Chlamydia and Infertility

Chlamydia is the most common, curable, bacterial, sexually-transmitted infection in the UK. Last year there were almost 104,000 cases in genito-urinary clinics alone. The number of sexually active people under 25 infected with Chlamydia is now thought to be just under half a million - about one in ten.

It often has no obvious symptoms. But if it is left untreated it can lead to severe complications. It is widely believed to cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and sometimes infertility in women, and in men it can lead to inflammation of the testicles and sperm conducting tubes, and affect joints.

But in August 2005 Lord Robert Winston suggested the link between Chlamydia and infertility was not clear. He said:

"I think the evidence that Chlamydia affects fertility is very dubious. Most infertility is not due to Chlamydia. I haven't seen any figures that demonstrate that it is causing infertility. The link between Chlamydia and tubal disease is based on only two papers written in Sweden in the Sixties and it has never been checked. There's no British data."

But there is little room for doubt according to Professor Bill Ledger, a consultant at Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire hospital and one of the UK's leading infertility specialists. In Sheffield, he and his three colleagues treat around 100 women a year who are experiencing problems due to Chlamydia. Nationally, he believes that up to a third of all IVF treatments are because of the damage caused by Chlamydia - that's somewhere between 5,000-10,000 couples.

It's believed that the Chlamydia infection damages the hairs along the fallopian tubes which help the egg travel from the ovaries to the womb. This damage can lead to scarring, which in turn leads the tubes to be blocked. 

Women with damaged tubes do occasionally fall pregnant but there is an increased risk of the pregnancy developing in the tubes rather than the womb. This is called an ectopic pregnancy. The tube can split apart causing serious pain and bleeding. This is an emergency because the bleeding can be life threatening. 

Women with damaged tubes do occasionally fall pregnant but there is an increased risk of the pregnancy developing in the tubes rather than the womb. This is called an ectopic pregnancy. The tube can split apart causing serious pain and bleeding. This is an emergency because the bleeding can be life threatening. 

One of the key papers, "Chlamydia and its effect on reproduction (1996)" by L.V. Westrom measured the likelihood of infertility after episodes of Chlamydia. His research found that 79 out of 1025 women (7.8%) were infertile because of post-salpingitic tubal occlusion compared with a control group where the incidence was just 0.9%.

The paper also measured the relative risk (RR) of infertility when considering the number of episodes of Chlamydia. It was 1% with no episodes, 5% after one episode, 11.3% after two episodes and 19.8% after three episodes

There is also evidence showing a relationship between Chlamydia screening and a fall in genital tract infections and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease amongst women. In Sweden in 1985 a Chlamydia screening programme was introduced across the country in a variety of health settings - including primary care (such as GPs) and at specialist clinics (such as GUMs). Rates of testing increased from 1985 to 1991 and a corresponding decrease occurred in the number of cases diagnosed. In one county the number of cases had falled to 40% of initial levels

In Wisconsin (USA), a state wide initiative in 1986 used risk factors to determine who should be screened. By 1990 a 53% decrase in prevalence was seen.4 In one randomised controlled trial of 2607 women, the number of Pelvic Inflammatory cases fell by 56%. 

Basic Facts About Hepatitis A, B, and C

How you can contract it; Functions of the liver; What can happen when hepatitis progresses--fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure

Hepatitis is considered one of the most prevalent health problems of the 1990s. The World Health Organization reports that 1.4 million cases of Hepatitis A are treated annually worldwide. In the United States, close to 5 million adults have hepatitis B or C, and this may be only a small percentage of the total of infected individuals.

Hepatitis A:
Hepatitis A (HAV), the most prevalent type of hepatitis worldwide, strikes more than 150,000 people in the United States annually.

Hepatitis B:
Each year, more than 250,000 people contract hepatitis B (HBV) in the United States.

Hepatitis C:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that up to 30,000 individuals acquire hepatitis C (HCV) infections in the United States each year. In other parts of the world, the rates of infection and numbers in infected individuals range as high as 20 percent of the population. Called "an emerging public health threat" and the "silent epidemic," hepatitis C is a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer, and is now the leading reason for liver transplantation in the United States.

