STD Symptoms: Do you think you might have an STI?

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STD Symptoms can range from extreme pain, to mild discomfort - to no symptoms at all.

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Below are a list of the STDS, along with STD Symptoms that can affect your ability to become pregnant, but most of them if treated won't have any harm on your ability to conceive:

Chlamydia

This disease left untreated will render up to 15% of women with pelvic inflammatory disease. It's one of the main causes of infertility in women having trouble trying to conceive.
Chlamydia can also be responsible for causing fallopian tube infections, without any noticeable signs or symptoms.

Gonorrhea

This is another STD that can render up to 15% of women with pelvic inflammatory disease. Again, it's one of the main causes of infertility in women having trouble trying to conceive.
This is another disease that has no symptoms, therefore it's recommended you have an annual screening.

Syphilis

This disease is transmitted through broken skin or mucous membranes. Pregnant mothers can pass it onto their baby growing in the womb (known as congenital syphilis).
Having HIV or Aids can really impact on your decision to have children, but there is new hope for HIV-positive couples.
With a combination of antiviral therapy, caesarean section delivery, and not allowing the newborn to breast-feed, the risks of the child being infected is reduced to less than one in fifty!
In men who are infected, their sperm can be washed to separate the seminal fluid which contains the majority of the cells carrying the virus from the sperm.

Herpes

Although herpes can't make you infertile, it can make conception tougher if you have a severe breakout around your most fertile time of the month.
That's because the inflammation and rise in temperature if you have a fever can lead to factors in your body not being right for conception. The main thing with herpes is actually at birth.
There has been some evidence of women with severe episodes of herpes being linked to failure of IVF and recurrent pregnancy loss. Men have been linked to having lower sperm counts and motility.
If you do become pregnant and carry your baby to full term, it can be dangerous for a newborn (neonatal herpes) and usually a caesarian is recommended to avoid any infection to the infant.

Genital Warts

While genital warts don't generally affect fertility, a pregnancy can spur on warts to spread very quickly and possibly cause complications with a blocked birth canal due to the warts invading that area, also making urination painful sometimes. In the event the warts obstruct the birth canal, they will usually perform a caesarian.

Trichomoniasis

This is an infection that can cause tubal infertility in women, and in men alter the motility and viability of their sperm. In women this infection is usually a result of a vaginal infection. It is an infection that can be treated.

Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C

While these infections don't directly cause infertility, advanced infections left untreated, or side effects from treatments can cause problems with trying to become pregnant.

Pubic Lice

Otherwise known as crabs, lice won't affect your fertility, however once again, left untreated they can cause a lot of discomfort and irritation making the area not ideal for conception.
Like many things, the best method is prevention. So if you already have STD Symptoms, or think you may have one of these infections or diseases, early treatment is your best answer in most cases for preventing problems with fertility.

Here's a short video about how to get tested if you suspect you have an STD:

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STD Symptoms aren't fun and can worsen with time. At any point if you think something strange or unusual is going on with your body, don't hesitate to get a sexual health check-up, in fact if you are at all sexually active, it's in your best interest to book an annual check-up.

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