Association between Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis and Secondary Infertility in Cameroon: A case-control study.
<h4>Objective</h4>Data on the prevalence and etiology of infertility in Africa are limited. Secondary infertility is particularly common, defined as the inability of a woman to conceive for at least one year following a full-term pregnancy. We describe a prospective study conducted in Ca...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263186 |
| _version_ | 1818445894924632064 |
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| author | Clarisse Engowei Mbah Amy Jasani Kristal J Aaron Jane-Francis Akoachere Alan T N Tita William M Geisler Barbara Van Der Pol Jodie Dionne-Odom Jules Clement Assob Ngeudia |
| author_facet | Clarisse Engowei Mbah Amy Jasani Kristal J Aaron Jane-Francis Akoachere Alan T N Tita William M Geisler Barbara Van Der Pol Jodie Dionne-Odom Jules Clement Assob Ngeudia |
| author_sort | Clarisse Engowei Mbah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Objective</h4>Data on the prevalence and etiology of infertility in Africa are limited. Secondary infertility is particularly common, defined as the inability of a woman to conceive for at least one year following a full-term pregnancy. We describe a prospective study conducted in Cameroon designed to test the hypothesis of an association between common treatable sexually transmitted infections (STI): Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and secondary infertility in women.<h4>Methods</h4>In this case-control study, we enrolled women in Fako Division, Cameroon between November 2017 and December 2018 with secondary infertility (cases) or current pregnancy (controls). We conducted a baseline survey to collect sociodemographic, and sexual and medical history information. Nucleic acid amplification testing using Aptima (Hologic, San Diego, CA, US) was performed on endocervical swabs for CT, NG, MG, and TV. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between active STI and secondary infertility.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 416 women were enrolled: 151 cases and 265 controls. Compared to controls, cases were older (median age 32 vs 27 years) and had more lifetime sexual partners (median 4 vs 3) (p<0.001). Cases were more likely to report dyspareunia, abnormal menses, prior miscarriage, and ectopic pregnancy (all p<0.05). STI positivity was not significantly different among cases and controls (2.7% vs 5.4% for CT, 1.3% vs 2.9% for NG, 6.0% vs 7.0% for MG, respectively), with the exception of TV which was more common in pregnant controls (0.7% vs 5%; p = 0.02).<h4>Conclusion</h4>Study findings did not support an association between active STI and secondary infertility in Cameroon. Given high rates of pre-existing tubal damage, routine STI screening and treatment in younger women may be more impactful than costly STI testing during infertility assessments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T19:39:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-186ef0b6f17841f28299a7dea8bb2c2e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T19:39:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-186ef0b6f17841f28299a7dea8bb2c2e2022-12-21T22:49:45ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01172e026318610.1371/journal.pone.0263186Association between Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis and Secondary Infertility in Cameroon: A case-control study.Clarisse Engowei MbahAmy JasaniKristal J AaronJane-Francis AkoachereAlan T N TitaWilliam M GeislerBarbara Van Der PolJodie Dionne-OdomJules Clement Assob Ngeudia<h4>Objective</h4>Data on the prevalence and etiology of infertility in Africa are limited. Secondary infertility is particularly common, defined as the inability of a woman to conceive for at least one year following a full-term pregnancy. We describe a prospective study conducted in Cameroon designed to test the hypothesis of an association between common treatable sexually transmitted infections (STI): Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and secondary infertility in women.<h4>Methods</h4>In this case-control study, we enrolled women in Fako Division, Cameroon between November 2017 and December 2018 with secondary infertility (cases) or current pregnancy (controls). We conducted a baseline survey to collect sociodemographic, and sexual and medical history information. Nucleic acid amplification testing using Aptima (Hologic, San Diego, CA, US) was performed on endocervical swabs for CT, NG, MG, and TV. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between active STI and secondary infertility.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 416 women were enrolled: 151 cases and 265 controls. Compared to controls, cases were older (median age 32 vs 27 years) and had more lifetime sexual partners (median 4 vs 3) (p<0.001). Cases were more likely to report dyspareunia, abnormal menses, prior miscarriage, and ectopic pregnancy (all p<0.05). STI positivity was not significantly different among cases and controls (2.7% vs 5.4% for CT, 1.3% vs 2.9% for NG, 6.0% vs 7.0% for MG, respectively), with the exception of TV which was more common in pregnant controls (0.7% vs 5%; p = 0.02).<h4>Conclusion</h4>Study findings did not support an association between active STI and secondary infertility in Cameroon. Given high rates of pre-existing tubal damage, routine STI screening and treatment in younger women may be more impactful than costly STI testing during infertility assessments.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263186 |
| spellingShingle | Clarisse Engowei Mbah Amy Jasani Kristal J Aaron Jane-Francis Akoachere Alan T N Tita William M Geisler Barbara Van Der Pol Jodie Dionne-Odom Jules Clement Assob Ngeudia Association between Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis and Secondary Infertility in Cameroon: A case-control study. PLoS ONE |
| title | Association between Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis and Secondary Infertility in Cameroon: A case-control study. |
| title_full | Association between Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis and Secondary Infertility in Cameroon: A case-control study. |
| title_fullStr | Association between Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis and Secondary Infertility in Cameroon: A case-control study. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Association between Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis and Secondary Infertility in Cameroon: A case-control study. |
| title_short | Association between Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis and Secondary Infertility in Cameroon: A case-control study. |
| title_sort | association between chlamydia trachomatis neisseria gonorrhea mycoplasma genitalium and trichomonas vaginalis and secondary infertility in cameroon a case control study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263186 |
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