Constant reminders to only engage in safe sex have not eliminated the high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Aside from the life-threatening medical conditions STDs can cause, STDs can also have a critical impact on fertility in both men and women. Recent studies conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that throughout the world, 38 percent of infertility cases were caused by sexually transmitted diseases. Infertility, defined as an inability to conceive after more than a year of unprotected sex, has numerous causes; the most avoidable cause of infertility is STDs.

As a direct result of STDs, women can develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is a primary cause of infertility. PID causes scarring of the fallopian tubes, which may either entirely obstruct the tubes or injure the mucosa and cilia, which are necessary for proper functioning. If left untreated, the risk factor for tubal-factor infertility is doubled with each incidence of PID, and severe infections put women at a five times greater risk for infertility than mild infections. Symptoms of PID include: fever, lower abdominal pain, abdominal tenderness, and vaginal discharge. Meanwhile, prompt treatment of PID can lower the infertility risk component by three times.

Gonococcal and chlamydial cervical infections are specific STDs that have been shown to directly cause PID. Untreated gonorrhea and chlamydia can reach the pelvic region and infect the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes, leading to PID, according to the Association for Voluntary Surgical Contraception (AVSC). Since chlamydia is asymptomatic and therefore hard to recognize, a woman who goes untreated for chlamydia may find herself with severe tubal damage without ever being aware that she had contracted a STD.