An estimated 358 million new cases of the four most common curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – the three bacterial pathogens, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Treponema pallidum, plus the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis – are acquired worldwide annually.[1–3] Globally, the burden of STIs is greatest in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), and the overlapping epidemics of HIV and STIs have been recognized since the earliest days of the HIV epidemic.[3–8] The majority of new HIV infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa,[9] and sexually active African women (particularly those under age 30) face disproportionate HIV risk, accounting for more than half of new infections on that continent, and with incidence rates that are often double their male age-mates.[10–12] The consequences of bacterial STIs on sexual and reproductive health can be significant and long-term through sequelae including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), chronic pelvic pain, tubal infertility, pregnancy complications, fetal and neonatal death, and heightened susceptibility to HIV.[3, 5, 6, 13, 14] These consequences - physical, psychological, and social - of STIs are overwhelmingly borne by women.[15, 16]