Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STD). While men can both acquire and spread the bacterial infection, it is most dangerous in women; when untreated, chlamydia can cause permanent reproductive harm in women, including the inability for a woman to get pregnant or carry a pregnancy to full term. Further, Chlamydia may also lead to ectopic pregnancy.
Understanding Chlamydia: Transmission & Causes
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that is most commonly found in the urethra of men, the cervix of women, and the rectum of both sexes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that chlamydia is spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. It is also possible to spread chlamydia from an infected mother to her child during birth. It is important to note that if your partner is a male, you can still get chlamydia from him even if he does not ejaculate. Further, you can get chlamydia more than once; treating the condition does not prevent you from acquiring it again.
Signs & Symptoms of Chlamydia
Chlamydia is one of the most prevalent STDs, in part due to the fact that early symptoms of the disease are hard to detect or are absent entirely. Most commonly, signs and symptoms will not show themselves until one-to-three weeks after chlamydia has been contracted, if at all. According to the Mayo Clinic, the signs of chlamydia include:
- Pain in the lower abdominal region
- Pain while urinating
- Discharge from the vagina
- Discharge from the penis
- Pain during intercourse for women
- Pain in the testicles
- Irregular bleeding in women that is not menstruation.
Treatment for Chlamydia
The good news is that it is possible to treat chlamydia using antibiotics. It is imperative that you understand your status if you have been in any situation where you may have been exposed to chlamydia or you, in turn, take the risk of exposing others to chlamydia. SeroMatch offers discreet and reliable, Web-based STD testing that empowers you to learn your status and start down the treatment path if you test positive for chlamydia. If you have tested positive for chlamydia, you may speak with your doctor about which antibiotic-treatment route is right for you. During your antibiotic course, it is important that you abstain from sex. Usually, the infection will clear up within one-to-two weeks, at which point you may resume sexual activity.
Reducing Your Risk of Contracting Chlamydia
The best way to reduce your risk of contracting or spreading chlamydia is to always practice safe sex – use a condom whenever you are having sex, particularly if you are having sex with more than one partner. If you are having sex with multiple partners or are a woman under the age of 25, you should get tested for STDs biannually; conveniently, a perk of being an active member of the SeroMatch community.
Have You Been Tested?
If you are a sexually active person and have not been tested for STDs including chlamydia, it is important that you take action to protect yourself and those you engage in sexual relations with. SeroMatch is not only your solution to a discreet and reliable online chlamydia screening, but as an active member of the SeroMatch community you also can ensure that all of your potential sex partners have been screened for STDs, too. A fact that is often lost on youth is that your body is your most valuable asset and that taking steps toward a healthy body is your single biggest investment toward lifelong happiness and wellness.
Take action now to get a clean bill of health – and make sure your future partners do as well – before things get physical. Start your Web-based chlamydia screening today or sign up to join the SeroMatch community and make your contribution toward the eradication of STDs.