Little-known sexually transmitted disease linked to infertility worries doctors!

Experts warn that there is insufficient diagnostic testing and treatment. It can cause urethritis and miscarriages, among other health problems. These are the symptoms.

doctors want to do more research on this disease because it is more important to do it because they believe that it is more important to do it.

Scientists have known about the disease, called mycoplasma genitalium, or M. genitalium or M. gen, for decades. It is a sexually transmitted infection that can cause genital pain, bleeding and swelling, and is connected to problems such as infertility and miscarriage. However, it wasn’t until 2019 that the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved test for M. gen. became commercially available. This leaves many cases that may go undiagnosed and untreated, doctors warn.

“It’s a real concern,” said Irene Stafford, M.D., associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School. “Why aren’t we looking into this?” she noted.

Stafford called for more research and testing for the bacterial infection Tuesday during the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) conference on preventing sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, where CDC officials warned of an “out-of-control” increase in such infections.

There is a resemblance between chlamydia and gonorrhea, M. gen. which tends to be asymptomatic, and which can cause serious complications in both males and females, In men, it tends to cause urethritis, and inflammation accompanied by irritation of the urethra. and as for women, M. gen. In May, a large study published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infection resulted in the discovery that the risk of preterm birth almost doubled among women with M. gen.

However, more research is needed to determine the long-term risks of M. gen infection, experts said.

What are the symptoms?
The tests are relatively new, doctors do not have to report diagnosed cases, and the CDC has still recommended including screening for the disease in routine checkups. This makes it unclear how prevalent the infection is or who is most at risk.Patients should be tested if symptoms persist and after they have tested negative for other sexually transmitted diseases.

Symptoms can include:

Pain and discomfort when urinating.
Abnormal discharge for both men and women.
Women may also experience lower abdominal pain and bleeding after sex.
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By comparison, chlamydia, the most commonly reported STD in the U.S., ranges from 4 to 7 percent of sexually active young women, depending on location and risk factors.

[“Very few people are dying from monkeypox in the current outbreak, but there are other complications.”]

Given its association with pregnancy complications, Stafford believes that women with high-risk pregnancies should be screened for M. gen. But screening programs can be expensive, especially without more research on the risks available to justify the costs.

“We have very good studies showing that if we screen and treat chlamydia and gonorrhea, we can actually prevent infertility and PID [pelvic inflammatory disease],” Manhart said. “We don’t have that kind of evidence for M. genitalium,” he noted.

A super-infection of concern
Specialists are urgently calling for more research: the infection has developed resistance to the most common antibiotic used to treat STDs, azithromycin, or “Z-Pack,” according to the CDC.

There is an antibiotic, moxifloxacin, which is effective but can also cause serious side effects in some patients, making it a very risky option for women who are pregnant.