Women ‘should receive chlamydia testing more frequently’

Women should be tested for chlamydia whenever they have a new sexual partner and not just once a year, according to new medical research.

A report published in the British Medical Journal found that single screening is not particularly successful at reducing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) resulting from chlamydia and may also be less cost-effective than previously thought.

The St George’s, University of London research concluded that most cases of PID occurred in women who did not have chlamydia infections when they were screened during the previous year, suggesting they may have become infected later.

However, the study also found that women diagnosed and treated for chlamydial infection experienced an 80 per cent reduction in the risk of PID.

In an accompanying editorial, Jessica Sheringham from University College London states that further research is needed to improve understanding of chlamydia and its associated reproductive health risks.

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US and Europe with more than three million new infections diagnosed each year.