Chlamydia

I was talking to a journalist earlier this week about what young women can do to preserve their fertility, and came to the probably unhelpful conclusion that most of it was little more than common sense and a healthy lifestyle. However, the one thing that many young women don't think about is chlamydia, and yet it can have such devastating effects on your future fertility.

Apparently one in ten sexually active young people has chlamydia - and that's an estimate which some believe could be conservative. For up to 80% of women who have chlamydia, there are no symptoms which means people don't worry and don't get tested. It may only be years later that they discover their fertility has been compromised.

When I was writing The Complete Guide to Female Fertility I interviewed a young woman who was in her early twenties, but knew she would have to have IVF in order to conceive. She had sensibly been tested for chlamydia at an early age, but it was already too late. The infection had completely blocked her fallopian tubes (which connect the ovary to the womb, allowing eggs to get from one to the other). She was longing for a family, but was too young to qualify for IVF in her local area.

It's easy to forget about something that has no symptoms, that you may not know you have - but if you could be at risk through unprotected intercourse, it's worth having a test. It's simple and quick - and really could help preserve your fertility.