How do STIs affect a woman’s fertility?

• Damage to the reproductive organs: STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most harmful when it comes to reproductive health, and they often go unnoticed when they don’t produce any symptoms. The longer they go unnoticed, the more likely they are to cause damage.
• Scarring/damage to the fallopian tubes: also known as tubal infertility, this condition can prevent sperm from reaching an egg and prevent a fertilized egg from reaching the uterus. This increases the chances for ectopic pregnancy in which the embryo emplants in the fallopian tube wall, an unviable scenario which can be fatal.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease: when infections go unnoticed for a long time, they can move further up the pelvis and cause PID. This is usually a tell tale sign that damage to the fallopian tubes has occurred.
• HPV treatments: biopses to remove malignant cells from your cervix can alter your cervix, and create potential problems for pregnancy including an increased chance for miscarriage.

Increasing your chances of conception with the help of Ahkami Medical Group

The sooner we can detect conditions such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and PID, the faster we can begin treating them, and they are treatable diseases. If damage to the fallopian tubes has occured, there are still options available to help you have a child. In summary, there are many options available to women who want to conceive but have a history of STIs. Give our office in Passaic a call to start the discussion today.

Dr. Shahrokh Ahkami, M.D.