More than 250,000 Britons carrying STI which causes INFERTILITY according to shock study



More than a quarter of a million Britons are carrying the disease



MORE than a quarter of a million Britons are at risk of INFERTILITY because they are carrying a virtually undetectable sexually transmitted infection (STI), a leading health organisation warned today.

 

Scientists believe that at least 250,000 people in the UK are infected with the disease, which can cause serious health complications despite displaying no obvious symptoms in the majority of carriers. 

Medics investigating Mycoplasma genitalium, known as MG, said there is mounting evidence that the infection is transmitted through sexual contact and is far more widespread than previously thought. 

 

It can cause discharge, testicular pain, pelvic pain and bleeding after sex in women and has been linked to medical conditions including pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and ectopic pregnancy.

Scientists now believe around one per cent of the 26 million Britons aged between 16 and 44 are infected with MG. 

 



Scientists say MG has been linked to infertility



The shocking revelation was unearthed by scientists at Public Health England (PHE) who were studying how the disease is spread between adults. 

Consultant clinical epidemiologist Nigel Field said: "MG is a bacterium that was present in around 1% of the general population aged 16 to 44 years, who had reported at least one sexual partner. 

"The study adds to the accumulating evidence-base that MG causes infection in some men and women, and the study found that women with MG were more likely to report bleeding after sexual activity.

"However, over 90% of men and more than half of women with MG had no symptoms. It may be that MG does not cause illness in all individuals in whom the infection is detected.

"Laboratory testing for MG is not yet widely available in the UK."

 

Laboratory testing for MG is not yet widely available in the UK

Dr Nigel Field

 



Scientists had been trying to work out how MG is spread



Dr Field said further research into the "clinical consequences of MG infection" are needed before work can begin on possible screening for the infection or steps to prevent it.

He said: "PHE has recently established national surveillance to monitor diagnoses of MG from any clinics undertaking testing and will continue to gather public health data on MG to inform policy on infection control. 

"As for all STIs, prevention measures promoting increased condom use and a reduction in sexual risk behaviours are likely to play an important role in efforts to control MG."

 

Scientists say wearing condoms is the best way to stop the spread of the disease

The new study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, found the rate of infection was much higher in those who reported more than four sexual partners in the past year.

The majority of participants who tested positive for MG did not report any symptoms in the last month, making it impossible for most people to detect. 

 

Over half of women did not report any symptoms, but among those who did, bleeding after sex was found to be the most common.

Dr Pam Sonnenberg, lead author of the paper, said: "These findings suggest that only testing those who are currently symptomatic would miss the majority of infections.

"However, further research is needed to understand the clinical implications of infection and possible longer-term complications."