A person can test for chlamydia at home or in the lab. They can take either a urine sample or a swab. A doctor can advise individuals on the best option. They may also recommend rectal or throat testing, especially for people who are living with HIV. Home screening tests are available, but it is not always easy to do them correctly at home. The person will likely need to provide a urine sample for a test to confirm a diagnosis. After treatment, they will need to retake the test to ensure that the treatment has worked.
If anyone wishes to try home testing, chlamydia screening test kits are available for purchase online. Chlamydia is an infection by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis C. Chlamydia infection can affect several organs, including the penis, vagina, cervix, urethra, anus, eye, and throat. It can cause severe and sometimes permanent damage to the reproductive system. A person can pass on chlamydia through unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex or through genital contact.
As chlamydial infection often has no symptoms, a person may have the infection and pass it on to a sexual partner without knowing. According to the National Institutes of Health NIH , a mother who has chlamydia infection can pass it on to her baby during childbirth. Sometimes, the infection leads to complications for the infant, such as eye infections or pneumonia. A female who has a diagnosis of chlamydia during pregnancy will need a test 3—4 weeks after treatment to ensure the infection has not returned.
In some cases, chlamydial PID can lead to an inflammation of the capsule that surrounds the liver. The main symptom is pain in the upper right side of the abdomen. The CDC also indicate that pregnant women who have chlamydia or their baby may experience:. This is an infection of the urethra. The urethra is a tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body.
Chlamydia can inflame the urethra, resulting in pain and difficulty urinating. Sometimes this occurs alongside conjunctivitis and reactive arthritis, which is a chronic type of inflammatory arthritis.
This can affect males. It is an inflammation of the epididymis , a structure inside the scrotum. Chlamydia is a common, sexually-transmitted bacterial infection. It often produces no symptoms, but screening can show if a person needs treatment. They can be serious, and some stay with you for life. The list of STIs is long, and the symptoms can vary, which is why regular sexual health checks are essential in protecting your overall health. STIs can usually be easily treated with medications like antibiotics.
There are two options to provide urine for a webtest:. Your doctor can give advice on who you need to tell and how to tell them, and this guide on contact tracing may help as well. In some cases it might be better for a health professional to contact partners for you, so talk to them about this option if you are concerned. Your ultimate guide to sexual health. Oral sex and STIs - what you need to know. Queensland Government: Sexual health.
Skip links and keyboard navigation Skip to content Skip to site navigation Skip to footer Use tab and cursor keys to move around the page more information. Site header. Contact us Help. What are STIs?
How do I spot an STI? For men, the typical symptoms of genital herpes include: outbreaks of small, painful blisters outbreaks of a rash that looks like cracked skin stinging or tingling in the infected area difficulty urinating.
For men, genital warts can appear on the penis, scrotum, or anus. Genital warts can be: bumpy, flat, or appear in clusters painless, but are sometimes painful, itchy, or uncomfortable. For men, the symptoms of chlamydia can include: discharge from the penis discomfort or irritation at the tip of the penis from the urethra pain when urinating swollen and sore testes pain in the rectum and discharge from the anus if spread through anal sex.
If contracted through anal sex, the symptoms of gonorrhoea can include: pain in the rectum the end of the large intestine that joins to the anus discharge or mucus from the anus, which might be bloody feeling of fullness in the lower bowel. If contracted through oral sex, the symptoms of gonorrhoea can include: a sore, red throat pus on the tonsils.
After months, the symptoms of syphilis infection can include: a flu-like illness a rash on the abdomen, palms and soles of feet swollen glands wart-like lumps around the moist areas of the body groin, armpits hair loss headaches tiredness pains in the muscles, bones and joints.
How to prevent STIs Practice safe sex and use a condom or dental dam every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex. You may get counseling from a psychologist, a social worker, or another counselor. STI health clinics may offer counseling and support groups. Antibiotic treatment, when taken exactly as directed, normally cures chlamydia infections. If antibiotics are not taken properly, the infection will not be cured.
Prompt treatment prevents the spread of the infection and reduces the risk of complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease PID. Avoid sexual contact or use condoms until you and your partner have finished the full course of medicine. Call your doctor if symptoms continue or new symptoms develop 3 to 4 weeks after treatment. To prevent reinfection, your sex partners need to be tested and treated.
Some types of chlamydia can't be treated by are resistant to certain antibiotics. If your doctor finds that your chlamydia is resistant to the drug you are taking, you will be tested so that your doctor can prescribe another antibiotic to cure the infection. Treatment in a hospital with intravenous IV medicines may be needed for women who have pelvic inflammatory disease PID and men who have epididymitis.
In many cases, these conditions can be treated outside of the hospital with oral antibiotics and close follow-up by your doctor. Untreated chlamydia can cause complications, such as an abscess.
