Fertility
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
Many sexually transmitted diseases may not cause any symptoms and remain undiagnosed for years, putting your fertility (or your partner’s fertility) at risk. Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are examples of sexually transmitted diseases that may affect fertility.
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is the most serious and frequent cause of permanent damage of the fallopian tubes. This is a bacterial infection, more common in people aged 20-30 years.
Quite often they do not present any symptoms, so the disease may remain undiagnosed for a long time. However, if not treated promptly, it may cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which destroys the endothelium of the endometrium (where the embryo is implanted) and the endothelium along the fallopian tubes (where fertilization takes place) resulting in female sterility.
Chlamydia also affects male fertility as they cause inflammation in the testes and the prostate, resulting in sperm production disorders.
Gonorrhea
This bacterial infection can affect the vagina, the urethra, the rectum and the penis. It can also affect the mouth when it is transmitted through oral sex. If gonorrhea is not treated promptly, it can lead to future fertility problems for both men and women. Together with chlamydia, it is a major cause of inflammatory disease of the pelvis, fallopian tubes and causes infertility and ectopic pregnancies. In men, if the bacteria pass through the urethra they can affect the prostate and epididymis.
Syphilis
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that can easily be treated with antibiotics, but it can cause serious problems to the embryo during pregnancy. This can lead to an increased risk for miscarriage or congenital abnormalities.
Warts
Warts around the vagina and/or the perineum and the anus are the visible result of an infection by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This virus is transmitted during sexual intercourse. Warts can be removed with a minor laser operation.
Warts do NOT cause infertility, but the surgical procedures for their treatment MAY cause infertility.
It is necessary for the warts to be treated in a timely manner so as not to affect fertility.
If the warts are not treated promptly, they will become bigger over time. Very small warts only can be treated with medication using the appropriate formulations, and again it is not certain that their treatment will be 100% effective. Another method that can be used is cryotherapy. No therapeutic approach is considered “better” than the other, but it is very important to choose the most appropriate treatment each time depending on the case.
In any case, cervical pathology should be ruled out with a Pap Test and / or Thin Prep. Do not neglect your annual gynecology checkup and seek medical advice on the first worrying symptom. HPV can never be eliminated from the body. Once it infects the cells it stays in them forever. What we address and treat is the damage caused by the virus.
Warts often recur even following successful removal. This is because, once the body has been infected with the virus, the result of the infection, that is, the warts, may occur at different times. Likewise, while some areas have been cured, adjacent sites that at the time of surgery were “clean,” they may develop warts later. For this reason, the patient needs to be re-examined at a predefined time after the initial treatment.
