Chlamydia linked to ectopic pregnancy

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Women who have had the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia are at greater risk than others of an ectopic pregnancy, researchers in Scotland say.

Dr. Andrew Horne of the University of Edinburgh's Center for Reproductive Biology, says during the ectopic pregnancy, the embryo implants outside the womb, generally in the Fallopian tube, and the result can be fatal.

Horne and colleagues found women who had chlamydia were more likely to produce a particular protein -- known as PROKR2 -- in their Fallopian tubes. The increased production of PROKR2 makes a pregnancy more likely to implant in the Fallopian tube, the researchers say.

"This research shows, however, that chlamydial infection linked to ectopic pregnancy causes much more subtle changes in the Fallopian tube, without evidence of severe scarring," Horne says in a statement. "We hope that this new information allows healthcare providers to give women accurate information about risks following chlamydial infection and to support public health messages about the importance of safer sex and chlamydia testing."

The findings are published in the American Journal of Pathology.