Sexually transmitted diseases – Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium. It can damage a woman’s reproductive organs and can cause discharge from the penis of an infected man. Symptoms of chlamydia are usually mild or absent but it can cause serious complications including infertility and can occur “silently” before the woman recognizes a problem.

Chlamydia are usually transmitted during vaginal, anal, or oral sex but it can also be passed from an infected mother to her baby during vaginal childbirth. Chlamydia is known as a "silent" disease because about three quarters of infected women and about half of infected men have no symptoms and if symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks after exposure.

In women, the bacteria initially infect the cervix and the urethra or urine canal. Women who have symptoms might have feel a burning sensation when urinating or have an abnormal vaginal discharge. When the infection spreads from the cervix to the fallopian tubes (tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus), some women still have no signs or symptoms while  others have bleeding between menstrual periods, lower abdominal pain, low back pain, nausea, fever, or pain during intercourse. Symptoms in men might have a burning sensation when urinating or have a discharge from their penis. Men might also suffer from burning and itching around the opening of the penis. Uncommon problems include such as pain and swelling in the testicles.

Complications among men are rare and infection sometimes spreads to the epididymis which causes pain, fever, and, rarely, sterility. In some cases, genital chlamydial can cause arthritis that can be accompanied by skin lesions, inflammation of the eye and urethra. In pregnant women, untreated chlamydial infections can lead to premature delivery can be passed from mother to baby during birth. Chlamydia infection in newborns can cause neonatal conjunctivitis and pneumonia. If left unattended, the infant's eyes can be seriously and permanently damaged. To diagnose Chlamydia, laboratory tests can be performed on urine and by  collecting a specimen from a site such as the penis or cervix. The disease can be easily treated and cured with antibiotics. Common treatments include a single dose of azithromycin or a week of doxycycline (twice daily). Make sure your sexual partner also gets treatment or the untreated partner just becomes re-infected because this infection can stay unrecognized for months, if not years. Retesting should be considered for men and women, especially adolescents, three to four months after treatment if you don’t know if the sex partner received treatment.

To avoid transmission from chlamydia is to abstain from sexual contact, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected. Use latex condoms and before you stop using them, make sure you and your partner get checked out for STDs by your local GUM clinic. If you have concerns, make sure your friends have heard about the infection and its consequences. Encourage them to get a checkup if they think they may be at risk and act on them and get yourself checked out.