Understanding Chlamydia

Chlamydia is caused by an organism called ‘Chlamydia trachomatis,’ which a male or female can get through sexual contact with someone who is infected. It is a very common sexually transmitted disease (STDdefine). Among all age groups, teenagers and young adults have the highest rates of infection.

Symptoms:

Chlamydia usually doesn't cause symptoms and hence many times people do not realize they have the disease or don't recognizes the signs and pass it on to their partner when they have unprotected sex.

And if symptoms occurs, they usually appear within one to 3 weeks after exposure. Some of the symptoms are:

# Burning sensation during passing urine
# Vaginal discharge in women
# Pain during sex
# Nausea, fever
# Lower abdominal paindefine
# Discharge from the penis, in men
# Bleeding in between periods
# Pain in the testicles, in men
# Burning, itching around the opening of the penis, in men.

Transmission:

A person can get the infection through genital, oral or anal sexual contact with a person who has Chlamydia. A pregnant woman can pass on the disease to her baby during vaginal childbirth, causing eye infections or pneumonia.

A person is at higher risk of contracting the infection if he has multiple sexual partners, has unprotected sex, have sex with a person who in turn has multiple partners

Diagnosis:

Your doctor will perform a culture swab of the infected area (penis or cervix) or order a urine test to diagnose chlamydia. If you are expecting, your health care provider may check for chlamydia, even if you have no signs of the infection.

Treatment:

Chlamydia can be treated effectively with simple antibiotics prescribed by a doctor.

After treatment, do not get engaged in sexual activities for at least a week and if your partner is also being treated, do not have sexual intercourse until at least seven days after both of you have finished taking your antibiotics.

Let your doctor know if you have any allergies to antibiotics and if there is any chance you might be pregnant.

Complications if not treated:

Chlamydia can cause serious long term problems in both men and women, such as infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease, if it is not found and treated early. Women also have higher risk of having an ectopic pregnancy, condition where an egg grows outside the uterusdefine in the wrong place. Having chlamydia can also increase the risk of becoming infected with HIVdefine.

Prevention:

* Always use latex condom while having sex as it provides good protection from chlamydia.

* If you know you have the infection, get yourself treated first.

* Be tested for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections regularly.

* Do not have sexual intercourse with high-risk partners.