I saw an interesting article in the Associated Press earlier this week that has prompted me to write this post.  In the article, a Wisconsin doctor claims that the number one public health threat that no one’s talking about is the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases.  He cited STDs as one of the major causes of infertility and infant mortality.  See article here.  

If you’ve been trying to conceive and haven’t been successful, consider being tested for sexually transmitted diseases.  Many sexually transmitted diseases can lay dormant for years and many women who contract STD’s do not develop visible symptoms and therefore, do not know to seek treatment.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most preventable causes of infertility.  The CDC sites about 2.8 million new cases of chlamydia every year in the United States and  718,000 new cases of gonorrhea.  Over time, these diseases can be silently damaging your ability to have a baby.  These STDs can cause an infection in your reproductive organs, know as pelvic inflammatory disease which can cause scarring of the fallopian tubes and make conception and pregnancy very difficult.

There are several ways to prevent STDs and monitor for them, as follows:

• Always engage in protected sexual intercourse.

• Get tested for STDs regularly.  The CDC recommends routine testing for all women over the age of 25. 

• Learn the symptoms of STDs and seek medical help as soon as possible if any symptoms develop

• Talk with your sexual partners about their sexual health and past sexual activities.

• Delay having sexual relationships as long as possible – the younger a person is when they begin to have sex for the first time, the more susceptible they become to developing an STD