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Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases  >  Infertility & STDs

CDC Recommends Screening of All Sexually Active Women 25 and Under

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most important preventable causes of infertility. Untreated, up to 40% of women with chlamydia or gonorrhea will develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can lead to infertility and potentially fatal tubal (ectopic) pregnancy.

  • An estimated 2.8 million cases of chlamydia and 718,000 cases of gonorrhea occur annually in the United States.*
  • Most women infected with chlamydia or gonorrhea have no symptoms.

CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active females 25 and under and for women older than 25 with risk factors such as a new sex partner or multiple partners.



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* Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the first and second most commonly reported notifiable disease in the United States. In 2004, a total of 929,462 chlamydial infections and 330,132 cases of gonorrhea were reported to CDC from 50 states and the District of Columbia. The number of reported cases is lower than the estimated total number because infected people are often unaware of, and do not seek treatment for, their infections and because screening for chlamydia is still not routine in many clinical settings.

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Page last modified: October 16, 2008
Page last reviewed: April 8, 2008

Content Source: Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention