The impact of chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections on fertility, pregnancy and the newborn

Abstract

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (1) states that the term 鈥渟exually transmitted infection鈥� (STI) refers to an infectious pathogen transmitted sexually, and 鈥渟exually transmitted disease鈥� (STD) refers to a disease which has developed from the infection (1). The two most common STIs which are reported in the European Union and which impact fertility are chlamydia and gonorrhoea. In fact, around 250 000 new cases of chlamydia infection and 100 673 new cases of gonorrhoea infection are reported each year in Europe (2). Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium. Gonorrhoea, informally known as the clap (鈥榩ixxikalda鈥� in Maltese), is also as STI caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae (3). Being the two most common STIs reported, the effect of chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection in women, before and during pregnancy and in the baby, will be discussed.