Effect of PID and Chlamydia trachomatis Infection on Infertility: a Literature Review

Abstract

Aim. To review the results of recent research on the association between pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection and infertility. Methods. A literature search in the PubMed database and analysis. Results. Three out of four cohort studies found that CT infection significantly increases the risk of infertility (aHR 1.85–4.22), one of them found that women infected with CT were more likely to have PID. Casecontrol studies have shown that PID is significantly associated with an increased risk of infertility in women of different ages (OR 3.051–7.788) and with an increased risk of infertility compared to non-pregnant and pregnant women. PID was found to be associated with a 7.98-fold increased risk of infertility. In cross sectional studies, the prevalence of infertility among women treated for PID was found to be 24.2%, also infertility is more common among those with endocervical bacterial infection. Conclusions. Chlamydia trachomatis infection significantly increases the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility due to Fallopian tube pathology. Pelvic inflammatory disease is the most common cause of tubal infertility in women of all ages.