Surgery may be used to drain or remove the abscess. Author: Healthwise Staff. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
Skip Navigation. Top of the page. Topic Overview What is chlamydia? But left untreated, it can lead to serious problems, especially for women: If it spreads, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. This serious infection can make it hard or impossible for a woman to get pregnant.
Pregnant women who have chlamydia often pass it to their babies at birth. If the infection gets in a baby's eyes, it can cause blindness. They can also have other problems, like pneumonia. Pneumonia can be deadly in a newborn. What causes chlamydia? What are the symptoms? How is chlamydia diagnosed? How is it treated? How can I prevent chlamydia? It's easier to prevent an STI like chlamydia than it is to treat it: Don't have more than one sex partner at a time. The safest sex is with one partner who has sex only with you.
Every time you add a new sex partner, you are being exposed to all of the infections that all of their partners may have. Use a condom every time you have sex. Latex and polyurethane condoms keep out the viruses and bacteria that cause STIs.
Be responsible. Don't have sex if you have symptoms of an infection or if you are being treated for an STI. Wait to have sex with a new partner until both of you have been tested for STIs. Cause Chlamydia infection is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis.
Symptoms Most women and men with chlamydia do not have symptoms. Symptoms in women Painful urination Cloudy urine Abnormal vaginal discharge Abnormal vaginal bleeding with intercourse or between periods Genital itching Irregular menstrual bleeding Lower abdominal belly pain Fever and general tiredness Swollen and painful glands at the opening of the vagina Bartholin glands Conjunctivitis Pain during sex Anal discharge Symptoms in men Painful urination or itching sensation with urination often the first symptom Cloudy urine Watery or slimy discharge from the penis Crusting on the tip of the penis Tender anus or scrotum Conjunctivitis Anal discharge.
What Happens Chlamydia does not cause long-term problems if it is treated before any complications develop. Complications in women Inflammation of the cervix cervicitis Inflammation of the urethra urethritis Inflammation of the lining of the uterus endometritis Inflammation of the glands at the opening of the vagina Bartholin glands Inflammation in the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID Pelvic infection abscess Infertility Chronic pelvic pain. A rare liver inflammation Fitz-Hugh—Curtis syndrome Complications in pregnant women Pregnancy outside the uterus ectopic , or tubal, pregnancy Miscarriage Preterm labor Premature rupture of the membranes PROM Chronic pelvic pain due to scarring of the pelvic organs Complications in newborns Premature delivery.
A premature infant has an increased risk of health problems. Inflammation of the surface of the eyes and the lining of the eyelids conjunctivitis. About one-half of newborns who have chlamydia get conjunctivitis. Infection of the nose and throat Lung infections, such as pneumonia Ear infection otitis media Urethritis, though this is very rare in infants Complications in men Urethritis Inflammation of the tubes that hold sperm epididymitis Inflammation of the prostate, the gland that makes most of the fluid in semen prostatitis Infertility Other complications of untreated chlamydia in all people Conjunctivitis , spread by touching the infected area and then touching the hand to the eye Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the rectum proctitis , if the chlamydia is from anal sex Varied symptoms, such as joint and eye inflammation, caused by bacterial infection reactive arthritis Lymphogranuloma venereum, or LGV.
This is caused by a type of chlamydia that is usually rare in the United States, but it is becoming more common in men who have sex with men. It causes open sores in the genital area, headache, fever, fatigue, and swelling of the lymph nodes in the groin.
It also causes proctitis in people who get chlamydia through anal sex. What Increases Your Risk Risk factors for getting chlamydia include: Having unprotected sex not using condoms.
Having more than one sex partner. Having a high-risk partner or partners. This includes people who have more than one sex partner or sex partners who have chlamydia. Starting sexual activity before age When should you call your doctor? In women: Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if you have these chlamydia symptoms: Sudden, severe pain in the lower abdomen Lower abdominal pain with vaginal bleeding or discharge and a fever of In men: Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if you have these chlamydia symptoms: Discharge from the penis and a fever of Watchful waiting Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your doctor observe your symptoms or condition without using medical treatment.
Who to see Health professionals who can diagnose chlamydia include: Nurse practitioners. Physician assistants. Family medicine physicians. Exams and Tests A doctor diagnoses chlamydia using a medical history, a physical exam, and tests.
During the medical history, your doctor may ask you questions such as: Do you think you were exposed to any sexually transmitted infections STIs? How do you know? Did your partner tell you? What are your symptoms? Do you have discharge? Do you have sores in the genital area or anywhere else on your body? Do you have any urinary symptoms, including frequent urination, burning or stinging with urination, or urinating in small amounts? Do you have any abdominal or pelvic pain or cramping during intercourse?
Do you have bleeding between your periods or after intercourse? What method of birth control do you use? Do you use condoms to protect against STIs? Which high-risk sexual behaviors do you or your partner engage in? For example, do you have multiple sex partners or have sex without using a condom except if you're in a long-term relationship?
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