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What it is: Chlamydia is a curable sexually transmitted disease (STD),
caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. |
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Transmission: Chlamydia is transmitted through oral, vaginal or anal sex.
It may also be passed from an infected mother to her child during childbirth. |
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Symptoms: Many women and men who have chlamydia do not have symptoms.
Those who do have symptoms will usually have an abnormal discharge from the vagina or penis, or pain while urinating.
Symptoms usually appear within one to three weeks after being infected.
Chlamydia may also cause an inflamed rectum and inflammation of the lining of the eye (also known as "pink eye").
The bacteria can also infect the throat of a person who has given oral sex to his or her partner.
If left untreated, chlamydia can cause pain or swelling in the scrotal area in males. In females,
untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is a serious infection of the
reproductive organs that may lead to scarring of the fallopian tubes and infertility.
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Prevention: Use latex condoms, especially if you have more than one sexual partner.
If you know that you have chlamydia, avoid sexual contact until you have completely finished taking the antibiotics your doctor prescribed.
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Testing: See your doctor or local health department
for testing. Usually, your doctor will send a sample of pus from the vagina or penis for a lab test. A urine test may also be administered.
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Treatment: Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. It often occurs with gonorrhea. It is very important to
take all of the prescribed medicine, even if the symptoms disappear.
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