Having an STI and Trying to Conceive: What You Need to Know
Written by moode Journal | Reviewed June 2026
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have or suspect an STI, see your GP or a sexual health clinic.
In the fear-mongering frenzy that masquerades as high-school sex ed, sexually transmitted infections come second only to pregnancy as a reason to abstain from sex. And while it's true that STIs can have serious consequences for short and long-term health, and in some cases affect reproductive health specifically, the way we talk about them (or don't) is rarely helpful. So often attached to shame and stigma, the "T" in STI may as well stand for taboo.
We're trading taboo for transparency, because the Venn diagram of sexual health and reproductive health is one obvious overlapping circle that deserves a voice. So if you're trying to conceive and you've got a history with an STI, or a current one, you deserve a straight answer about what it actually means.
Here's the headline, up front: having an STI does not automatically mean you have a fertility problem. Most people who've had an STI go on to conceive without issue. But some infections, left untreated, can cause real and lasting damage, and a few others matter more for how you manage pregnancy than for whether you can get pregnant. The details depend entirely on which infection we're talking about.
STIs make up around 30 communicable diseases transmitted through sexual contact, and include chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, herpes simplex (HSV), hepatitis and HIV. More than 66,000 new STIs were diagnosed in Australian females in 2017 alone. So if you're STI-positive, you're in very good company, even if it rarely feels that way. Which brings us to Hazel.
Hazel's story
Hazel* was newly single and finding her feet in the dating scene when she reconnected with an old friend. After a few weeks of seeing each other, they got intimate, and not long after, she noticed something was wrong.
"We started fooling around, and he avoided kissing me," she says. "But he licked his fingers and touched me down below." That simple act was all it took to transmit HSV. In Hazel's case, the transmission happened without penetrative sex, passed on by the same type of herpes virus that causes the common cold sore.
The symptoms came on fast. Hazel saw a doctor, but was told nothing was wrong and sent away without treatment. The symptoms got worse. "By that night, it had progressed. It was hard for me to sit or move around. Everything felt like it was stretching."
Shame, as it turns out, is one of the most common symptoms of an STI. Like many women dealing with the physical and emotional fallout, Hazel felt ashamed. She told only one friend, then drove herself to the emergency department to get help. There, a doctor examined her and diagnosed genital herpes, a common STI shared by an estimated 1 in 8 Australians, and around twice as common in adult women as in adult men.
Hazel says she felt completely alone in her diagnosis, because she didn't know anyone else with an STI. Statistically, that almost certainly wasn't true. Others in her circle may well have had one. They just weren't talking about it, or didn't know they had it.
"Maybe herpes becomes a condition that's normalised," Hazel says, "so the story surrounding it becomes more about managing the physical pain and discomfort, not the emotional distress it causes."
That's the heart of why we're writing this. So let's do the practical part properly, and go through what each infection actually means for your fertility, by type.
Do all STIs affect fertility?
No, and this is the most important myth to bust. STIs are not one category with one effect. Two bacterial infections (chlamydia and gonorrhoea) are the ones genuinely linked to infertility, and almost always only when left untreated. Several others, including the herpes Hazel lives with, have little or no direct effect on your ability to conceive, even if they need management during pregnancy. The single biggest predictor of whether an STI harms your fertility is how long it goes undetected and untreated, which is exactly why testing matters so much.
Chlamydia and trying to conceive
Chlamydia is the most common STI in Australia, and it's the one most strongly linked to fertility problems, largely because it so often has no symptoms. You can carry it for a long time without knowing, and that's where the damage happens.
Left untreated, chlamydia can ascend to the upper reproductive tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can scar and damage the fallopian tubes, leading to tubal factor infertility. Around 15% of women who develop PID go on to experience tubal factor infertility, and that figure rises with each repeat episode. Tubal factor infertility accounts for roughly 30% of all female infertility, so this is not a small issue. In men, untreated chlamydia can cause inflammation and pain in the testicles.
The good news is significant: chlamydia is easily cured with antibiotics, and caught early, it typically causes no lasting harm at all. This is the entire argument for regular testing.
Gonorrhoea and trying to conceive
Gonorrhoea works in a very similar way. Often symptomless (around 80% of vaginal gonorrhoea causes no symptoms), it can also lead to PID if untreated, with the same risk of tubal scarring and infertility, and the same pattern of rising risk with each episode of inflammation. In men, gonorrhoea can damage the epididymis, the tubes that transport sperm, which can interfere with sperm reaching the ejaculate. It's treatable with antibiotics, and early treatment is highly effective at preventing complications.
