Recovery of Chlamydia trachomatis from the endometrium in infertile women with serum antichlamydial antibodies.

Upper genital tract infection with Chlamydia trachomatis appears to be a frequent cause of salpingitis and tubal infertility. However, the prevalence of active infection in women with infertility has not been well-defined. To examine this question, endocervical and endometrial cultures for C. trachomatis were obtained from infertile women with serum antibodies to C. trachomatis. The first 19 consecutive patients with titers greater than or equal to 1/32 were cultured. C. trachomatis was recovered from the endometrium or endocervix in six (32%) of the women examined and from the endometrium in five (26%). These findings indicate that a significant portion of infertile women with serum antichlamydial antibodies may have active upper genital tract infection with C. trachomatis at the time of presentation.