Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease (STI) that can affect anyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. It’s treatable, but ignoring it can lead to catastrophic problems.
You can catch chlamydia by having sex with a partner who has it without using a condom or another barrier method.
A frequent misunderstanding is that chlamydia is transmitted by kissing. In contrast to popular belief, chlamydia is not spread via kissing.
Chlamydia trachomatis is the bacterium that causes it. Both men and women are susceptible to infection with this disease. Chlamydia can infect the cervix, the rectum, or the throat of women. In men, the urethra, the rectum, or the throat can all become infected with chlamydia.
What are the symptoms of chlamydia, and how can they be diagnosed?
There may be no way to tell if you have chlamydia if you’re a woman because most women with the infection show no symptoms. The term “silent infection” has been used because of this. It is, however, important to treat the infection because it can cause permanent damage to the reproductive tract. The most common symptom of chlamydia infection in women is cervicitis, an infection of the cervix with inflammation.
Symptoms are very similar to those caused by gonorrhea when they do occur. Symptoms, if any, can take up to a few weeks to appear after the initial infection. A chlamydia infection’s symptoms and signs can include discharge from the cervix and abdominal pain. Infection of the urethra can cause the typical symptoms of a urinary tract infection, such as pain or burning with urination, blood in the urine, feelings of urinary urgency (the desire to urinate constantly), and frequent urination.
If untreated, chlamydia can spread to the organs of the pelvis in 30% of cases, resulting in a condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). For example, pain with sexual intercourse, fever, and cramping are all symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease. Infertility may be the outcome of scarring and damage to the reproductive organs caused by pelvic inflammatory beylikdüzü escort illness.
Infected men can go unnoticed. Swelling or pain in one or both testicles may also be a sign of a condition known as penile erectile dysfunction (PED).
Causes
Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterium that causes chlamydia. Many of these disorders are also associated with it, such as:
- pneumonia
- pelvic inflammatory disease
- inflammation of the cervix
- lymph nodes in the groin are enlarged.
- If you kiss, share glasses of water, or hug, you can’t pass on the chlamydia virus to your partner.
However, you can spread the disease in the following ways:
- If you’re pregnant, to your kid during childbirth
- Without the use of a condom or other barrier device, during vaginal, oral, or anal sex with someone who has the condition
- While sex with a male partner, without using a condom even if they do not ejaculate,
- Even if you’ve had chlamydia in the past and had it treated, you can still get it. If you or your partner observe any symptoms of chlamydia, see a doctor immediately.
What more complications might chlamydia cause?
Untreated infection in women can progress to the uterus and fallopian tubes, resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID has the potential to permanently harm your reproductive system. It can result in chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy in the long run. Women who have been infected with chlamydia more than once are at an increased risk of developing major reproductive health issues.
Men are frequently free of chlamydia-related health concerns. Occasionally, it can infect the epididymis (the sperm tube). It can result in pain, fever, and, in some cases, sterility.
Males and females alike may get reactive arthritis as a result of a chlamydia infection. Reactive arthritis is a kind of arthritis that occurs as a result of the body’s “response” to an infection.
Infants born to infected moms can get chlamydia-related eye infections and pneumonia. Additionally, it may increase the likelihood of your baby being born prematurely.
Chlamydia, if left untreated, may also raise your risk of catching or transmitting HIV/AIDS.
How can I do a chlamydia test?
Even if you show no symptoms, you might get tested for chlamydia.
It’s simple and painless to get tested for chlamydia. A healthcare provider may request a urine (pee) sample and/or swab the area suspected of infection. For women, this is typically the lower part of the womb (cervix) or vagina, whereas, for men, it is the tip of the penis (urethra). If you’ve had anal or oral intercourse, a swab of your anus or throat may be taken.
Any subsequent sexual partners must be informed of your positive chlamydia test result so they can be checked and treated if necessary. If you require assistance with this, consult your healthcare provider. Additionally, you should be tested for any sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
When should I have a chlamydia test?
If you have had intercourse without using a condom or are concerned about chlamydia or other sexually transmitted infections, get tested immediately. You may need to repeat the test if you take the test within two weeks of having intercourse. Since the infection may not always be obvious in its early stages.
If you are a female, you may be required to abstain from using douches or vaginal creams for 24 hours before your test. Males and females may be advised to abstain from antibiotics for 24 hours before testing. Inquire with your health care provider about any particular instructions.
How is a chlamydia test conducted?
If you are a woman, your health care professional will collect a sample of cells from your vagina for testing using a little brush or swab. Additionally, you may be provided the option of self-testing at home using a test kit. Consult your provider for advice on which kit to use. If you conduct the test at home, be sure to carefully follow all instructions.
If you are a guy, your health care practitioner may take a swab from your urethra, but a urine test for chlamydia is more likely. Urine tests are also appropriate for females. You will be instructed to produce a clean catch sample during a urine test.
Generally, the clean catch procedure entails the following steps:
- Hands should be cleaned.
- Use a cleansing pad provided by your provider to clean your genital area. Men should swab the tip of their penis with a swab. Women should clean their labia from front to back by opening them.
- Begin urinating in the toilet.
- Submerge the collection container beneath the stream of urine.
- Collect at least an ounce or two of urine in the container, which should be marked with the appropriate quantities.
- Complete your urination into the toilet.
- Take the sample container to your health care practitioner as directed.
Prevention
The best precautions you can take to avoid getting chlamydia is to abstain from sex with someone who has the disease without the use of a condom or other barrier technique.
Chlamydia can be prevented by following these guidelines:
- Condoms should be used correctly every time you engage in sex. If you’re unsure how to use a condom, talk to a doctor online.
- To lower your chance of exposure, limit the number of sexual partners you have.
- Unless you’re a woman, don’t douche. A decrease in the number of beneficial bacteria in the vagina can raise your risk of infection.
- Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as HIV and herpes, can be prevented, detected, and treated by regular testing.
What chlamydia treatments are available?
To treat the illness, you’ll need to take antibiotic medication. Depending on the severity of your infection, you may need to take antibiotics every day for seven days or you may just need one dose. Damage produced by the disease is irreversible, and antibiotics cannot reverse it.
You should avoid intercourse until the illness has cleaned up so that you don’t spread it to your partner. To have sex again after taking a single dose of antibiotics, you must wait seven days. Having sex while taking medication every day for seven days isn’t recommended.
You should also be tested again three months following treatment for chlamydia, as it is usual for the disease to re-emerge.
Untreated chlamydia can have long-term consequences.
If chlamydia is left untreated, it can cause a variety of additional health issues.
Pelvic inflammatory illness in women is caused by untreated chlamydia (PID). If you have PID, you may suffer from pelvic pain, infertility, and even ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy outside the uterus). Medications such as penicillin can treat PID.
Swelling and pain in the testicles may result from untreated chlamydia in men. In rare cases, it may result in male infertility.
Women and men who have chlamydia can also suffer from reactive arthritis, which is inflammation of the joints and the urethra and eyes in certain people, as well as other symptoms (conjunctivitis).
When it comes to kissing, here are some tips to keep you safe
Use these guidelines to ensure safe kissing and prevent the spread of other diseases:
- If one of you has an open sore, do not kiss the other.
- Do not kiss if you or the person you are kissing has a cut or wound in or around the mouth.
- If you or the person you’re kissing is unwell, don’t do it.
- Avoid biting during kissing.
- Instead of kissing the lips, try kissing other regions of the body, like the cheek or hand.
When it comes to preventing the spread of disease, kissing does not have to be restricted. It is possible to reduce your risk of developing the illness if you refrain from kissing or alter your kissing style during an illness.
