The value of Chlamydia trachomatis antibody testing as part of routine infertility investigations

Laparoscopy is considered the gold standard for the evaluation of tubal dis ease but it is an invasive and costly procedure. Chlamydia trachomatis anti body testing is simple and inexpensive and causes minimal inconvenience to the patient. Using the micro-immunofluorescence technique we assessed the s ignificance of positive serology. There was a marked association between th e titre and the likelihood of tubal damage, In the group with low titres (1 in 32) there was only a 5% incidence of tubal damage; however, there was a progressive increase in the incidence of tubal damage in those with higher titres. Twenty out of 57 patients with titres higher than 1 in 32 had tuba l damage (35%). The difference between the two groups was statistically sig nificant (P < 0.0001, chi(2) test). By using C. trachomatis antibody testin g more widely it may be possible to reduce the number of laparoscopies perf ormed. It should therefore become an integral part of the fertility work-up .