Chlamydia

Most people with chlamydia don't notice any symptoms, so they don't know they have it. That's why you should get tested if you think you might be infected.

When symptoms do appear, it's usually 1 to 3 weeks after unprotected sex. Some people don't get symptoms until months later.

If you do develop symptoms, you may notice:

• pain when peeing
• unusual discharge from the vagina, penis or anus
• pain in the lower tummy, bleeding after sex, and bleeding between periods
• pain in the testicles
• red, sticky eyes

Sometimes the symptoms disappear after a few days. But even if they go away, you may still have the infection and could pass it on.

The test for chlamydia is simple, painless and very reliable. A sample is taken from the part of the body that might be infected and sent to a lab for analysis.

You usually don't need to be examined by a doctor or nurse, and often you can collect the sample yourself.

There are 2 main ways the sample can be collected:

• using a swab, where a small cotton bud is gently wiped over the area that might be infected, such as inside the vagina, the throat, or inside the anus
• a urine sample (if you have a penis), which is more accurate if it's taken at least 1 or 2 hours after you last peed

People who have had anal or oral sex may have a swab taken from the anus or throat.

Antibiotics will clear a chlamydia infection.

Avoid sex until 1 week after you and your partner(s) have been treated. That includes oral sex and sex using a condom.

If chlamydia is left untreated, you may pass it on to other sexual partners.

In women, untreated chlamydia can spread to the womb and cause a serious condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID is a major cause of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women.

In men, the infection may spread to the testicles and cause discomfort. This could affect your fertility.

You can get chlamydia by having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex (that means sex without a condom). There are other ways to catch it too:

• sharing sex toys that aren't washed or covered with a new condom each time they're used
• infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eye

A pregnant woman can also pass chlamydia to her baby during childbirth.

Any sexually active person can get chlamydia, but it's most common in people under the age of 30. And you may have had it for a while without knowing.

The best way to lower your risk of STIs is to practise safer sex. That means using a condom for vaginal, anal and oral sex, and that applies to chlamydia too.

If you've been diagnosed with chlamydia, you should get tested for all STIs, including:

• gonorrhoea
• syphilis
• HIV

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