Chlamydia is a common STI that can cause infection among men and women. It can cause permanent damage to a woman's reproductive system. This can make it difficult or impossible to get pregnant later. Chlamydia can also cause a potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy that occurs outside the womb).
Chlamydia often has no symptoms, but it can cause serious health problems, even without symptoms. If symptoms occur, they may not appear until several weeks after having sex with a partner who has chlamydia.
Even when chlamydia has no symptoms, it can damage a woman's reproductive system. Women with symptoms may notice:
Men with symptoms may notice:
Men and women can also get chlamydia in their rectum. This happens either by having receptive anal sex, or by spread from another infected site (such as the vagina). While these infections often cause no symptoms, they can cause:
See your healthcare provider if you notice any of these symptoms. You should also see a provider if your partner has an STI or symptoms of one. Symptoms can include an unusual sore, a smelly discharge, burning when peeing, and bleeding between periods.
Sexually active people can get chlamydia through vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom with a partner who has chlamydia.
If you are sexually active, have an honest and open talk with your healthcare provider. Ask them if you should get tested for chlamydia or other STIs.
You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom with someone who has the infection. A pregnant person with chlamydia can give the infection to their baby during childbirth.
The only way to completely avoid STIs is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
If you are sexually active, the following things can lower your chances of getting chlamydia:
If you are pregnant and have chlamydia, you can give the infection to your baby during delivery. This can cause serious health problems for your baby. If you are pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider about getting the correct examination, testing, and treatment. Treating chlamydia as soon as possible will make health problems for your baby less likely.
If you are sexually active, have an honest and open talk with your healthcare provider. Ask them if you should get tested for chlamydia or other STIs.
If you are a sexually active gay or bisexual man, you should get tested for chlamydia every year. If you are a sexually active woman, you should get tested for chlamydia every year if you are:
Testing is also recommended during pregnancy in some cases.
Laboratory tests can diagnose chlamydia. Your healthcare provider may ask you to provide a urine sample for testing, or they might use (or ask you to use) a cotton swab to get a vaginal sample.
Yes, the right treatment can cure chlamydia. It is important that you take all of the medicine your healthcare provider gives you to cure your infection. Do not share medicine for chlamydia with anyone. When taken properly it will stop the infection and could decrease your chances of having problems later. Although medicine will stop the infection, it will not undo any permanent damage caused by the disease.
Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. You should receive testing again about three months after your treatment, even if your sex partner(s) receives treatment.
You should not have sex again until you and your sex partner(s) complete treatment. If given a single dose of medicine, you should wait seven days after taking the medicine before having sex. If given medicine to take for seven days, wait until you finish all the doses before having sex.
If you've had chlamydia and took medicine in the past, you can still get it again. This can happen if you have sex without a condom with a person who has chlamydia.
The initial damage that chlamydia causes often goes unnoticed. However, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems.
In women, untreated chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Some of the complications of PID are:
Men rarely have health problems from chlamydia. The infection can cause a fever and pain in the tubes attached to the testicles. This can, in rare cases, lead to infertility.
