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Chlamydia ('klah-mid-ee-ah'), chlamydial urethritis, chlamydial cervicitis

 

 

 

 

In brief...

Chlamydia is a bacterium, germ, which usually infects the urethra, water passage, in males and females and also the cervix in girls or women. Chlamydia is caught during unprotected sex from someone with chlamydia infection. Chlamydia is very common in young people, some estimates are that one in ten or one in five young people are infected. Many people of all ages don't know they are infected because they have no symptoms, you might feel completely normal too. If you do have symptoms, boys and men usually experience pain on urinating, 'peeing', or a discharge from the penis. Girls and women usually have no symptoms but may experience an increase in vaginal discharge, bleeding between periods or after sex, or pain on urinating. Chlamydia can be a serious infection and it can rarely cause infertility. The good news is that it is easy for a doctor to test you for chlamydia infection and it can be easily treated with antibiotics.

 

 

 

What is chlamydia and what can it do?

Chlamydia can affect the reproductive organs, including the cervix and fallopian tubes, the eyes and, in some people, the joints, causing a type of arthritis. A reaction to the chlamydial infection can cause joint pain and sometimes skin problems including a rash on the penis.

 

 

 

How did I get it and how can I avoid getting it?

Genital chlamydial infection is caught by having unprotected sex. If you don't have sex, you won't get genital chlamydia. If you do have sex a male or female condom should protect you and your partner.

 

 

 

What are the most common symptoms?

In boys or men
Commonly the infection has no symptoms in boys or men. Because the urethra is inflamed you might get a stinging or burning sensation when you urinate. You might also notice a slight discharge. Occasionally, chlamydia can pass to the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles, which can cause pain and swelling in the testicles and scrotum. Very rarely, it can cause infertility in men.

 

In girls or women
Of all the girls or women who are infected, about 70% of them will have no symptoms. Most girls or women who have a chlamydial infection are infected around the cervix, cervicitis, which shows as a slight increase in vaginal discharge. If it infects the urethra, it might cause a stinging sensation when you urinate, which feels like cystitis.

 

 

 

What can go wrong after a chlamydial infection?

If the chlamydial infection is treated early it is unlikely to cause you long-term problems. Some women can get more widespread infections with chlamydia, pelvic inflammatory disease, PID. This is when the bacteria move up into the womb, uterus, and from there to the fallopian tubes, the tubes that bring the egg into the womb. This can result in a pain low in the abdomen, tummy, and can cause long-term scarring of the tubes.

 

 

 

Are there extra risks during pregnancy?

Women who have chlamydia while they are pregnant can infect their baby's eyes or lungs during birth as the baby passes through the birth canal. For this reason they should have the infection treated, which is safe to do during pregnancy.

 

 

 

Is chlamydia a common cause of infertility?

Some women only become aware that they have had chlamydia many years before when they find themselves unable to become pregnant, or at least without medical help.

 

 

 

When should I be tested for chlamydia?

If you are not in a stable relationship and are having unprotected sex, not using a male or female condom, it is a good idea to have a check up from time to time.

 

 

 

What should I do before coming to SHAC?

If you are worried that you might have chlamydia it would be best not to have sex until you have been checked out and given the 'all clear'.

 

 

 

What tests can you offer me at SHAC?

We need to find the germ to show that you are infected with chlamydia. We can easily check whether you have chlamydia by gently taking a swab, with a cotton-wool tip or soft foam, from just inside the water passage or, in girls and women, from the cervix and urethra. Very soon we will be able to use a urine test for boys and men.

 

 

 

What treatment can you offer me at SHAC?

We can treat chlamydia very easily using a short course of antibiotic pills.

 

 

 

What should I do after coming to SHAC?

It is important not to have unprotected sex until we are sure the infection has cleared.

What about my partner(s)?

If you are infected it is important that your partner(s) are also seen and treated. This is to prevent you being re-infected by them, or them passing it on to other sexual partners in future.

 

 

 

What is the good news for the future and should I wait to be tested?

For boys and men: we hope that soon we will be able to test for this infection using a sample of your urine. This will mean less need to take a sample from the inside of the urethra.

For girls and women: we should soon be able to test a vaginal swab that you take yourself.

 

If you have symptoms now don't wait for an easier test. It is important to get treatment as early as possible.

 

 

 

 

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