Contemporary society and popular culture often portray sexually active lifestyles as something inherently positive. A fairly open discussion about things related to sex is welcome welcome in this regard, because we also need to address the increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Although various (school) programs on safe sex are being promoted, cases of various STD's still exist. And in some cases they may jeopardize the future fertility of the infected individual.

The most common sexually transmitted infection in the US is Chlamydia, with the majority of those infected being below 25 years of age. According to the CDC 3 million cases are detected each and every year. The absolute number of cases is hard to estimate though, since the disease doesn't cause any typical symptoms for about half of the people infected. This is a serious dilemma, due to the fact that Chlamydia can cause infertility.

Most women are still lucky, as the Chlamydia doesn't go any further than the lower end of the uterus (the cervix). However, in the cases where the disease travels as far as the fallopian tubes it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Studies show that about 40 percent of women who carry untreated chlamydia will eventually suffer this fate.

The infertility in this case is caused because neither sperm or egg will be transported normally through the tubes, an therefore fertilization will not occur. In the event that an egg does get fertilized anyway there is also the risk that it gets stuck in the tube, with what is known as an ectopic pregnancy as a result. This form of pregnancy is very rarely viable and also dangerous due to internal bleeding being a common associated complication.

Chlamydia, or non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) as it is called in this ccase, also causes inflammation in the male reproductive system. In fact this is even more common than for women, being the end result in as much as 60 percent of untreated cases. This greatly reduces the levels of sperm, potentially to the degree of total infertility.

The good news is that Chlamydia can be treated successfully with antibiotics, with success rates as high as 95 percent. As soon as this disease is diagnosed, it is very important to get proper treatment as soon as possible. You also need to swallow your pride and inform both your current and any prior partners of the infection, so that they can get tested as well.

Because, as you have seen from the above, Chlamydia can not only cause physically painful symptoms but also infertility (with all the mental anguish that goes with it) and potentially life threatening complications.