Do I need to worry about STIs when I’m trying to conceive?
We teamed up with our friends at Hoopsy to answer some common questions from people trying to conceive.
Can STIs affect your ability to get pregnant? How can you protect against STIs when you’re trying to conceive? And what happens if you get an STI while pregnant? Here’s how to take care of your sexual health on your fertility journey.
Can you conceive if you have an STI?
Yes, you can get pregnant when you have an STI. Although STIs can affect your fertility, it’s rare and when an issue does develop, it’s because an infection has been left untreated for some time.
If you’ve had an STI diagnosed, we recommend you do not have any sex until you’ve finished treatment for the STI. Your partner should also do a test to make sure it’s not spread between you. This can help stop reinfection as well.
Many STIs have no symptoms, so the only way to be sure you have not contracted one is to get a test.
If you’re trying to conceive, we recommend you and your partner do an STI test before you start. Then if you think you’ve been at risk at any time, you can test again. Once you are pregnant, you’ll be offered a blood test that will check for HIV and syphilis at your first antenatal appointment.
Do any STIs cause fertility issues? And which ones?
If they are not treated, STIs like gonorrhoea and chlamydia can cause more complex infections in the reproductive system. This can potentially lead to fertility issues, for example, if the fallopian tubes get blocked by scarring or inflammation in the testicles and penis can mean sperm have trouble getting through.
It’s rare that this happens. But if you have any of these symptoms you should visit a sexual health clinic - it could be a sign of an STI or other infection:
pain during sex or when you pee
unexpected bleeding after sex or between periods
painful, swollen testicles
burning or itching around the penis
unusual discharge
These more complex infections can be treated with antibiotics. The best results come from early treatment. So it’s another great reason for you and your partner to get tested before you start trying to get pregnant.
Can I get pregnant if I have chlamydia?
Yes, you can still get pregnant if you have an STI like chlamydia.
In some cases, if chlamydia is not treated it can cause problems with fertility. But this is very rare. Most cases of chlamydia are easily treated with antibiotics.
Many people do not see any symptoms when they have a chlamydia infection, so it’s not always easy to realise you have it. Regular testing is the best way to be sure.
If you are pregnant or you think you could be pregnant, you should tell your clinician when you get treatment for chlamydia. Some of the options for chlamydia treatment are not suitable during pregnancy.
Is it dangerous for my baby if I get an STI when pregnant?
The truth is, it can be. Some infections can be passed onto the baby while it’s in the womb or during birth. Other STIs can cause complications in your pregnancy and increase the chance of premature birth.
You can safely do STI tests while pregnant, they do not hurt or harm an unborn baby. They are the best way to find out if you have an infection and avoid the risks during pregnancy.
Should I get tested for STIs regularly?
If you’re having sex then yes you should test! How often you test depends on what your sex life is like.
No matter how much sex you’re having, no one needs to test more regularly than every 3 months, unless they are testing after a known contact with an STI.
BASHH (British Association of Sexual Health and HIV) recommends testing every 3 months if you regularly have sex with different partners or are changing partners often. They also recommend testing near the start of a relationship with a new partner, and once a year if you’re having sex with the same partner on a long-term, monogamous basis.
It’s also important to be aware of window periods. Window periods are the time it takes for a new infection to show up in a test. So when you test for gonorrhoea and chlamydia, the result is only accurate if you test at least 2 weeks after sexual contact. For HIV it's 7 weeks after sexual contact, and for syphilis, it's 12 weeks. Just be aware of these window periods when taking your test.
If I have an STI should I wait until it’s gone to start trying to conceive?
Yes, you should not have sex when you know you have an STI to stop the STI from spreading to other people. And because an STI can affect your fertility and your pregnancy, it’s better to wait until you’ve completed treatment for the infection before you start trying to conceive.
If you have an STI and are getting treatment, let your doctor or nurse know that you’re planning on getting pregnant. This may change what treatment they give you.
