Chlamydia: Symptoms, Treatment, and Causes

CHLAMYDIA

This week KMC Clinic discuss about one of Sexual Transmitted Disease that very common. It is caused by bacteria called Chlamydia Trachomatis. It can infect both men and women. Women can get chlamydia in the cervix, rectum, or throat. Men can get chlamydia in the urethra (inside the penis), rectum, or throat. It can cause serious, permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive system. This can make it difficult or impossible for her to get pregnant later on. Chlamydia can also cause a potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy that occurs outside the womb).

Symptom

Chlamydia symptoms in women:

• Abnormal vaginal discharge that may have an odor
• Bleeding between periods
• Painful periods
• Abdominal pain with fever
• Pain when having sex
• Itching or burning in or around the vagina
• Pain when urinating

Chlamydia symptoms in men:

• Small amounts of clear or cloudy discharge from the tip of the penis
• Painful urination
• Burning and itching around the opening of the penis
• Pain and swelling around the testicles

How do you get?

• You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has chlamydia.
• If your sex partner is male you can still get chlamydia even if he does not ejaculate (cum).
• If you’ve had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can still get infected again. This can happen if you have unprotected sex with someone who has chlamydia.
• If you are pregnant, you can give chlamydia to your baby during childbirth.

How do you protect yourself against chlamydia?

• Use a new male or female condom or dental dam every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex.
• Use a new dental dam or latex gloves for rimming and fingering (exploring your partner’s anus with your fingers, mouth or tongue) or use latex gloves for fisting.
• Cover sex toys with a new condom and wash them after use.
• Limit the number of sexual partners you have, remember to use a new condom for each partner, and have regular STI tests.
• Know the status of any sexual partner.

How Is Chlamydia Diagnosed?

There are a few different tests your doctor can use to diagnose chlamydia. He or she will probably use a swab to take a sample from the urethra in men or from the cervix in women and then send the specimen to a laboratory to be analyzed. There are also other tests which check a urine sample for the presence of the bacteria.

What Are The Treatments For Chlamydia?

If you have chlamydia, your doctor will prescribe oral antibiotics. Your doctor will also recommend your partner(s) be treated to prevent reinfection and further spread of the disease.

With treatment, the infection should clear up in about a week or two. It is important to finish all of your antibiotics even if you feel better.

Women with severe chlamydia infection may require hospitalization, intravenous antibiotics (medicine given through a vein), and pain medicine.

After taking antibiotics, people should be re-tested after three months to be sure the infection is cured. This is particularly important if you are unsure that your partner(s) obtained treatment. But testing should still take place even if your partner has been treated. Do not have sex until you are sure both you and your partner no longer have the disease.

Source :

1. https://medlineplus.gov/chlamydiainfections.html
2. https://www.avert.org/sex-stis/sexually-transmitted-infections/chlamydia
3. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8181.php