral, anal or vaginal sex. It may also be transmitted from a female who is infected with the disease to her infant during childbirth. Any person who is sexually active can get infected with the bacterium. The risk of infection increases with the total number of partners you have sex with.
Which Stds Can Cause Infertility
The problem is that some STDs dont come with identifiable symptoms so people can live with them for years without being aware of them. This increases the risk of developing complications like infertility or infecting future sex partners. Early detection is the best way to avoid such risk as infertility caused by STDs is highly preventable.
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Just How Is Chlamydia Spread Can Chlamydia Make You Infertile
You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, rectal, or oral sex with a person who has chlamydia.
If your sex companion is male you can still obtain chlamydia even if he does not have an orgasm.
If youve had chlamydia as well as were treated in the past, you can still get contaminated once again. This can occur if you have vulnerable sex with a person that has chlamydia.
If you are expecting, you can give chlamydia to your infant throughout giving birth.
Chlamydia Reduces Male Fertility By Ravaging Sperm
Chlamydia the most common sexually transmitted disease in the US and UK causes dramatic genetic damage in sperm leading to male infertility, a new study suggests.
Men with chlamydia have more than three times the normal level of DNA fragmentation in their sperm, report researchers. However, results from the study also indicate that appropriate antibiotic treatment can help restore the genetic integrity of these mens sperm as well as their fertility.
Until recently, doctors believed that chlamydia threatened womens fertility only. The bacteria responsible for the disease, Chlamydia trachomatis can cause a womans fallopian tubes to become blocked or scarred, making it difficult or impossible to conceive a child.
A study published in 2004 involving Swedish couples seeking infertility treatment found that men with chlamydia infection were less likely to father a child. But researchers have lacked good evidence about why men with the disease develop fertility trouble and how to reverse the problem.
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How To Get Checked For Chlamydia
To get checked for chlamydia is surprisingly easy just arrange a test at your local sexual health/GUM clinic. Your GP may also be able to arrange a quick test.
Infection in men is diagnosed from a urethral swab, and infection in women is diagnosed from a cervical swab and a urethral swab.
Anything that doesnt feel right, tell your doc as it may help them determine if youve got any of the conditions it can cause.
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TUESDAY, Oct. 15, 2019 — Undiagnosed chlamydia infection can harm male fertility, a new study suggests.
“Chlamydia infection has been associated with women’s infertility but much less is known about its impact on male infertility, particularly if men do not experience symptoms, which is estimated to be in about 50% of cases,” said study leader Ken Beagley, a professor of immunology at Queensland University of Technology in Australia.
“When people have no symptoms, they can unknowingly pass on the infection to sexual partners,” Beagley added in a university news release .
The Australian research is the first to find the sexually transmitted disease in testicular tissue biopsies of infertile men with no identified cause for their infertility.
Chlamydia was found in fixed testicular biopsies from 43 of 95 men who had no defined cause of infertility.
Chlamydia was also found in 16.7% of fresh testicular biopsies with no identified cause of infertility. Twelve of those 18 had chlamydia-specific antibodies, indicating they’d been exposed to the bacteria, but none had symptoms of chlamydia or said they’d been diagnosed with any STI.
“This is the first reported evidence of chlamydia infection in human testicular tissue, and while it can’t be said that chlamydia was the cause of the infertility of the men, it is a significant finding,” Beagley said.
The study was published recently in the journal Human Reproduction.
— Robert Preidt
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Contact Us To Chat With A Fertility Advisor
The most important thing to know about infertility caused by undiscovered and untreated STIs is just thatits preventable. The infections that can lead to infertility, namely gonorrhea and chlamydia, are among the most common and most treatable, so testing and treatment can prevent the complications that can damage reproductive organs and leave a woman infertile.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are both bacterial infections spread through sexual contact that can affect both men and women and are some of the most common STIs seen by doctors an estimated 2.86 million cases of chlamydia and 820,000 cases of gonorrhea occur annually in the United States. More often than not, an infected woman has no symptomsbut unfortunately, even asymptomatic infection can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID. Doctors estimate that up to 40% of women who contract chlamydia or gonorrhea and dont properly treat the infection will wind up with PID, and up to half of PID cases are estimated by the CDC to be caused by chlamydia or gonorrhea infection.
Heres how PID happens: when a woman is infected with one of these STIs, microorganisms can travel upward from her cervix or vagina to the other reproductive organs, causing them to be infected, as well. The PID, in turn, can cause scar tissue on the fallopian tubes that blocks the pathway of the egg released from the ovary, preventing natural pregnancy and causing infertility.
Who Is At A Higher Risk
Well, it is established from the above section that chlamydia can have long effects on both women as well as men. However, this condition is more prevalent in younger women, who are under the age of 25 years. Also, women who are on oral contraceptive pills, coil, implants, or other such methods of contraception other than condoms, are at an increased risk.
It is very difficult to establish the symptoms of this disease, which means if you have it then you can easily spread it to the person you have sex with. The risk is highest in people with more than one sexual partner, incorrect or inconsistent use of condoms, or who have a history of any kind of sexual disease.
Also, in women who have a condition where the cervical cells are on the outside, also known as cervical ectropion, there is an increased risk of catching infections like chlamydia.
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How Is Chlamydia Spread Can Chlamydia Make You Infertile Forever
You can get chlamydia by having genital, anal, or oral sex with somebody that has chlamydia.
If your sex partner is male you can still obtain chlamydia even if he does not ejaculate.
If youve had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can still obtain contaminated once more. This can take place if you have unprotected sex with someone that has chlamydia.
If you are expectant, you can offer chlamydia to your infant throughout childbirth.
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There are several different sexually transmitted infections which are common in the UK, including chlamydia. Most dont pose any serious threat to your health as long as theyre diagnosed early and treated, but some can cause complications if they go untreated. In rare cases, an untreated STI can cause problems with your fertility.
The problem is that some STIs dont cause any symptoms at all, which means its not always possible to know that youre infected without a test.
Can Chlamydia Make You Infertile
Chlamydia is an usual sexually transmitted disease that can contaminate both males and females. It can create severe, long-term damage to a womans reproductive system. Can Chlamydia Make You Infertile
This can make it difficult or impossible for her to get expectant later. Chlamydia can likewise cause a possibly fatal ectopic pregnancy a maternity that takes place outside the womb.
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