STDs are infections that are transmitted from one person to another via sexual contact. Today, there are over 20 types of STDs and chlamydia is one of them.
Whether you suspect that you might have it or want to educate yourself, let this guide help you find all the answers you were looking for.
Chlamydia is among the most common STDs in the world. Many people have it — it’s estimated that 1 in 20 sexually active young women aged 14-24 has chlamydia.
The main cause for chlamydia is the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis that affects both men and women. The chlamydia infection is easily spread because it often has no symptoms and you can unknowingly pass it to your sexual partner.
Although you don’t have outward symptoms in the early stages, it’s important to be careful. If you don’t treat it on time, chlamydia can cause infertility or a risky pregnancy.
Chlamydia is among the most common STDs in the world. In the U.S. alone, over 1.5 million infections are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year.
In Europe, chlamydia infection is the leading STD. It’s the cause of acute morbidity and long-term reproductive health problems, especially in young people. The number of affected people in Europe is constantly increasing, and there are now more than 250,000 new cases each year.
Although few, some of the visible signs of chlamydia in females include:
Although chlamydia doesn’t usually cause any symptoms, it can be serious if you don’t get treatment early on.
The bacteria can spread to your fallopian tubes and uterus. If this happens, it might cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which results in abdominal and pelvic pain. Even if PID does not cause abdominal and pelvic pain, it can still do permanent damage to your reproductive system. PID can lead to an inability to get pregnant, long-term pelvic pain, and ectopic pregnancy.
The main cause of a chlamydia infection is the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. The bacterium affects men and women and all age groups, although it’s most common among young women. The chlamydia bacterium can live in the cervix and urethra, as well as in the throat or rectum.
Chlamydia trachomatis can cause an infection of the reproductive tracts. Once you know you have it, chlamydia isn’t hard to treat. However, if you don’t treat the infection, it can lead to more serious health problems.
You can get chlamydia through:
You can’t catch chlamydia through kissing, hugging, sharing baths, towels, swimming pools, toilet seats, or cutlery.
Chlamydia symptoms in females are rare. Roughly 7 in 10 women don’t experience any symptoms. The infection may be asymptomatic, meaning that people don’t know they have it.
If signs and symptoms occur, they usually happen one to three weeks after the exposure, but could start much later. The symptoms are often mild and passing, and easy to overlook.
Some of the potential signs and symptoms of chlamydia include:
In some cases, the infection can spread to the fallopian tubes, causing PID. The symptoms of PID include:
To diagnose the infection, your doctor can use a few different chlamydia tests. Your doctor will likely ask you about your symptoms and why you think you have the infection. When this happens, it’s important to be as honest as possible.
Your health care provider will probably use a swab to take a sample from the cervix and send it to a lab to be analyzed. If there’s a possibility the bacteria is in your throat or anus, these areas may be swabbed as well. Other tests include a chlamydia urine test to check for the presence of the bacteria.
Although many physicians do it, a chlamydia test is not automatically done at the time that a Pap test is done.
For this reason, it’s important for women, especially sexually active women aged 25 and under, to ask their health care provider whether they’re getting tested for chlamydia every year.
If you think you may have been exposed to an STD, you’ll have to ask for a screening.
Fortunately, chlamydia is easy to treat. If you suspect that you have it, you’ll need to:
Since chlamydia is a bacteria, your doctor will prescribe you antibiotics.
In most cases, the infection resolves within one to two weeks.
Regardless of the type of the antibiotic, you and your sexual partners will need to follow the dosage carefully to make sure the infection goes away for good.
During your treatment, avoid having sex. If you’re exposed, you can get the infection again, even if you had it before. Having your STD treated doesn’t guarantee that the infection will never come back. For this reason, you need to be careful about your future behavior. To prevent yourself from catching it again, get re-tested three months after treatment.
It’s also important to know that having chlamydia can increase your chances of contracting or spreading HIV. If you think you have chlamydia or any sexually transmitted infection (STI), it’s important for you to seek help immediately from your health care provider or an STI clinic.
To avoid contracting chlamydia, or other types of STD, again in the future use a condom every time you’re sexually active. You should also avoid having oral sex or if you do, use protection. Use a condom with each new partner and get tested for a chlamydia infection between each new partner.
Even if your chlamydia infection has been cured, it’s not recommended to practice unsafe sex. Having your STD treated doesn’t guarantee that the infection will never come back. In fact, many people become infected with STDs multiple times because they continue to have unprotected sex with partners who have untreated STDs.
If you have a regular sexual partner, tell them about your infection so they can get treatment as well. Once you’re sure you both got treated, you have to wait until the treatment has had time to be effective before you start having unprotected sex again.
If you’re getting treatment for chlamydia, avoid oral, anal, or vaginal sex until seven days after the treatment is over. As chlamydia is a bacteria, your health care provider will most likely prescribe you antibiotics that need time to be effective.
If your partner is getting treatment, you should wait seven days after they take all of their medicine. If you don’t wait for the treatment to be effective and have sex earlier, you can get the infection again.
Improvement should occur right after receiving treatment. Some of the changes that you might notice include:
To prevent yourself from catching it again, get re-tested three months after treatment. This is essential if you engage in sexual intercourse with a partner who hasn’t been tested for chlamydia.
The belief that you can catch chlamydia from drinking after someone is a myth. In reality, there’s no risk of catching the infection when sharing food, water, or cutlery.
You can only catch chlamydia during:
A condom lowers your chances of getting chlamydia if used correctly.
Correct use of a condom includes:
Sexual health plays an important role in fertility. Many STDs can cause scarring and inflammation, making it more difficult to conceive, even after the infection has been treated.
In the case of chlamydia, the infection can damage your reproductive health, if left untreated. The bacteria can cause PID which can do permanent damage to your reproductive system. PID can lead to inflammation, scarring, and blockage in your reproductive organs. In some cases, it can also cause ectopic pregnancy which can be deadly if the pregnancy isn’t removed in time.
The first thing you need to do when your test comes back positive is to tell your partner. Your sexual partner should know about the infection so that they too can be tested and treated. If you don’t tell them about your condition, you’re risking getting reinfected.
Here are some tips for handling the conversation:
