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Fertility problems affect approximately one in seven cou-ples in the United Kingdom (UK) [1]. In women, infertility may be due to ovulatory problems, anatomical disorders such as damaged fallopian tubes and/or endometriosis [2]. Causes of male infertility include; abnormal semen charac-teristics, impaired reproductive tract, erectile dysfunction and/or ejaculatory disorders [3]. Following investigations and treatment for any aetiological factors, couples may seek assisted reproductive technology [2,3]. In 2010, 27,918 couples underwent fertility treatment in the UK [4]. Unfortunately, the success rate of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) using a female’s own fresh eggs is low at approxi-mately 25 % [5], and the process of IVF is not without its own physical and emotional challenges [6]. One of the causes of damage to both female and male reproductive systems is a delayed or untreated sexually transmitted infection (STI). The most common STIs to cause female and male infertility are chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Chlamydia is the most frequently diagnosed STI in England with 186,196 new cases diagnosed in 2011, with young people (aged 15–24 years) being at * Correspondence: