health
Ob-gyns should treat male partners of women with a STD, ACOG says
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 12, 2011
Obstetrician-gynecologists should prescribe antibiotics for the male partners of their female patients who are diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea to reduce the high infection rate among young females, said the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The practice, known as expedited partner therapy, is permissible in 27 states and should be reserved for male partners who are unlikely to visit a physician to be examined and treated, ACOG said. Ob-gyns who work in states where expedited partner therapy is not allowed should push for its approval, ACOG said.
Sexually transmitted diseases disproportionately affect women and pose a significant, yet preventable, threat to their fertility, according to the committee opinion published in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology (link). Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most commonly reported STDs in the United States, and rates for these infections are highest in females age 15 to 24, ACOG said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/09/12/hlbf0912.htm.