Mycoplasma genitalium
A more recently recognised STI, Mycoplasma genitalium can also cause cervical inflammation and PID, putting it in the same "treat it early" category as chlamydia and gonorrhoea. It's treatable, though antibiotic resistance can make it trickier, so follow your clinician's guidance.
Herpes (HSV) and trying to conceive
Here's the reassurance Hazel didn't get from her first doctor: genital herpes does not reduce your fertility or stop you getting pregnant. The World Health Organization has reviewed the available evidence and found no connection between HSV and infertility.
Where herpes matters is in pregnancy and delivery, not conception. A first-time outbreak late in pregnancy in particular needs careful medical management to protect the baby during birth, and your provider may recommend antiviral medication or, in some cases, a caesarean. As Melbourne obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Kara Thompson puts it, the overwhelming majority of people with a history of HSV have completely normal pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies, particularly when symptoms are managed and under control at the time of birth. If you have HSV and are planning a pregnancy, the move is simply to tell your care team early so they can plan ahead. (We've got Dr Thompson's full guide to a healthy herpes-positive pregnancy, if that's you.)
So if, like Hazel, you're navigating an HSV diagnosis: it is incredibly common, it is nothing to be ashamed of, and it does not stand between you and a healthy pregnancy.
HIV and trying to conceive
This is an area where the science has changed dramatically, and the old fears are out of date. HIV does not impair your fertility. And thanks to modern treatment, having HIV is no barrier to a healthy, biological baby.
The key concept is U=U: Undetectable = Untransmissible. A person living with HIV who is on effective treatment with a sustained undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit the virus. For couples where one partner has HIV (serodiscordant couples), this means natural conception is possible, with planning and medical support, without transmitting HIV to the partner or baby. Options like the HIV-negative partner using PrEP, timing conception around ovulation, and maintaining viral suppression are all part of how this is managed safely. The conversation here is about conceiving safely, not whether you can conceive.
HPV and trying to conceive
Human papillomavirus is the most common STI of all, and for most people it clears on its own with no effect on fertility. The main reproductive consideration is cervical health: regular cervical screening matters, and certain treatments for pre-cancerous cervical changes can occasionally affect the cervix in ways relevant to pregnancy, which your provider can advise on. Research into HPV and fertility is still emerging, with some studies suggesting possible associations, but this isn't established the way the chlamydia and gonorrhoea link is.
So what should you actually do?
If you're trying to conceive, the single most useful move is simple: get a full sexual health check, for both partners, ideally before you start trying. Most STIs that affect fertility are symptomless, and most are completely treatable when caught early. A check-up is quick, often free, and removes the guesswork.
And if you've had an STI, take Hazel's message with you: it does not make you damaged, careless or alone. It makes you one of a very large, very quiet crowd. The more openly we talk about it, the easier it is for everyone to get tested, treated and on with their lives, and their families.
moode answers your questions about STIs and fertility
Can you still get pregnant if you've had an STI? In most cases, yes. The majority of people who have had an STI go on to conceive without difficulty, especially when the infection was treated promptly. The infections most associated with fertility problems, chlamydia and gonorrhoea, usually only cause lasting damage when left untreated for a long time.
Which STIs cause infertility?
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are the STIs most clearly linked to infertility, because untreated they can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and scar the fallopian tubes. Mycoplasma genitalium can act similarly. Around 15% of women who develop PID go on to experience tubal factor infertility, with risk rising after repeat infections.
Does herpes affect fertility?
No. Genital herpes does not reduce fertility or prevent pregnancy, and the World Health Organization has found no connection between HSV and infertility. Herpes matters for pregnancy and delivery management rather than conception, so let your care team know if you have it.
Can you have a baby if you have HIV?
Yes. HIV does not impair fertility, and with effective treatment and an undetectable viral load (U=U), a person with HIV cannot sexually transmit the virus. Couples where one partner has HIV can conceive naturally with planning and medical support.
Should I get tested before trying to conceive?
Yes, ideally both partners should have a sexual health check before trying. Because the STIs that affect fertility are usually symptomless, testing is the only reliable way to catch and treat them early, before they have a chance to cause damage.
A note from moode
Preparing for pregnancy is about looking after your whole reproductive health, and that includes a sexual health check for you and your partner. Alongside that, supporting your body nutritionally in the preconception window is one more thing within your control. The Prenatal by moode is designed for preconception and pregnancy, with calcium folinate, choline, iodine, zinc and a full B complex. Always read the label and follow directions for use.
*Name changed for confidentiality.
