About Chlamydia

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported  sexually transmitted bacterial infection (STI) in the United States. It is spread by sexual contact when a non-infected person has sex with someone who is infected.

Symptoms

Most women have no symptoms of chlamydia. Women who do have symptoms usually notice them seven to 21 days after being infected. Symptoms may include heavy discharge, pain during or after sex, abdominal pain, and frequent and painful urination. Men may have a watery discharge or a thick white discharge from their penis.

Diagnosing Chlamydia

Your clinician will take a sample of fluid either from the vagina or penis or from urine and send it to a laboratory for testing. 

Treating Chlamydia

Your clinician will prescribe an antibiotic for the treatment of chlamydia. You should also tell your partner(s) you have an infection and urge him or her to have an STI evaluation. You should not have sex until both you and your partner(s) have completed treatment and for one week followinging treatment. If sexual contact does occur, use of a latex barrier (condom, dental dam, globes) is advised to prevent re-infection.

Complications

Treating chlamydia promptly is important. Left untreated, the infection can move further into a woman's reproductive system and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), tubal pregnancy, and infertility. Pregnant women with chlamydia may be at higher risk for miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth.

Men may also develop infections involving the testicles, the prostate, or the urethra. Studies show that having a genital discharge disease like chlamydia may increase your risk of getting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.

Your clinician will advise you to return in 3-6 months for a re-test in case of possible re-infection.

How to Protect Against STIs and HIV/AIDS

The only way to guard against getting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is not to have sex or to ave sex only with partners who you know are free of infection. If you do have sex, you should use a latex barrier, such as a male condom, a female condom, or a dental dam, every time. Condoms provide protection against STIs, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Tapestry Health clinicians recommend using such barriers even in combination with other methods of birth control. Latex condoms are preferred to lambskin condoms for the prevention of STIs. 

If you have questions about chlamydia or any STI, talk to your clinician.