Overview
Definition
Chlamydia is an infection spread through sexual contact - it is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This disease infects the urethra in men. In women, it infects the urethra and the cervix and can spread to the reproductive organs. It can also infect the rectum.
Symptoms
Most people don't have symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they can include pain when you urinate, cloudy urine, or an abnormal discharge from the penis, vagina or rectum.
You can spread chlamydia even if you do not have symptoms. You are contagious until you have been treated.
Causes
A certain kind of bacteria causes chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis). It can spread from one partner to another during vaginal, anal, or possibly oral sex. A pregnant woman can pass the infection to her newborn during delivery.
Certain activities increase your risk of getting chlamydia:
- Having unprotected sex (not using condoms).
- Having multiple sex partners.
- Having a high-risk partner or partners.
- Being sexually active before age 18.
- Having an impaired immune system.
Complications
Chlamydia does not cause long-term problems if it is treated before any complications develop. If left untreated, chlamydia can lead to many complications, especially for women:
- Chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. This serious infection can make it hard or impossible for a woman to get pregnant.
- Pregnant women who have chlamydia can pass it to their babies at birth.
- Chlamydia increases your risk of getting HIV if you are exposed to the virus.
Tests and Diagnosis
A health professional diagnoses chlamydia using medical history, a physical examination, and tests. Several types of tests can be used to diagnose chlamydia. Most use a sample of urine or a swab from the cervix or urethra. Test results are usually done in 2 to 3 days, except for the chlamydia culture, which can take 5 to 7 days.
Treatment and Drugs
Antibiotic treatment, when taken exactly as directed, normally cures chlamydia infections. If antibiotics are not taken properly, the infection will not be cured. Prompt treatment prevents the spread of the infection and reduces the risk of complications.
It is important to not have sex for 7 days after treatment for chlamydia. If you are treated for chlamydia and your sex partner is not, you will probably become infected again, so encourage your partner to get tested and treated before resuming sex.
Having a chlamydia infection that was cured does not protect you from a future infection. A new exposure to chlamydia will reinfect you, even if you were treated and cured.
Prevention
You can reduce your risk of getting chlamydia, or any other STI, by practicing safe sex. Use condoms.
- Avoid sexual contact if you have symptoms of an STI or are being treated for an STI.
- Avoid sexual contact with anyone who has symptoms of an STI or who may have been exposed to an STI.
- Having more than one sex partner at a time increases your risk for an STI.
Last Updated: July 12, 2010
