Reproductive health experts have said untreated vaginal infection could cause long-term complications for women, including infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain, among others.
They noted that while many women dismiss early symptoms such as unusual discharge, itching, and foul odour as minor issues, neglecting treatment could damage reproductive organs, reports Sunday PUNCH.
Speaking in a separate interview with our correspondent, the gynaecologists explained that infections left unattended often spread from the vagina to the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes, triggering inflammatory conditions that make conception difficult.
A Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Chris Aimakhu, said vaginal infection could be caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses, with some posing greater long-term risks than others.
According to him, while most women have some form of discharge that is natural to them, the vagina is an open place that is not protected, and women can have contamination from the outside.
The don explained that infection could arise from poor hygiene, sexually transmitted and bacterial organisms.
“The most common fungal infections like Candida infections. Women are very prone to this because it grows easily in moist environments, and the vagina is a very good place for Candida to thrive. You can also have other fungal infections and some viral infections, too. Sexually transmitted viral infections include HIV, human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus, and hepatitis. But we tend to see more bacterial infections because they are easily contracted. And then, of course, fungal infections like candidiasis are also very common.”
While speaking on the short-term health effects of leaving a vaginal infection untreated, Aimakhu, who is the second Vice President of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria, said, “If a vaginal infection is pathological, meaning it is truly an infection, perhaps sexually transmitted, and the woman doesn’t treat it, the first thing is that it causes discharge, which is uncomfortable. The patient doesn’t feel alright; she may soil her underwear with this discharge, which could be offensive not just to her but also to her partner. She knows it smells, which can affect intimacy.”
He warned that untreated cases could escalate into pelvic inflammatory disease, a condition that may permanently damage the reproductive organs.
The don said, “It can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which is an ascending infection from the genital tract. What do I mean? You could have an infection in the vagina that ascends to the uterus, causing cervicitis, then endometritis, and eventually full-blown PID. PID can have serious consequences; it can lead to ectopic pregnancy, infertility, abscess formation inside the pelvis, and chronic pelvic pain.
“Sometimes the infection causes pus collections inside the body, which are difficult to drain. If you have a boil on your skin, you can press it and it comes out, but when pus is inside the body, you can’t easily access it. PID can also cause miscarriage in pregnant women.”
Aimakhu further explained that blocked or damaged fallopian tubes are one of the most common ways infections lead to infertility.
“When the infection ascends from the vagina upwards, it can block the fallopian tubes. Tubal blockage is one of the most common causes of infertility, because when the tubes are blocked, sperm cannot pass through, and the egg cannot pass through. Infection can also destroy the fallopian tubes, cause tubal abscesses, or even post-abortal and post-delivery infections, leading to scarring and blockage. This is why childbirth should be conducted in a hygienic environment,” the SOGON second vice president said.
Also speaking with our correspondent, a Consultant Gynecologist, Dr. Ayodele Ademola, identified bacterial sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea as the biggest threats to fertility.
He said, “The commonest infections that can affect fertility are chlamydia and gonorrhoea, as opposed to the fungal infections that a lot of people shout about. These two can cause blockage, and that will be when it has advanced, either infecting the fallopian tubes or other structures.
“The fungal infection commonly causes itching, and when you talk about the effect on women’s health, it is more about discomfort, general illness, I mean, people don’t feel at ease when they have itching, discharge, and all that.
He clarified that while yeast infections are frequent, they do not typically cause infertility or cancer.
“Apart from that, fungal infections generally are not known to cause infertility directly, nor do they predispose to cancer. So you can see that in terms of frequency, like I’ve said, yeast infections are common, but they are only important because of the discomfort they give to women, not because they cause infertility or cancer.
“The ones that cause infertility are usually silent, and those two that I mentioned to you are not commonly seen in the laboratory. That’s why in many of the general laboratory tests people do, not many of them can detect gonorrhoea infections. Yet, these are the ones that are of clinical importance when it comes to fertility.”
Corroborating Aimakhu on the effects of leaving a vaginal infection untreated, Ademola said, “Apart from the immediate effects of discharge and itching, which cause discomfort, on the microscopic and macroscopic levels, they damage the tracts that carry sperms and eggs, eventually making those places non-functional. Sometimes we talk about tubal blockage. What causes tubal blockage? Sometimes the tubes are not even physically blocked, but they are functionally blocked.
“For men also, we talk about obstructive azoospermia, which means that the man suddenly discovers that there are no sperm cells in his semen. He could still be producing semen, but the passage through which the sperm passes is blocked by these infections. So a man who had been fertile before may gradually see a drop in sperm count, leading to infertility. Many such cases occur because the infection was not properly treated.”
Explaining how untreated vaginal infections can affect women’s fertility, Ademola, who is the Medical Director of The Strong Tower Specialist Hospital and Fertility Centre, said, “Untreated vaginal infections, especially when undetected, can cause obstruction of the reproductive passages, leading to a delay in conception. Untreated reproductive tract infections, depending on their nature, can also cause problems with implantation — an example being tuberculosis of the endometrium.
“Such infections can eventually cause strictures or damage to passages, making it impossible for the woman to get pregnant, either by blocking the tubes or affecting the lining of the womb. So, all said and done, any form of infection should be treated.
“I mentioned earlier that some infections occur in groups, so the fact that you are treating one does not mean it’s the only infection present. That is the need for syndromic treatment by a specialist, so that nothing is left untreated.”
The experts urged women to seek prompt treatment for any genital discomfort rather than self-medicate or rely on unverified remedies.
They warned that while early detection and treatment could prevent irreversible reproductive health problems, it was important for women to protect themselves from getting an infection in the first place.
