What is the side effects of chlamydia

What Are the Symptoms & Signs of Chlamydia?

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Chlamydia
What are chlamydia symptoms?
Should I get tested for chlamydia?

How do I get treated for chlamydia?
How is chlamydia prevented?

People with chlamydia usually don’t have symptoms, so most people don’t know they have it. If you do notice signs of chlamydia, get tested. Here’s what to look for.

Chlamydia usually has no symptoms.

Chlamydia can be sneaky, because you probably won’t have any symptoms you can see or feel. Sometimes the signs of chlamydia are so mild that people don’t notice them, or they mistake the symptoms for something else. Most of the time, people don’t even realize they have chlamydia — that’s part of the reason it’s such a common infection (and why it’s so important to get tested).

Chlamydia can lead to serious infections and even infertility if you don’t treat it. But it’s usually easy to cure it with medicine if you catch it early. This is why regular STD testing is so important, no matter how healthy you feel.

Signs of chlamydia

If you do have chlamydia symptoms, they can take several weeks after you got the infection to show up. Symptoms of chlamydia can appear in both men and women, including:

pain or burning while peeing
pain during sex
lower belly pain
abnormal vaginal discharge (may be yellowish and have a strong smell)
bleeding between periods
pus or a watery/milky discharge from the penis
swollen or tender testicles
pain, discharge and/or bleeding around the anus

If chlamydia infects your eyes, you may have redness, skin discoloration around your eye, itching, or discharge. Sometimes chlamydia infections in the throat cause soreness, but it’s rare.

If you or your partner has any of these symptoms, go to a nurse, doctor, or your local Planned Parenthood Health Center. It’s especially important to get checked out if you’re pregnant.

Remember, most people don’t show any signs at all when they have chlamydia. That’s why the only way to find out for sure if you have chlamydia is to get tested.

Chlamydia - Symptoms - NHS

Most people who have chlamydia don't notice any symptoms.

If you do get symptoms, these usually appear between 1 and 3 weeks after having unprotected sex with an infected person. For some people they don't develop until many months later.

Sometimes the symptoms can disappear after a few days. Even if the symptoms disappear you may still have the infection and be able to pass it on.

Symptoms in women

At least 70% of women with chlamydia don't notice any symptoms. If they do get symptoms, the most common include:

pain when urinating
unusual vaginal discharge
pain in the tummy or pelvis
pain during sex
bleeding after sex
bleeding between periods

If chlamydia is left untreated, it can spread to the womb and cause a serious condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is a major cause of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women.

Read more about the complications of chlamydia.

Symptoms in men

At least half of all men with chlamydia don't notice any symptoms. If they do get symptoms, the most common include:

pain when urinating
white, cloudy or watery discharge from the tip of the penis
burning or itching in the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body)
pain in the testicles

If chlamydia is left untreated, the infection can cause swelling in the epididymis (the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles) and the testicles. This could affect your fertility.

Read more about the complications of chlamydia.

Chlamydia in the rectum, throat or eyes

Chlamydia can also infect:

the rectum (back passage) if you have unprotected anal sex – this can cause discomfort and discharge from your rectum
the throat if you have unprotected oral sex – this is uncommon and usually causes no symptoms
the eyes if they come into contact with infected semen or vaginal fluid – this can cause eye redness, pain and discharge (conjunctivitis)

When to seek medical advice

If you have any symptoms of chlamydia, visit your GP, community contraceptive service or local genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic as soon as possible.

Find a sexual health clinic.

You should also get tested if you don't have any symptoms but are concerned you could have a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

If you're a woman, sexually active and under 25 in England, it's recommended that you have a chlamydia test once a year, and when you have sex with new or casual partners.

If you're a man, sexually active and under 25 in England, it's recommended that you have a chlamydia test once a year if you are not using condoms with new or casual partners.

Chlamydia - KVD №2

What is chlamydia?

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI). The disease is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis (Chlamydia trachomatis), which affects the female genital area and is the cause of non-gonococcal urethritis in men. Manifestations of chlamydia are usually minor or absent, but serious complications develop. Complications can cause irreparable damage to the body, including infertility - all this proceeds very secretly.

Chlamydia also causes penile discharge in infected men.

Chlamydia transmission routes

Chlamydia can be transmitted through:

vaginal or anal contact with an infected partner;
less common with oral sex;
use of sex toys with an infected partner;
infection of a newborn during childbirth from a sick mother.

Absolutely all sexually active people can get chlamydia. The greater the number of sexual partners, the greater the risk of infection. The risk of infection is especially high in girls, because their cervix is not fully formed. About 75% of new cases occur in women under 25 years of age. By the age of 30, approximately 50% of sexually active women have had chlamydia. In sexually active men, the risk of infection is highest between the ages of 20 and 24.

You cannot get chlamydia through kisses, hugs, dishes, baths, towels.

Manifestations of chlamydia

Chlamydia is very secretive. About 75% of infected women and 50% of infected men are asymptomatic. If manifestations of the disease develop, then this occurs approximately 1 to 3 weeks after infection.

In women, chlamydia first affects the cervix and urethra (urinary canal).

Manifestations:

unusual vaginal discharge;
pain or discomfort when urinating;

If the infection penetrates to the appendages, manifestations are possible:

pain in the lower abdomen;
pain in the lumbar region;
nausea;
slight increase in temperature;
pain during intercourse or bleeding after it;
bleeding between periods.

Symptoms in men:

clear or cloudy discharge from the penis;
pain or discomfort when urinating;
there may be burning and itching in the area of the outlet of the urethra;
rarely pain and/or swelling of the testicles.

Men or women who have anal sex with an infected partner can infect the rectum, resulting in inflammation, pain, discharge, or bleeding from the rectum.

