Special Report: Impact of Screening on Congenital Conditions

In part 5 of this 7-part Special Report, panelists dive into key takeaways for women and their providers. The message is clear: seek care, accept screening, and trust the evidence. Screening for STIs can feel intimidating or even stigmatizing, but information is power—especially for women navigating reproductive health. Saying “yes” to routine testing means protecting not only your own health but also your long-term fertility and pregnancy outcomes.

Providers should emphasize the importance of destigmatizing STI testing, making it a normalized part of preventive health visits. For patients, the advice is simple but critical: don’t let fear or misinformation from unreliable sources dictate your health decisions. Instead, lean on evidence-based guidance and trusted providers.

Finally, awareness is as much about education as it is access. Women should be encouraged to understand why screening matters, what the results mean, and how treatment can prevent serious complications down the road. For both clinicians and patients, the goal is the same—empowerment through knowledge, prevention, and proactive care.

Our Experts:

• Kylee Johnson, MS, APRN, is a women’s health nurse practitioner at Rocky Mountain Women's Clinic.
• Brooke Redmond, MD, is an attending neonatal critical care physician at the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. She is the creator and director of the 24/7 BABY program.
• Denise Heaney, PhD, is a senior scientific affairs manager in Diagnostics Information Solutions at Roche Diagnostics Corporation in Indianapolis.

Redmond and Johnson have no relevant disclosures to report. Relevant disclosures for Heaney include Roche.

References:

1. Hufstetler K, Llata E, Miele K, Quilter LAS. Clinical Updates in Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2024. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2024;33(6):827-837. doi:10.1089/jwh.2024.0367

2. World Health Organization. Guidelines for the management of asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections. Published 2025. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK616637/