Risk factors

Major risk factors for Hepatitis A
The CDC lists household or sexual contact, day care attendance or employment, and recent international travel to areas with poor sanitation as major known risk factors for infection with hepatitis A. Eating food prepared by infected food handlers and using contaminated needles are other risk factors.

Major risk factors for Hepatitis B
In the United States, the major risk factors for hepatitis B are unprotected sex with multiple partners and intravenous (IV) drug use.

Major risk factors for Hepatitis C
The major risk factors for acquiring hepatitis C are IV drug use and transfusion of blood or blood products prior to 1992. Other risk factors also contribute.

 

Hepatitis

Genital Herpes Information

What most refer to as herpes is actually family of socially transmitted diseases caused by the herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1 cold sores) and type 2 (HSV-2 genital herpes). Other types of the virus are commonly known as shingles and the Epstein-Barr virus. Most people who carry the virus have no or only minimal signs of an infection. Because of this, many people are unaware that they have the virus. Telling signs of an infection include one or more blisters on the face or genitals that break and leave small ulcers that may take 2 to 4 weeks to heal initially. The blisters recur periodically over time, typically about 5 times per year. The frequency of outbreaks usually reduces over time.

For most healthy people it is harmless. Rare severe cases of HSV-1 on the head or face may lead to serious conditions. Extra precautions for pregnant women at the time of delivery are needed to prevent genital herpes transmission to the baby which can sometimes be fatal to infants.
The disease is very common. In the US about 20% of adults are have the infection. Because the symptoms can often be mild, most people do not know they have the disease or mistake it for other causes like insect bites. About 1 million new cases are reported every year. Millions more likely go unreported.

Use Hiv Saliva Test The Right For You

Many people live with the myth, that HIV and its harmful components are present in the saliva of a HIV positive person. Hence, kissing or sharing food with the patient can be contagious due to the presence of HIV in saliva. However, this is not true. Though the saliva might carry HIV viral RNA or proviral DNA, they are not harmful, when they reside in the human saliva.

The saliva does not carry HIV that could be infectious or contagious. This is because; the saliva does not offer a very favorable condition for the sustenance of HIV. In fact, saliva is a good agent of destroying this virus. It carries special antibodies that fight the HIV components. The antiseptic and "hypotonic" property of saliva is conditioned to destroy any foreign cell that is present in the mouth. It works as a natural defense mechanism in our body.

HIV requires a good quantity of salt for its survival. Therefore, blood gives HIV the most favorable environment for propagation. Saliva, on the contrary, deactivates 90% of the HIV- infected leukocytes, due to lack of salt. Leukocytes or the blood cells, which help in the transmission of HIV to the mucosal surface, fail to succeed in their purpose. The HIV in saliva expands and bursts, due to lack of salt.

Choose The Best Rapid Syphilis Test

Syphilis is a disease caused by a spirochete called Treponema pallidum (TP). If untreated, the organism moves across the body and can cause damage to many organs, making syphilis life-threatening diseases if not treated early fully. Serological response to syphilis involve the production of antibodies against various antigens, including non-specific antibodies and specific anti-TP antibody. The first response to infection is detected the production of specific anti-treponemal IgM, which can be detected within 4 to 7 days after the chancre appears and until the end of the second week of infection, anti-treponemal IgG appeared in about four weeks later. The symptoms of syphilis as the disease progresses, most patients have both IgG and IgM detected. Syphilis infection can spread through the bloodstream to all parts of the body. If untreated, syphilis can cause severe heart disease, brain damage, spinal cord damage, blindness, and death.

Syphilis is a public health problem in many persistent low-income countries that have limited capacity for testing, which has traditionally relied on non-treponemal tests are sensitive and specific treponemal tests. However, the development of new rapid treponemal tests provide opportunities to enhance syphilis screening in many settings where traditional tests are not available.

The reason you might not be able to perform the test or why the results can not be helpful include:

# The use of antibiotics before having the test.

# A blood transfusion in the weeks before a test.

# Has other conditions or diseases, like lupus, heart disease, HIV infection, or yaws.

Rapid Herpes Test Accurate For You

Herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). It is referred to as type 1 (HSV1) or type 2 (HSV2). It causes painful blisters to appear on the genitals and the surrounding areas. Genital herpes can be passed to others through sexual contact.
HSV1 is acquired orally and the most common symptom is cold sores. HSV2 is acquired through sexual contact and affects mainly the genital area.

The herpes simplex is a virus and works as such. It causes ulcers or sores such as cold sores or genital blisters. It is an effective virus, but one the human immune system is equipped to fight. Of those people infected with the virus, the majority of them are asymptomatic.
It is passed through sexual contact, so is regarded as a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD). This is because the moist skin that lines the mouth, genitals and anus is the most susceptible to infection.
The virus can also enter the body through a cut or abrasion on the skin. If the wound comes into contact with a cold sore for example, the virus can pass into the body. This is rare, but does happen occasionally.

If symptoms do occur in the infected, they appear between 2 and 8 days after contracting the virus. The symptoms will generally last up to a month, then disappear.
Symptoms include:
>> Itching or tingling sensation in the genital or anal area
>> Small fluid-filled blisters that burst leaving small sores
>> Flu-like symptoms, including swollen glands or fever
>> Pain when passing urine over the open sores (especially in women)
>> Headaches
>> Backache
Any of these symptoms can be caused by a number of things, which is why the virus is difficult to identify. The initial symptoms will disappear, only to reappear at random times. Not everyone will display the initial outbreak, let alone further ones.
As each outbreak appears, the symptoms become less and less. This is because the immune system fights the virus effectively and suppresses it when it arises. Anyone, including those who have been previously asymptomatic, may display symptoms when under stress or ill with something else. The weakness of the immune system as it fights something else can allow the virus to surface again.

Basic Facts About Hepatitis A, B, and C

How you can contract it; Functions of the liver; What can happen when hepatitis progresses--fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure

Hepatitis is considered one of the most prevalent health problems of the 1990s. The World Health Organization reports that 1.4 million cases of hepatitis A are treated annually worldwide. In the United States, close to 5 million adults have hepatitis B or C, and this may be only a small percentage of the total of infected individuals.

Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A (HAV), the most prevalent type of hepatitis worldwide, strikes more than 150,000 people in the United States annually.

Hepatitis B
Each year, more than 250,000 people contract hepatitis B (HBV) in the United States.

Hepatitis C
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that up to 30,000 individuals acquire hepatitis C (HCV) infections in the United States each year. In other parts of the world, the rates of infection and numbers in infected individuals range as high as 20 percent of the population. Called "an emerging public health threat" and the "silent epidemic," hepatitis C is a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer, and is now the leading reason for liver transplantation in the United States.

Risk factors 

Major risk factors for hepatitis A
The CDC lists household or sexual contact, day care attendance or employment, and recent international travel to areas with poor sanitation as major known risk factors for infection with hepatitis A. Eating food prepared by infected food handlers and using contaminated needles are other risk factors.

Major risk factors for hepatitis B
In the United States, the major risk factors for hepatitis B are unprotected sex with multiple partners and intravenous (IV) drug use.

Major risk factors for hepatitis C
The major risk factors for acquiring hepatitis C are IV drug use and transfusion of blood or blood products prior to 1992. Other risk factors also contribute.

Using A Rapid Chalmydia Test, Best Test Equipment

Chlamydia is a disease caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. It's most commonly contracted during sexual contact. If Chlamydia is left untreated it may cause scarring of the fallopian tube, internal urethral infections, and can result in infertility. In pregnant women Chlamydia can cause premature labor and delivery. Chlamydia is a curable disease so it needs to be tested for anytime a check is needed.

It is not easy to tell if you are infected with chlamydia since symptoms are usually not apparent. But when they do occur, they are usually noticeable within 1-3 weeks of contact and can include the following :

Symptoms in Women
Abnormal vaginal discharge that may have an odor
Bleeding between periods
Painful periods
Abdominal pain with fever
Pain when having sex
Itching or burning in or around the vagina
Pain when urinating

Symptoms in Man
Small amounts of clear or cloudy discharge from the tip of the penis
Painful urination
Burning and itching around the opening of the penis
Pain and swelling around the testicles