Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a common Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) caused by the bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis, which can damage a woman's reproductive organs. 1 in 10 people in the United States have Chlamydia.

Symptoms:

As with all STIs, symptoms may not be present, but you or your partner may still be infected and infecting others. Chlamydia is known as a "silent" disease because about three quarters of infected women and about half of infected men have no symptoms. In women, bacteria initially infects the cervix and the urethra (urine canal). When the infection spreads from the cervix to the fallopian tubes (tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus), some women still have no signs or symptoms. Chlamydial infection of the cervix can spread to the rectum.

Women:

• Abnormal vaginal discharge
• Burning sensation when urinating
• Lower abdominal pain
• Low back pain
• Nausea
• Feve
• Pain during intercourse
• Bleeding between menstrual periods

Men:

• Discharge from their penis
• Burning sensation when urinating.
• Burning and itching around the opening of the penis.
• Pain and swelling in the testicles are uncommon.

Men or women who have receptive anal intercourse may acquire chlamydial infection in the rectum, which can cause rectal pain, discharge, or bleeding. Chlamydia can also be found in the throats of women and men having oral sex with an infected partner.

How it is Spread:

Chlamydia can be transmitted through anal, oral, or vaginal sex.

Side Effects:

Women:

• Transmitted during birth, which can cause early infant pneumonia and conjunctivitis (pink eye) in newborns.
• CauseS PID in women (see the info page on Gonorrhea).
  PID causes permanent damage to reproductive organs. The damage can lead to chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus). Women infected with chlamydia are up to five times more likely to become infected with HIV, if exposed.

Men:

• Infection sometimes spreads to the epididymis (a tube that carries sperm from the testis), causing pain, fever, and, rarely, sterility.

Treatment:

Chlamydia can be treated through antibiotics, but the medication cannot repair any of the permanent damage.

How to Avoid:

Abstinence until a single, life-long, committed, and monogamous relationship is the only sure way to avoid being infected. If you are married, stay faithful. If you are sexually active, stop and get tested.

Sources:
Center of Disease Control and Prevention
The Medical Institute

Other Diseases

STDs & STIs Overview
HPV
Gonorrhea
Chlamydia
Genital Herpes
Trichomoniasis
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
HIV/AIDS

Have You Made A
Choice About Sex?

I am waiting until marriage

I am taking my Second Chance

3 out of 4 girls wish
they had said NO to sex

• Common Emotional Effects of Sexual Activity
• Pain from broken relationships
• Fear, confusion about romantic feelings
• Altered self-esteem
• Sense of betrayal and abandonment
• Guilt, depression and emotional roller coaster
• Impaired ability to form healthy long-term relationships