Age blamed for infertility

LONDON, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- A British scientist studying the link between chlamydia and infertility says the cause is not so much the sexually transmitted disease as one's age.

Robert Winston at London's Hammersmith Hospital says the big jump in the number of the sex disease cases is not necessarily linked to the growing number of couples having problems conceiving, the Daily Mail reported.

He said most infertility cases are due to women postponing having children until they are over 35 and not because more are contracting chlamydia.

"I'm going to be very awkward about this," he said. "I think the evidence chlamydia affects fertility is very dubious. I haven't seen any figures that demonstrate it is causing infertility."

Disagreeing with him, the Family Planning Association said, "Chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease which scars fallopian tubes and can prevent conception."

Winston rejected that chlamydia is linked to promiscuity, saying women are made to feel guilty because of this notion "when it's highly debatable whether the chlamydia we are seeing is even due to that."