What is Chlamydia

What is chlamydia?

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis.  Since approximately 75% of women and 50% of men have no symptoms, most people infected with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and therefore may not seek health care.  Once diagnosed, chlamydia can be easily treated and cured.  Untreated, it can cause severe reproductive and other medical problems.  
Chlamydia in pregnant women can result in complications to the newborn baby.  In addition, some studies have shown that women infected with chlamydia have three to five times the risk of acquiring the HIV virus if they are exposed.

What are the symptoms of chlamydia?

The majority of women with chlamydia do not have symptoms.   Cervicitis, or infection of the cervix, is the most common result of the infection.   While about half of women with cervicitis have no symptoms, others may experience vaginal discharge or abdominal pain.  Infection of the urethra is often present along with chlamydial infection of the cervix.  Women with infection of the urethra have the typical symptoms of a urinary tract infection, including pain upon urination and the frequent and urgent need to urinate.
Chlamydia is very destructive to the fallopian tubes.  Four out of every ten women with untreated chlamydia will develop pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID. Undiagnosed PID caused by chlamydia is common.   Of those who develop the disease, 20% will become infertile; 18% will experience serious, chronic pelvic pain; and 9% will have a life-threatening tubal pregnancy.  Tubal pregnancy is the leading cause of first-trimester, pregnancy-related deaths in American women.
Chlamydial infection, like gonorrhea, is associated with an increased incidence of premature births. In addition, the infant can acquire the infection during passage through the infected birth canal, leading to serious eye damage or pneumonia.  For this reason, all newborns are treated with eye drops containing an antibiotic that kills chlamydia.  Treatment of newborns is routine because of the large number of infected women without symptoms and the possibility of eye infection to the newborn.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Chlamydia can be detected on material collected by swabbing the cervix during a traditional examination using a speculum, but noninvasive screening tests done on urine or on self-collected vaginal swabs are less expensive and sometimes more acceptable to patients.
Treatment of chlamydia involves antibiotics.   Treatment should always include medication that will treat gonorrhea as well,  since gonorrhea and chlamydia frequently exist together in the same person.  The sexual partners of women who have had either gonorrhea or chlamydia must receive treatment for both infections since their partners may be infected as well, and treating the partners also prevents reinfection of the woman.  Women suffering from PID require more aggressive treatment that is effective against the bacteria that cause chlamydia as well as against other organisms. These women often require intravenous administration of antibiotics.

Prevention

Not having sexual intercourse, or abstinence, is the only sure method of preventing chlamydia.   A monogamous sexual relationship with an individual known to be free of any STD is generally low-risk, although condoms are still recommended.

You can greatly lower your risk of catching an STD by using a condom every time you have sex.  Condoms are available for both men and women, but are most commonly worn by the man.   It is important that the condom is used properly; otherwise it may be as ineffective as no condom at all. 

Using a Condom

Traditionally, the male partner uses the condom.  They are more effective, readily available and simple to use.  If your partner refuses to use one, there are female condoms available so that you can protect yourself.

For the male condom:

The male partner should put on a condom before his penis touches his partner’s vagina.   Care should be taken in opening the package and removing the condom, as they are easily torn by a fingernail, teeth, or other sharp object. If the condom has a small pouch at the end of it to collect the semen, begin rolling the condom onto the penis with the receptacle left empty so that semen can fill it.   Be sure to squeeze the air out of the receptacle end.   Place the condom against the tip of the penis and carefully roll the sides down the shaft of the erect penis.  The rolled ring should be on the outside of the condom. If the condom does not unroll easily, it may be upside down.   If you find you are rolling it on incorrectly, throw it away and try another so you don’t expose your sexual partner to germs.

If there is no pouch at the end, then leave a little space between the condom and the end of the penis.   Otherwise, the semen may push up the sides of the condom and come out at the base of it before the penis and condom are withdrawn.   Be sure to squeeze the air out of the tip of the condom so there is not any air between the penis and the condom.   Air left in the tip can cause the condom to break. If the penis is uncircumcised, pull the foreskin back before putting on the condom.

For the female condom:

The female condom is similar to the male condom and intended for one-time use.   They are available at most drugstores.  The condom is a sheath of polyurethane which contains two flexible rings, one at each end.   The ring at the closed end of the sheath is used to insert and anchor the condom inside the vagina.   The other ring forms the external edge of the condom and remains outside of the vagina after insertion.   By squeezing the ring between your thumb and forefinger, insert the ring into your vagina.  With your finger, push the inner ring as far into the vagina as it will go. The outer ring stays outside the vagina.

Do not have a male partner use a condom at the same time because the condoms may stick to each other, leading to slippage or displacement of either device. If you have a choice, use a male condom for better protection.

Remember

Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that is transmitted during sexual activity.  Often no symptoms appear until a serious medical problem is present.  It is usually easily treatable with antibiotics.  The only sure way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases is by abstinence; however if you do have sexual relations always use a condom.