Lack of Chlamydia testing can threaten reproductive health
Posted by on April 4, 2012 - 12:40pm

Just 38 percent of sexually active young women were screened for chlamydia in the previous year in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC recommends annual screening for all sexually active women aged 25 and under.   If recent policies related to health care reform that focus on preventive care are cut, this problem could become worse.

Overall testing rates remain low, although testing was most common among African-American women, those who had multiple sex partners, and those who received public insurance or were uninsured. Researchers find this encouraging because these are some of the groups at highest risk for chlamydia.

“This new research makes it clear that we are missing too many opportunities to protect young women from health consequences that can last a lifetime,” said Kevin Fenton, M.D., from the CDC.   “Annual chlamydia screening can protect young women’s reproductive health now and safeguard it for the future.”

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States, and young people are most affected. Because people often do not have symptoms, many infections go undetected and untreated. Untreated chlamydia can have severe long-term health consequences, particularly for young women, including chronic pelvic pain, potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Rates of chlamydia in the the US are relatively low compared to third world countries where the incidence rate soar and screening programs are rare.

CDC recommends that anyone diagnosed with chlamydia be retested three months after initial treatment to ensure that those who may have become reinfected can be promptly treated with antibiotics. However, additional data presented at the conference show that retesting rates remain low and many reinfections likely are being missed.  Chlamydia can be easily treated and cured with antibiotics, and retesting plays a vital role in preventing serious future health consequences.

 

Gaps in chlamydia testing among young women should be avoided
Posted by on March 17, 2012 - 11:53am

Just 38 percent of sexually active young women were screened for chlamydia in the previous year, according to the most recent nationally representative estimate conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC recommends annual screening for all sexually active women aged 25 and under.

Overall testing rates remain low, although testing was most common among African-American women, those who had multiple sex partners, and those who received public insurance or were uninsured. Researchers find this encouraging because these are some of the groups at highest risk for chlamydia.

“This new research makes it clear that we are missing too many opportunities to protect young women from health consequences that can last a lifetime,” said Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. “Annual chlamydia screening can protect young women’s reproductive health now and safeguard it for the future.”

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States, and young people are most affected. Because people often do not have symptoms, many infections go undetected and untreated. Untreated chlamydia can have severe long-term health consequences, particularly for young women, including chronic pelvic pain, potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy and infertility.

CDC recommends that anyone diagnosed with chlamydia be retested three months after initial treatment to ensure that those who may have become reinfected can be promptly treated with antibiotics. However, additional data show that retesting rates remain low and many reinfections likely are being missed. By examining available data on more than 60,000 men and women who tested positive for chlamydia CDC  found that just 14 percent of men and 22 percent of women were retested within 30-180 days. Of those who were retested, a significant proportion again tested positive (25 percent of men and 16 percent of women).

“It is critical that health care providers are not only aware of the importance of testing sexually active young women every year for chlamydia infections, but also of retesting anyone who is diagnosed,” said Gail Bolan, M.D., director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. “Chlamydia can be easily treated and cured with antibiotics, and retesting plays a vital role in preventing serious future health consequences.”

 

 

Beware of Bogus STD Treatments
Posted by on May 4, 2011 - 10:52am

Federal regulators say some companies are selling products that make unproven claims to treat sexually transmitted diseases—claims that could pose a threat to public health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says only prescription medicines and diagnostic tools available through a health care professional are effective for STD diagnosis and treatment. FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are warning manufacturers and distributors that they could face legal action if the products aren’t removed from the market. The agencies say at least 15 products claim to treat, prevent, or cure STDs and are being sold online and at some retail outlets.

The products—some of which are sold as dietary supplements—claim to treat a range of sexually transmitted diseases, including herpes, chlamydia, genital warts, HIV, and AIDS. Specific brand names being targeted by FDA and FTC include: Medavir, Herpaflor, and Viruxo. To see a complete list of the phony STD remedies, go to this SITE.

FDA’s Dr. Debbie Birnkrant says she’s concerned that someone with an STD will waste precious time using a product that doesn’t work, leading to a delay in medical treatment and possible spread of the infection. “If you aren’t treating your STD with an FDA-approved medication, you’re not just putting your own health at risk—you could be endangering your partner,” she says.

Prescription Only

Birnkrant says there are no non-prescription drugs or dietary supplements that can treat, cure, or prevent sexually transmitted disease. Condoms are the only non-prescription product that can prevent STDs by reducing the chance that an infected person will pass on the disease. STDs can only be diagnosed and treated under the supervision of a health care professional. Some STDs have symptoms that include sores or a discharge, but the majority of infected people have no symptoms at all. Because of this, Birnkrant says people who are sexually active, have had unprotected sex, or have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease should get medical attention, especially if they have these symptoms:

• burning sensation with urination

• pelvic pain

• discharge from the penis or vagina

• blisters

• sores

There are FDA-approved medications available to treat many sexually transmitted diseases. These products have met federal standards for safety, effectiveness, and quality—and they’re available only by prescription, Birnkrant says. To learn more about sexually transmitted diseases and to learn where you can be tested, go to www.hivtest.org/STDTesting.aspx.

Younger Women at Risk for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Posted by on December 2, 2010 - 10:11am

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) refers to infection of the uterus (womb), fallopian tubes and other reproductive organs that causes symptoms such as lower abdominal pain.   It is a serious complication of some sexually transmitted diseases, especially chlamydia and gonorrhea.   PID can damage the fallopian tubes and tissues in and near the uterus and ovaries and can lead to serious consequences including infertility, ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy in the fallopian tube or elsewhere outside the womb), abscess formation and chronic pelvic pain.

More than 750,000 women in the US experience an episode of acute PID every year.

PID occurs when bacteria move upward from a women's vagina or cervix into her reproductive organs.   A prior episode of an PID increases the risk of another episode because the reproductive organs may be damaged during the initial bout of infection.

Sexually active women in their childbearing years are most at risk, and those under age 25 are more likely to develop PID than those older than 25.   This partly because the cervix of teenage girls and young women is not fully matured, increasing their susceptibility to the STDs that are linked to PID.   The more sex partners a women has, the greater her risk of developing PID.   Also, a woman whose partner has more than one sex partner is at greater risk of developing PID, because of the potential for more exposure to infectious agents.   Women who douche may have a higher risk of developing PID.   Research has shown that douching changes the vaginal flora in harmful ways, and can force bacteria into the upper reproductive organs.

Women who have an intrauterine device (IUD) inserted may have a slightly increased risk of PID near the time of insertion compared with women using other contraceptives or no contraceptive at all.  However, this risk is greatly reduced if a women is tested and, if necessary, treated for STDs before an IUD is inserted.

Signs and symptoms of PID include:

  • lower abdominal pain
  • fever
  • unusual vaginal discharge that may have a foul odor
  • painful intercourse
  • painful urination
  • irregular menstrual bleeding
  • pain in the right upper abdomen.

If the PID is caused by a chlamydial infection, a woman may only have mild symptoms or even no symptoms.   This often leads to an undiagnosed case of PID which can become a serious problem.

To read more about the causes,  diagnosis, treatment and complications of PID, click HERE.

Source:   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention