Chlamydia is a highly infectious disease. It can be spread through vaginal, oral, or anal sex, and the bacteria can also be passed to newborn babies.
When left untreated, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems. In women, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can lead to long-term pelvic pain and infertility. In men, it can cause painful infections in the testicles, called epididymitis or chlamydial urethritis.
Symptoms
Chlamydia symptoms can be hard to identify. They are often mild and may not show up for a few weeks after infection. That’s why it is so important to get regular screening and treatment for chlamydia. It is also very important to not have sex until the medicine clears your body.
Chlamydia trachomatis is spread by vaginal, anal or oral sex without a barrier method, such as a condom. Both men and women can be infected with chlamydia. But women are more likely to develop serious complications from a chlamydia infection, especially if the disease goes untreated. Untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID, which can damage the fallopian tubes and uterus. It can also cause long-term pain and infertility.
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A chlamydia infection can also affect the genitals of both men and women, causing a painful sore called urethritis. It can also infect the rectum, causing rectal pain and discharge. It can even infect the eyes, causing an infection known as conjunctivitis (pink eye). In rare cases, chlamydia can also cause reactive arthritis, a type of arthritis that happens as a reaction to an infection.
Symptoms of chlamydia can be mistaken for other sexually transmitted infections, so it is very important to get tested and treated. It is also very important to make sure that all of your sexual partners are tested and treated, as well. Your doctor can give you a prescription for antibiotics that you can take at home to treat chlamydia. These antibiotics are usually azithromycin or doxycycline. Azithromycin is usually given in a single dose, while doxycycline is typically taken twice daily for about 1 week.
Symptoms of chlamydia go away after you finish taking antibiotics. But it is very important to follow your doctor’s instructions and complete the full course of treatment. This is the only way to be completely sure that you are not infected with chlamydia. Even if you have been treated, it’s important to stay aware of any symptoms that come up and to visit your doctor for a repeat test at least 3 months after finishing treatment.
Treatment
Chlamydia is a treatable sexually transmitted disease (STI) and antibiotics are the most effective treatment. It is important to follow your doctor’s instructions carefully so you are fully cured. You may be prescribed a single dose of antibiotics such as azithromycin or doxycycline, or you may be given a longer course of medicine that must be taken once or twice per day for 1 week.
Most people infected with chlamydia do not have symptoms so they may not know they are sick. A chlamydia infection can lead to serious health problems, especially if not treated. Women who have untreated chlamydia can develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can cause scarring that can permanently damage the fallopian tubes and result in infertility. Women who are pregnant or have just had a baby can pass chlamydia to the newborn, which can lead to serious birth defects. Chlamydia can also spread to other parts of the body, including the eyes and ears, and can increase a woman’s risk of getting and giving HIV.
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Men who have a chlamydia infection can sometimes get a disease called reactive arthritis, which causes pain and swelling in the joints. If not treated, this disease can be very painful and affect quality of life. Chlamydia can also infect the epididymis, a tube that carries sperm. This can cause pain and fever.
Practicing safe sex is the best way to prevent chlamydia. You should use condoms for all sex and a water-based lubricant for vaginal, oral, and anal sex. You should also try to have sex only with partners who practice safe sex.
People who are diagnosed with chlamydia should be sure to tell their sexual partners. They should be referred for evaluation and presumptive treatment, even if their last sexual contact with the infected person occurred more than 60 days before symptom onset or diagnosis. It is important to talk with your health professional about whether you want to give your partner an antibiotic prescription that they can take themselves, called patient delivered partner therapy. This can be an effective way to ensure that all sexual partners are treated.
Prevention
The bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis infect and live inside the cells of epithelial tissues in the genital tract (vagina, cervix, fallopian tubes) and the urethra or anus in men and women. Symptoms can vary by location and are often mild, which can make the infection difficult to identify. Chlamydia infections can be diagnosed with a urine test or a swab from the genital tract that is collected at home by the person (self-collected) or by their health professional. These samples are then sent to a laboratory for testing.
Chlamydia infections are easily treated with antibiotics. However, if left untreated, the bacteria can cause serious and long-lasting problems, such as pelvic inflammatory disease in women that can damage the fallopian tubes and increase the risk of infertility. In men, untreated chlamydia can lead to erectile dysfunction or anal inflammation (cystitis). Newborn babies can also get chlamydia when mothers pass the bacteria to them during birth.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can be prevented by using a condom during sex, practicing safe sex and getting regular STI screenings. Everyone, including people who are not at risk for chlamydia, should talk to their healthcare provider about how often they should get screened and what screening methods are best for them.
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Health care providers should teach people about STI prevention and use of barrier methods, such as condoms, with all sexual partners. They should also encourage people to be open about their sexual history and discuss sex with their partners. People who are at higher risk for chlamydia or other sexually transmitted diseases can lower their risk by taking a medicine called doxycycline before engaging in any sex, oral or anal, and by getting tested regularly with every new partner.
Anyone can contract chlamydia from having sex without a condom or other barrier method. However, chlamydia can be spread even when penetration doesn’t occur, such as during oral or anal sex and when someone with a vaginal infection touches the anus of another person. Symptoms of an infection include pain when peeing, a white or yellow discharge with a strong odor, and itching and bleeding in the vulva.
Complications
Chlamydia trachomatis infection can cause complications that vary according to the site of the infection. Infections involving the endocervix and upper genital tract can lead to scarring of the fallopian tubes (salpingitis), which may result in infertility. The bacteria can also spread to the urethra or anus, leading to pain during urination or a mucus-like discharge. Infections affecting the urethra or anus can lead to a painful or burning sensation when you pee, or a thick white, yellow or gray discharge. Chlamydia infection of the urethra and anus can also be followed by a sore throat, and the infection can affect the reproductive organs, the eyes, the lungs, the nervous system, the heart, the lungs and the skin.
Infection of the uterus can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is associated with infertility, miscarriage and low birth weight in newborns. PID can also damage the fallopian tubes and cervix, which can lead to ectopic pregnancy and tubal adhesions. Repeated infections with chlamydia can also lead to sterility.
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When untreated, genital chlamydia can also cause problems with the urethra and anus, causing pain or a mucus-like discharge when you pee. Urethritis can be hard to distinguish from gonococcal urethritis, so the diagnosis is often made by history and symptoms. A chlamydial infection of the urethra and/or anus can also lead to a condition known as salpingitis, which can cause infertility.
Untreated chlamydia can also spread to the placenta during pregnancy, which can lead to pre-term delivery and pneumonia in the baby. Treatment of chlamydia in pregnant women is effective and prevents transmission of the infection to neonates. Because chlamydia is easily spread during childbirth, all pregnant women should be screened and treated for chlamydia.
