Medical App & Medical Advice with Hello Doctor

Are you afraid of chlamydia?

It’s sneaky because you might not have any symptoms, but chlamydia can do some serious damage without you feeling a thing. Here’s what you need to know.

What Is Chlamydia?

It’s a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis found in the urine and genital secretions of infected people. Chlamydia occurs most often in sexually active young singles, and it’s one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide.

How Does A Person Get Chlamydia?

You get chlamydia from unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex with an infected person. As there are often no symptoms, it’s easy for infected people to pass chlamydia on without even knowing it, and the more sex partners one has, the higher the risk.

What Does Chlamydia Do?

Chlamydia can cause a lot of damage to different areas of your reproductive system. If left untreated in women, chlamydia can lead to chronic pelvic pain, infertility or tubal pregnancy – it can even cause pneumonia or eye infections in new-borns delivered by mothers who have chlamydia.

Chlamydia Symptoms

For women who do experience symptoms, they are:

  • Abnormal vaginal discharge
  • A burning sensation when you pee
  • Light vaginal bleeding (especially after sex)
  • Pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis

Chlamydia symptoms for men:

  • A burning sensation when you pee
  • Abnormal release of fluid – penile discharge

Note: Roughly 50% of men and 75% of women with chlamydia have no symptoms, so if you’re at risk, don’t wait for symptoms to get a routine test.

Diagnosing Chlamydia

Your doctor can test for chlamydia can confirm whether you have chlamydia by using a urine test or a swab to collect fluid from the urethra or cervix. If you are at risk of chlamydia, you should be tested at least once a year, even if you have no symptoms.

Treating Chlamydia

Chlamydia is treated with oral antibiotics, and anyone being treated for chlamydia should have all of his or her sex partners treated as well.

Preventing Chlamydia

While abstaining from sex altogether is a sure-fire way to prevent chlamydia, let’s talk about real life: sticking with one uninfected partner, or using a male latex condom during sex are the two best ways to stay chlamydia-free. It’s still wise for anyone who is sexually active to get tested every year for STIs.

Source: Women’s Health