It is common knowledge that chlamydia can lead to infertility. But what are the odds? And are you immediately infertile if you've contracted chlamydia?

What a chlamydia infection does to your body

Chlamydia geeft vaak geen klachten en wordt hierdoor vaak niet opgemerkt. Onbehandelde chlamydia kan vanuit het slijmvlies van je vagina opstijgen naar je baarmoeder en eileiders. In de eileiders kan dan een ontstekingsreactie ontstaan, met als gevolg dat er littekenweefsel wordt gevormd en de eileider dicht komt te zitten. Soms gaat zo’n ontsteking gepaard met hevige onderbuikpijn en koorts (bekken- of eileiderontsteking), maar dit hoeft niet altijd. Dus ook ongemerkt kan je een ontsteking van de eileider hebben die kan leiden tot schade en verlittekening van je eileiders, en mogelijk dus tot onvruchtbaarheid.

The chances of you becoming infertile from chlamydia

Because a large proportion of chlamydia infections are asymptomatic, it is difficult to conduct reliable research into them. It is estimated that the chance that a chlamydia infection rises and causes Fallopian tube inflammation is about 10%. That rising infection will not always cause damage to your Fallopian tube; this chance is estimated to be around 11%. So the chance of really becoming infertile from a chlamydia infection is 10% of 11% = 1%. This chance is then increased by other factors: for example, other infections of the vagina or another STD. Research has also shown that the more often a person becomes infected with chlamydia, the greater the chance of Fallopian tube infection and thus also a greater chance of infertility.

A recent large study from the Netherlands shows that the chance of damage to the fallopian tubes is four times higher after a chlamydia infection. However, of the more than 1600 women who participated in the study and had a chlamydia infection in the past, only 1% were found to have damage to the fallopian tubes.

Chlamydia in men

Chlamydia can also be harmful to men. Research shows that a chlamydia infection can lead to reduced sperm quality and fewer sperm cells. So this can affect your fertility, but infertility due to chlamydia in men has not been proven.

Better safe than sorry!

You're not sure about your sexual health? Get tested for STD

Have you had unsafe sex? Are you worried about chlamydia or other STDs? Take the safe bet and get tested, because you don't want to walk around with an untreated infection. You can come to One Day Clinic for an anonymous, affordable and quick STD test. We offer the rapid test for Chlamydia in addition to the regular test where the result is there in 2 - 3 business days. Also, if you are concerned about infertility or have questions about this, you can always visit one of our doctors at the consultation hour. Make an appointment directly online at one of our STI clinics!

Sources
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Tsevat DG, Wiesenfeld HC, Parks C, Peipert JF. Sexually transmitted diseases and infertility. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2017;216(1):1–9. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2016.08.008

Davies B. Risk of reproductive complications following chlamydia testing: a population-based retrospecitve cohort study in Denmark Lancet Infect Dis. 2016 Sep;16(9):1057-1064.

Heijer CDJ, Hoebe, CJPA, Dukers-Muijrers NHTM. Chlamydia trachomatis and the Risk of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Ectopic Pregnancy, and Female Infertility: A Retrospective Cohort Study among Primary Care Patients. Clin Infect Dis. 2019 Nov 1; 69(9): 1517-1525

Oakeshott P, Kerry S, Aghaizu A, et al. Randomised controlled trial of screening for Chlamydia trachomatis to prevent pelvic inflammatory disease: the POPI (Prevention of Pelvic Infection) trial. BMJ. 2010;340:c1642

Kelly A. Cunningham, Kenneth W. Beagley, Male Genital Tract Chlamydial Infection: Implications for Pathology and Infertility, Biology of Reproduction, Volume 79, Issue 2, August 1, 2008, Pages 180-189,