Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed sexually transmitted infection among under-25s. Often there are no symptoms, but testing and treatment are simple.
How do you get chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection commonly spread through sexual contact or exposure to infected genital fluids, such as semen or vaginal fluid. It can live inside cells of the cervix, urethra, rectum and sometimes in the throat and eyes.
You can get chlamydia through:
- Unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex
- Sharing sex toys that are not washed or covered with a new condom each time they're used
- Your genitals coming into contact with your partner's genitals – this means you can get chlamydia from someone even if there's no penetration, orgasm or ejaculation
- Infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eye
It can also be passed by a pregnant woman to her baby.
Chlamydia cannot be passed on through casual contact, such as kissing and hugging, or from sharing baths, towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or cutlery.
Is chlamydia serious?
While chlamydia typically does not produce symptoms and can usually be managed with a brief regimen of antibiotics, it can pose serious risks if not addressed promptly.
If left untreated, the infection may spread or distribute to other areas of the body and result in long-term health complications, particularly for women.
In women, failing to treat chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancies, and infertility.
In men, although infrequently, chlamydia may migrate to the testicles and epididymis (the tubes that transport sperm from the testicles), resulting in pain and swelling, a condition known as epididymitis or epididymo-orchitis (inflammation of the testicles).
It may also occasionally lead to reactive arthritis in both men and women.
For this reason, it is crucial to get tested and treated as soon as you suspect you may have chlamydia.
Symptoms of chlamydia
Most people with chlamydia don’t notice any symptoms and don’t know they have it. If you do get symptoms, it’s usually 1 to 3 weeks after having unprotected sex. Some people don’t get symptoms until months later if at all.
If you do develop symptoms, you may experience:
- Pain when peeing
- Unusual discharge from the vagina or penis
- In women, pain in the tummy, bleeding after sex and bleeding between periods
- In men, pain and swelling in the testicles
Chlamydia can affect other parts of your body that come into contact with semen or vaginal fluid. This can cause:
- Pain, bleeding, and discharge from your bottom
- A sore throat
- Eye redness, pain and discharge
Sometimes, symptoms can disappear after a few days. However, even if the symptoms have gone away, you may still have the infection and could potentially pass it on to others.
If you believe you are at risk of having a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or if you are experiencing any symptoms of chlamydia, it's important to visit a general practitioner (GP), a community contraceptive service, or a local genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic to get tested.
Go to a sexual health clinic or see a GP if:
- You or a sexual partner think you might have chlamydia
- You or a sexual partner have had sex without a condom
- You’re pregnant or planning to get pregnant and think you might have chlamydia
If you do have Chlamydia, you'll be prescribed antibiotics, typically a week-long course of doxycycline or a single dose of azithromycin. You will then be recommended to take the following steps.
- Inform Partners: Tell your sexual partners about your diagnosis and advise them to get tested and treated.
- Wait Before Sex: Avoid any sexual activity, including oral sex, until you and your partner have completed the treatment and it's been 7 days since you started.
- Follow Up: A follow-up test may be recommended 6 weeks after treatment to ensure the infection has cleared.
Self-test kits
If you do not have symptoms but want a test, you can use a self-test kit for chlamydia at home and send it to a lab to be tested. If the test shows you have chlamydia, you’ll be contacted and told what to do next.
You may be able to get a free self-test kit from a sexual health clinic or from some pharmacies
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