What is chlamydia?
Chlamydia are bacteria that can cause several kinds of infection. One common chlamydia infection is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). An STD is an infection that is spread from person to person by sexual contact.
A chlamydia STD can affect your genitals and, in women, your fallopian tubes and ovaries. Fallopian tubes connect your ovaries (sex organs that hold your eggs) with your uterus.
Sometimes, having oral sex with someone who has chlamydia can cause a throat infection with chlamydia. Anal sex can cause the infection in your rectum (where your poop is stored).
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You can get chlamydia through vaginal, oral, or anal sex with an infected person
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A pregnant woman can spread chlamydia to her baby’s eyes or lungs during birth
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You may not have any symptoms even if you're infected, or your symptoms may take many weeks to bother you after you're infected
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In men, symptoms include discharge from the penis and a burning feeling in the urethra (tip of penis) when urinating (peeing)
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In women, symptoms include feeling the need to urinate (pee) often, pain when urinating, and having a thick, yellow liquid come from your vagina (vaginal discharge)
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Women who don't get treatment may have permanent damage making it difficult or impossible to have a baby
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If you're sexually active, talk to your doctor about a screening test for chlamydia
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Doctors treat chlamydia with antibiotics
A woman who has chlamydia and doesn't get treated can get pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID is an infection in your uterus, the fallopian tubes, or both. PID can also spread to your ovaries and your bloodstream. PID can damage your reproductive organs and make it difficult to have a baby.
A man who has chlamydia can develop epididymitis, an infection of the epididymis. The epididymis is the coiled tube on top of each testicle. Epididymitis causes pain and swelling in your scrotum.
What are the symptoms of chlamydia?
How can doctors tell if I have chlamydia?
Your doctor may put a small cotton swab in your penis, throat, or rectum to get a sample of fluid to test. If you're a woman, your doctor will look in your vagina using a plastic speculum and swab the discharge from your cervix (lower part of your womb that opens to your vagina).
If you're pregnant or are at higher risk of having chlamydia, your doctor may do a urine test for chlamydia when you don't have any symptoms. Women are at higher risk if they:
Men are at higher risk if they:
Doctors may also test your blood or urine for other STDs because many people have more than one STD.
