How do sexually transmitted infections impact fertility?

• A. It always resolves without affecting fertility.
• B. It can cause tubal factor infertility and chronic pelvic pain.
• C. It enhances fertility.
• D. It only affects male fertility.

Answer: (B)

Infections transmitted sexually often inflame the reproductive tract, and when they reach the upper genital tract they can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. This inflammation can scar and block the fallopian tubes, which are essential for the egg and sperm to meet. That scarring is what we call tubal factor infertility, a common way STIs lead to difficulty conceiving. The ongoing inflammatory process and scar tissue can also produce chronic pelvic pain that lasts even after the infection is treated. While early treatment can prevent some damage, for many people the effects on fertility are long-lasting if the tubes are affected. This concept explains why tubal factor infertility and chronic pelvic pain are the typical fertility-related consequences of sexually transmitted infections.