Wednesday, 4/16/97 An Ounce Of Prevention Both men and women can
safeguard fertility and protect themselves from disease through
safe sex and abstinence
By Linda Yoon Daily Bruin Contributor Want to get pregnant? Use
a condom. Although killing two birds with one stone is economical,
killing three birds with one condom is astronomical. Condoms are
usually associated with birth control and protection from sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs). However, many people don’t realize
that these contraceptives also safeguard the world’s next
generation. Condoms not only help prevent current pregnancy and the
spread of STDs but are also used as a preventive measure against
infertility. Infertility can be caused by a number of factors,
namely surgery in the reproductive tracts and the contracting of
STDs. According to the American Social Health Association (ASHA),
the most common diseases that cause reproductive damage are
gonorrhea and chlamydia, which can affect both women and men. "Both
STDs are generally asymptomatic, and are only (discerned) through
tests," said Beth Sokolski, nurse practitioner in women’s health at
the UCLA Student Health Center. When a woman does have symptoms,
she will usually suffer the same signs with chlamydia as she would
with gonorrhea, and vice versa. Occasionally, the first symptom of
chlamydia may be abdominal pain with fever. The disease is
generally accompanied by frequent or painful urination, vaginal
discharge, bleeding after intercourse, or rectal pain, Sokolski
said. With gonorrhea, most women do not notice symptoms initially.
Many cases of gonorrhea are first detected by culture mediums grown
on agar dishes, which is simply a method of collecting the bacteria
that causes the infection. Usually, the bacteria strikes the
reproductive tract. But it has also been known to attack the
throat, the eyes, and the rectum. "The only major difference
between gonorrhea and chlamydia is that with gonorrhea, you have
infection in the throat which may result in a sore throat or a
slight hoarseness," Sokolski said. "(Otherwise), they’re very
similar and it’s very hard to know which is which." If gonorrhea is
left untreated, a woman risks a 40 percent chance of scarring,
tubal obstruction and infertility. The longer gonorrhea remains
untreated, the greater the likelihood of permanent damage, Sokolski
said. With both STDs, if they are treated early enough where the
infections have not traveled up to the fallopian tubes, there will
be no chance of infertility. "It’s kind of a progression, so if
it’s traveled up to the tubes, then you are going to risk an
increased probability of infertility," Sokolski said. Gonorrhea and
chlamydia can also give rise to the pelvic inflammatory disease
(PID), which is a very common agent of infertility among women.
According to ASHA, PID occurs when untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea
spreads from the cervix up into the uterus, fallopian tubes and
ovaries, which may cause scarring in the fallopian tubes. The
symptoms of PID involve continual pelvic pain, a temperature of 102
to 104 F, shaking, chills, unusual vaginal discharge or vaginal
bleeding. In some people, the symptoms can be very subtle, such as
persistent mild abdominal pain or back ache, a pain only noticed
during intercourse or slightly increased vaginal discharge,
Sokolski said. The symptoms of PID also depend upon the location of
the infection, which usually lies along the uterus, the fallopian
tubes or the ovaries. In addition to the threat of infertility,
ASHA reports that PID may cause chronic pain and tubal pregnancies,
in which the mother’s life is threatened and the fetus cannot
develop. Although PID only affects women, men are likewise at risk
from diseases that might lead to infertility. Gonorrhea and
chlamydia can rise to potential sterility in men. The diseases are
ascending infections, entering the body through the urethra and
possibly infecting the prostate as well. "Sterility can be caused
by similar scarring (in men as with women) in areas of the genital
tract," said Dennis Kelly, a doctor at the UCLA Student Health
Center. These STDs are usually silent infections 25 percent of the
time, but Kelly states that detected symptoms in men may include
itching and burning within the urethra and a discharge of mucus or
puss from the tip of the urethra, or spots on the underwear from
the penis. "The symptoms and discomfort of gonorrhea tend to be
more severe (than chlamydia), and the discharge is worse," Kelly
said. Despite the shared potential for infertility in both men and
women, women are at a higher risk of damaging their reproductive
tracts, said Sharon Broom, director of public relations for ASHA.
"It’s much more common for women to become infertile from STDs than
men … because of women’s anatomy," Broom said. "Their
reproductive structure (provides) a safe harbor for infections." In
addition to women, Broom claims that younger adults and teens are
more biologically susceptible to contracting STDs than older
sexually active individuals. "The immune system (of younger adults)
are not as fully developed as in people who are a little older, so
they are more prone to getting STDs from the same level of sexual
contact," Broom said. Sokolski disagrees, stating that age itself
does not play a factor in the risk of infertility. She believes
younger people are at a higher risk because they are statistically
more sexually active with different partners and less cautious with
protection than older individuals. Broom emphasizes abstinence from
all forms of sexual contact – vaginal, anal and oral – is the only
100 percent way of avoiding potential infertility. "We are becoming
more and more aware of the fact that oral sex is often practiced by
people who think that it protects them, not only from pregnancy but
also from STDs, and that is not the case," Broom said. "You can get
STDs from oral sex." However, if a person is sexually active, Broom
recommends using condoms, the most effective means of protection
against STDs. April is National Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Awareness Month. STD page Department of STD Control Students call
for more information about STDs