Positive tests for Chlamydia - the most common sexually transmitted infection - fell last year at Dublin’s busiest female health clinics.
The reduction was welcomed by the Well Woman Centre which operates three clinics in the capital.
Medical Director Dr Shirley McQuade said most cases of Chlamydia occur among women aged under 30.
The clinic’s annual report for 2018 says positive tests for the infection fell to 142 last year from 210 in 2017.
Well Woman also report more and more women are seeking Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT ) to deal with the menopause
The Cervical Check controversy also led to more women seeking a cervical smear - many for the first time. The total number of colposcopy referrals increased from 597 in 2017 to 698 in 2018.
A colonoscopy referral usually occurs when abnormal cells are found in the cervix.
Dr McQuade reports that there was a disproportionate increase in the number of colposcopy referrals in the 25–29 year age group.
“This may be partly explained by more young women having a first smear test. In the older age groups, women who had a normal test returning for a repeat test are more likely to get another normal result,” she says.
The clinics carried out more than 35,000 consultations last year.
