Chlamydia – symptoms and treatment
Chlamydia is transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person, including sexual intercourse itself, anal sex and oral sex. Transmission of the bacteria Chlamydia can also happen through vaginal delivery (from the infected woman to the newborn baby). When left untreated, chlamydia can permanently damage the reproductive organs and lead to infertility in both men and women. Also, Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common cause of pneumonia in infants.
Every sexually active person can get chlamydia. The higher the number of sexual partners, the greater the risk of infection. Chlamydia and gonorrhea have similar symptoms, and can have similar complications if left untreated, but chlamydia is sometimes misdiagnosed as gonorrhea, and vice versa. This is not good, because the treatment of these two STDs differs.
Chlamydia in women can infect the cervix and urinary tract, and can also cause inflammation of the pelvis when it reaches the channels of the uterus (uterine tube). Since the cervix of teenage and young women is not fully mature, they are at particular risk of infection if they are sexually active.
On the other hand, chlamydia in men may infect the urinary tract and the epididymis (part of the male genital tract which makes the way for the sperm from testicles to the vas deferens) and result can be epididymitis (inflammation of vas deferens, ie. Seminal duct), swelling or inflammation of the testicles and pain in the testicles.
Anyone who is sexually active should be tested at least once a year, since the symptoms of chlamydia may be unnoticeable.
The incubation period for chlamydia lasts from 1 to 3 weeks.
So, you may ask yourself what are the symptoms of chlamydia. If you practice unprotected sex without a condom, and you are not in a strictly monogamous relationship, you may already have chlamydia and you should check the most common symptoms. The symptoms can be so mild, almost unnoticeable, but should show after one to three weeks after having sex with an infected person, if you are infected.
There are no symptoms in 70-80% of cases! (One study found that as many as 3% of the respondents who were in the group of young adults between 18 and 35 have untreated chlamydia.) If there are symptoms, they are:
As with women, many men who are infected can be without symptoms. Assessment of how many men who have chlamydia have no symptoms, range from 25% to 50%, which is a large percentage. If symptoms do exist, they are:
Chlamydia in pregnancy increases the chances of infection of the membranes (amnion) and amniotic fluid, which can cause premature rupture of membranes and premature delivery but timely treatment can reduce the risk of these problems. Some studies have linked chlamydia to miscarriage, although other studies found no such connection.
Also, the chlamydia infection, if left untreated, increases the risk that the body, if it comes into contact with the HIV virus, becomes infected with it, and the same goes for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as gonorrhea and syphilis, if you have been exposed to them. It also increases the risk of infection of the uterus after childbirth.
It is important to mention, if you have an infection during childbirth, there is a chance to transfer chlamydia to your baby. In fact, almost 50% of babies that come into the world by vaginal delivery (and even some babies born by caesarean section) will get chlamydia. A number of babies who received chlamydia (between 25 and 50 percent) will develop conjunctivitis (eye infection), and between 5 and 20 percent of babies will get pneumonia a few weeks or a few months after birth.
Although these infections can be very serious, babies that are timely treated with antibiotics usually get well. Of course, it is better to treat a mother during pregnancy and prevent that the baby becomes infected.
The treatment is quite simple and is carried out simultaneously in both partners, with antibiotics from the group of tetracycline, macrolides and some other contemporary medicines. In most cases, doxycycline e.g. Vibramycin (100 mg twice daily for seven days) or azithromycin e.g. Zithromax (single dose of 1 g) are administered, and erythromycin (Eryped) is usually used during pregnancy.
Visit our specialized section for chlamydia treatment and find the best therapy for you! Do not be worried about a prescription as there are our doctors who will take care about that part! All you need is just to choose to be healthy again!
When receiving treatment, the diseased persons should temporarily refrain from sexual relations, since they are still contagious and can infect their partner or partners, who then again can return the infection.
When you start the prescribed treatment, follow the instructions literally and make sure that you carry it out until the end. Do not stop taking medication just because the symptoms disappeared, but be consistent and take the whole therapy, otherwise chlamydia will return.
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