Chlamydia can cause sore throat (pharyngitis) in men and women who have oral contact with an infected partner.

What complications can develop if chlamydia is not treated?

If the disease is not treated, serious short-term and persistent complications develop. Like the disease itself, complications often occur insidiously.

In women with untreated chlamydia, infection can spread from the urethra to the fallopian tubes (the tubes that carry the egg from the ovaries to the uterus) - this causes (in 40% of cases) the development of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID causes permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and surrounding tissues. Chronic pelvic pain, infertility and ectopic pregnancy are the result of PID.

Women with chlamydia are more susceptible to HIV infection, the risk increases by almost 5 times.

To prevent serious consequences of chlamydia, annual chlamydia screening is required for all sexually active women 25 years of age and younger. An annual examination is necessary for women over 25 who are at risk (new sexual partner, multiple sexual partners). All pregnant women should be screened for chlamydia.

Complications of chlamydia are rare in men. The infection sometimes extends to the epididymis and causes pain, fever, and, rarely, male infertility (sterility).

Rarely, chlamydial infection can cause inflammation of the joints in combination with skin lesions, inflammation of the eyes and urinary tract - this is the so-called Reiter's syndrome.

The effect of chlamydia on a pregnant woman and her child

Chlamydia in pregnant women increases the risk of miscarriage, premature detachment of the placenta. Newborns from infected mothers can get eye and lung infections. A lung infection (pneumonia) can be fatal to a newborn.

Diagnosis of chlamydia

Diagnosis includes observation of the patient's clinical symptoms, testing for chlamydia smears from the cervix, scraping from the urinary canal, the first morning urine. Most often, the study is carried out by PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Swabs and scrapings may cause minor discomfort.

In addition, a blood test by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) for the presence of immunity to chlamydia is carried out, this auxiliary test often helps to establish an accurate diagnosis.

Treatment of chlamydia

Treatment of chlamydia is with oral antibiotics. To prevent re-infection, all sexual partners must be found, examined and treated. Patients with chlamydia should refrain from unprotected sex during treatment, otherwise it is possible to re-infect the sexual partner. Unfortunately, after successful treatment, re-infection with chlamydia is possible, since a strong immunity to this microorganism does not develop. Repeated infection of women with chlamydia leads to a significant increase in the risk of serious complications, including infertility. A re-examination is carried out 4 weeks after treatment.

Prevention of chlamydia

The best way to prevent sexually transmitted infections is through long-term sexual contact with one healthy sexual partner. Latex male condoms, when used correctly, drastically reduce the risk of transmission.

Annual chlamydia screening required for all sexually active women 25 years of age and younger. An annual examination is also necessary for women over 25 who are at risk (new sexual partner, multiple sexual partners). All pregnant women should be screened for chlamydia.

Any manifestations, such as pain or discomfort when urinating, unusual rash, discharge are a signal to stop sexual intercourse and immediately examine in a specialized clinic - KVD. If the patient is found to have chlamydia (or any other STI), he must inform his sexual partners so that they also undergo a full examination and appropriate treatment. This will reduce the risk of developing serious complications and prevent the possibility of re-infection.

Patients with chlamydia should refrain from unprotected sex during treatment, otherwise the sexual partner may be re-infected.

Chlamydia is an invisible insidious enemy

Urogenital chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease. At least 10-15% of young sexually active people are infected with chlamydia. In Ukraine, chlamydia occurs 2-3 times more often than gonorrhea. Given that chlamydia often occurs without pronounced symptoms, is difficult to diagnose in the laboratory, is poorly treated, and gives many complications, it should be expected that it becomes a threat to life.

The incidence of venereal chlamydia has been officially registered in Ukraine since 1994. The number of newly diagnosed cases is increasing every year. About 100 million people are infected with it every year. Proved: in our country, chlamydia ranks second in the "popularity" of diseases after the flu. It affects half of the men of active sexual age (from 16 years old) and a third of the female population.

Widespread chlamydial infection is largely associated with a chaotic sexual life, frequent change of sexual partners. Having fallen ill at the age of 16-18, until the age of 22-25, many can no longer fully realize their childbearing function, the reason is a long-term chronic inflammatory process, and often with various complications.

Chlamydia is a unique parasite, unlike any other: it lives inside the cells of the mucous membranes. Penetrates the cell like a virus. And then, having its own DNA like a bacterium, it suppresses the cell, takes energy from it and forces it to produce its own kind. The cell dies - it breaks, and new chlamydia come out of it, which attack new cells.

The incubation period for chlamydia is approximately 10-21 days. It should be noted that in 80% of cases, chlamydia occurs without pronounced symptoms or does not manifest itself at all: only 5 out of 100 infected people suspect something is wrong. In the morning there may be glassy discharge from the urethra, discomfort during urination, a slight increase in body temperature. Even without treatment, after a while, the symptoms of the disease disappear.

Chlamydia becomes chronic, "conserved" in the body, waiting for a chance to remind about itself.

The main danger of chlamydia lies in the complications it causes. In men - chronic prostatitis, vesiculitis, infertility, and then impotence.

In women, 87% are lesions of the cervix, precancerous conditions: erosion, cervicitis, dysplasia, and inflammation of the appendages, which in turn leads to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, pathology of fetal development, infection of the newborn. In 68% of cases, chlamydia causes acute urethral syndrome - frequent painful urination.

In addition to various complications of the genital organs, chlamydia causes damage to other organs: eyes (chlamydial conjunctivitis), joints, skin, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, central nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Diagnosis of chlamydia is difficult and expensive. its cost ranges from 50 to 200 hryvnia.

Due to the peculiarities of the development of chlamydia, the treatment is also complex and lengthy. Both partners should be treated. After the end of the course of treatment in 2-3 months, control tests. It is safe to say about chlamydia that it is much easier to avoid than to cure.