Chlamydia is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can affect far more than just your sexual health. It is a commonly contracted STD. In the U.S. alone, an average of one out of ten young adults, mostly women, is likely to test positive for the infection.
What Is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection passed on from one person to another through unprotected sexual intercourse. The bacteria that causes the infection is called Chlamydia trachomatis. The infection can affect both men and women. Women are more likely to get infected in the cervix, rectum, or throat. Men get infected in the urethra, rectum, or throat.
How Does It Spread?
Unprotected sex is the primary method through which the infection can spread. Practicing unsafe sex methods, including oral sex, can increase the risk of an affected individual passing the infection to another. In many countries, chlamydia is the number one STD diagnosed among sexually active patients.
Using a condom while having sex can significantly reduce the chances of contracting chlamydia, while other forms of birth control or protection that don’t act as a barrier method are usually ineffective.
Babies can also catch the infection if the mother has an infection during pregnancy and childbirth.
Are There Other Risk Factors?
Chlamydia is a treatable infection and should not cause long-term negative effects. However, untreated chlamydia or having multiple chlamydia infections over a period of time could cause complications like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and ectopic pregnancy.
Symptoms of Chlamydia
Generally, chlamydia symptoms are quite noticeable. However, it may happen that an individual doesn’t realize they are experiencing symptoms of the infection, and then have a greater chance of passing it on to someone else without their knowledge.
In most cases, chlamydia infection symptoms vary according to biological gender. For women, chlamydia may cause:
- Pain in the genital area during sexual intercourse
- A painful or burning sensation when urinating
- Vaginal discharge with abnormal color and a strong smell
- Itchiness around the vagina
- Pain, abnormal discharge, and bleeding in the rectal area
On the other hand, men may experience:
- Abnormal discharge from the penis
- Itchiness and a burning sensation around the penis
- Painful or burning sensation when urinating
- Pain and swelling in the testicles
- Pain, abnormal discharge, and bleeding in the rectal area
If and when the infection stays in the body for long, it can spread and worsen. The infected person might experience lower abdominal pain, nausea, or fever.
How to Get Rid of Chlamydia: Testing and Treatment
Chlamydia is a curable sexually transmitted infection (STI) and can be cleared up effectively with the right testing and medication.
Testing
The earlier an infection is detected, the easier it is to treat. As a proactive measure, men and women under 25 years of age should be tested at least once a year if they are sexually active, have multiple partners, or have recently gotten a new partner. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause discomfort and health risks that can affect other aspects of your well-being.
Treatment
Chlamydia is typically treated with antibiotics. Around 95% of patients who take their medication correctly are cured of the infection. If you test positive for chlamydia, a doctor may prescribe either azithromycin or doxycycline. To prevent spreading the infection to your sexual partner, you should wait seven days after a single dose antibiotic or to the end of a seven-day course of antibiotics before having sexual intercourse again.
Before deciding on a treatment method, it’s important to discuss dosage and possible side effects with your doctor.
How CallonDoc Can Help
If you have been diagnosed with chlamydia and would like more information, CallonDoc can help. We offer quick, private, and affordable doctor’s consultations via online forms, phone calls, or video chats. CallonDoc also offers at-home test kits and lab testing to easily confirm your diagnosis. To learn more about how to treat chlamydia, visit CallonDoc today and set up an online appointment.
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