What Are the Symptoms and Treatment for Chlamydia?

 

What Is Chlamydia?

Chlamydia is the most common curable sexually transmitted disease, and it is caused by the obligate intracellular parasite Chlamydia trachomatis. Hundreds of thousands of new cases are reported every year, but that probably represents less than half of all infections. This is because half of all chlamydia cases in men, and three quarters of chlamydia cases in women, have no symptoms. Scientists estimate that in the U.S. alone there are 3-4 million new cases a year

 

For Men

The primary infection site for chlamydia in men is the urethra, the tube inside the penis that carries urine and sperm. Infection of the urethra is known as urethritis. Chlamydia symptoms in men may include:

• burning pain on urination

• discharge from the opening of the penis (the urethra)

• pain in the testicles

• pain in, or discharge from, the rectum

For Women

The primary infection site for chlamydia in women is the cervix, the opening that connects the vagina to the uterus, or womb. Infection of the cervix is known as cervicitis. Chlamydia Symptoms in women may include:

• Vaginal irritation

• Vaginal discharge

• Painful sexual intercourse

• Pain in, or discharge from, the rectum

• Nondescript pain in the lower abdomen

• Severe pelvic pain from an infection that has ascended from the cervix into the upper reproductive tract.

For Everyone

The symptoms described above, however, could also indicate other infections. If you have any sign of discharge from your genitalia, or unexplained irritation, you should speak to the health provider of your choice for chlamydia testing.

 

If you are uncomfortable seeing your regular doctor about a possible STD diagnosis, many regional areas have public STD clinics. Planned Parenthood is also a good resource for STD treatment and diagnosis. Both government run clinics and Planned Parenthood scale treatment prices to your income, so money should not be an issue in seeking treatment.

 

Because so many people with chlamydia have no symptoms, it is important to ask your doctor to screen you for the disease at your annual visit if there is any chance you might have been exposed. If you have had unprotected sex with a partner who is infected with, or has not been tested for, chlamydia you should consider yourself at risk for disease.

 

Before entering into a new sexual relationship, or starting to have unprotected sex in your current relationship, many sex educators recommend that both you and your partner be screened for chlamydia and other common STDs. When in doubt, use condoms, which have been shown to be effective in preventing the spread of chlamydia.

 

Diagnosis and Treatment for Chlamydia

Chlamydia testing is becoming more and more straightforward. In the old days, a doctor would do a chlamydia test by taking a swab from the opening of the penis (urethra) or the cervix, and send it to a lab to see if they could grow bacteria from the sample. This type of testing, called "culturing", could take up to a week to get a result, and it missed many cases of the disease. There are new tests, however, that use different techniques to detect chlamydia and can be completed in just a few hours.

 

What are Some of the Symptoms?

For women, the most common chlamydia symptoms are burning during urination, abnormal vaginal discharge, and pain during intercourse. However up to 75% of women with chlamydia show no symptoms when they first become infected.

 

For men, the most common chlamydia symptoms are pain on urination, and discharge from the head of the penis (the urethra.) However, up to half of men with chlamydia show no symptoms when they first become infected.

 

Because chlamydia symptoms are not specific for the disease, if you go to a doctor with any of the above symptoms they will most likely test you for several STDs, not just chlamydia.

 

How Is It Done?

For women:
Your gynecologist will most likely use a speculum so that she can see your cervix. Then she will take a small swab to get a sample from your cervix that she can send to the lab. Note: It is important to know that this is not the same as a Pap smear. Although they both use swabs to sample your cervix, they are looking for different things and are tested differently.

It is possible to test for chlamydia on a urine sample, but this is rarely done for women. Most doctors prefer to use cervical samples, since they provide more accurate results.

 

For men:
Your doctor will either ask you for a urine sample, or sample inside the head of your penis with a small swab (see image). This sample is then sent to a lab for analysis. Note: Not all doctors perform urine tests for chlamydia, but you should feel comfortable asking whether or not getting one is an option.

 

For both:
If you have receptive anal sex, you should inform your doctor so that he or she can take a swab sample from your rectum for analysis.

 

How Often Should You Get Tested?

Because chlamydia is asymptomatic, it is important to get tested on a regular basis if you are at risk of the disease. How often you need to be tested depends on your risk factors, so you should talk to their doctor about how she thinks you needed to be screened for chlamydia.

 

Risk factors for chlamydia infection include:

• Multiple sex partners

• Unprotected intercourse (no condom)

• Other STD infections

• A partner who has been diagnosed with an STD

How is Chlamydia Treated?

Doctors use antibiotic treatment for chlamydia. One treated with prescription antibiotics, the infection usually clears up in one to two weeks. During this period, however, you are still potentially infectious and should continue to use safer sex precautions. This will protect both you and your partner from new infections.

 

What to Do Next

If you are diagnosed with chlamydia, the first thing you should do is talk to your partner. It is important that all of your current sexual partners be screened and treated for chlamydia. If they aren’t, you could end up passing the infection back and forth. You are also encouraged to inform any previous partners who might have been exposed to the infection so that they and their partners can be treated.

Some municipalities require that notification be sent to all your current and previous sexual partners to inform them that they may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease. If you are unwilling or unable to notify them yourself, notification may be done anonymously by the state.

 

Long-Term Consequences