Fertility is a person’s ability to get pregnant or get someone pregnant. Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant.
For straight couples, infertility is often diagnosed when they have been trying to conceive through regular intercourse for at least a year without success. Infertility can stem from factors affecting both men and women. Sometimes, these are related to sexually transmitted infections.
In people with a vagina, bacterial STIs (most commonly chlamydia or gonorrhea) can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID is an infection of the reproductive organs, including the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries. PID is often caused by chlamydia or gonorrhea infection, which are treatable with antibiotics if caught in a timely manner. But if these infections are left untreated, PID can develop. It may cause significant scarring of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, making it difficult to get pregnant.
In people with penises, there is growing evidence and research being done on STIs and fertility. One issue is prostatitis (infection of the prostate), which can be caused by bacterial STIs. Prostatitis can cause changes in sperm count and motility.
A study using national data found that 1 in 7, or 13-14%, of U.S. women report a lifetime history of infertility. But this percentage shoots up to 25% of women reporting infertility if they have a history of PID.
It’s estimated that 2.5 million women in the United States will get PID in their lifetime. While the most common causes of PID are chlamydia or gonorrhea, PID also can be caused by other bacteria.
In 2023, there were over 1.6 million cases of chlamydia and over 600,000 cases of gonorrhea in the United States.
In many cases, gonorrhea and chlamydia have no symptoms, especially in women. Because of this, they are sometimes called “silent” STIs, because a person can have these infections and not know it. This is why regular testing is crucial if you are sexually active.
If chlamydia and gonorrhea do cause symptoms, these can include:
To protect your fertility, you can take steps to avoid contracting an STI. If you are sexually active, there are ways to have safer sex. Some of these include:
Routine testing and treatment of bacterial STIs, along with timely recognition and treatment of PID, are crucial steps in reducing the impact that STI infections may have on future fertility. By being proactive, you can take control of your reproductive health.
Our reproductive health is an important part of our sexual health and our overall health. It includes our reproductive organs and our ability to get pregnant or get someone pregnant when we choose.
Anyone who is having penis-in-vagina sex runs the risk of getting pregnant every time they have sex. Even if it’s your first time. Even if you have your period. Even if it’s a full moon and Mercury is in retrograde.
LARC methods are safe, reliable, and prevent pregnancy for years. For many people they are a great choice, but everyone has personal preferences for what fits in to their lifestyle and health profile.
The Biden Administration proposed new rules designed to make getting contraception easier and less expensive.
A new study says we might be overestimating just how good tubal ligation (“getting your tubes tied” ) is at preventing pregnancy.
Public health experts have said that every case of congenital syphilis is a failure of STI screening and prenatal care. A new study looked more closely at cases to see what factors in a pregnant person’s life were most associated with congenital syphilis.
Women in states with restrictive abortion laws have few options today. And yet the prescriptions for birth control methods has fallen since the Dobbs decision.
The U.S. Supreme Court overruled a lower court decision that would have made mifepristone harder to get even in states where abortion remains legal. But the decision doesn’t mean the court is softening its stance on abortion rights.
ASHA believes that all people have the right to the information and services that will help them to have optimum sexual health. We envision a time when stigma is no longer associated with sexual health and our nation is united in its belief that sexuality is a normal, healthy, and positive aspect of human life.
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