How do chlamydia develop

Your health care provider may ask you to provide a urine sample or may use or ask you to use a cotton swab to get a sample from your vagina to test for chlamydia. Yes, chlamydia can be cured with the right treatment. It is important that you take all of the medication your doctor prescribes to cure your infection. When taken properly it will stop the infection and could decrease your chances of having complications later on. You should not share medication for chlamydia with anyone.

Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. You should be tested again about three months after you are treated, even if your sex partner s was treated. You should not have sex again until you and your sex partner s have completed treatment. If your doctor prescribes a single dose of medication, you should wait seven days after taking the medicine before having sex.

If your doctor prescribes a medicine for you to take for seven days, you should wait until you have taken all of the doses before having sex. The initial damage that chlamydia causes often goes unnoticed. However, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems. If you are a woman, untreated chlamydia can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes tubes that carry fertilized eggs from the ovaries to the uterus.

This can cause pelvic inflammatory disease PID. PID often has no symptoms, however some women may have abdominal and pelvic pain. PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, inability to get pregnant , and potentially deadly ectopic pregnancy pregnancy outside the uterus. This is why it's important to get tested and treated as soon as possible if you think you might have chlamydia.

Find out more about the complications of chlamydia. Anyone can get a free and confidential chlamydia test at a sexual health clinic, a genitourinary medicine GUM clinic or a GP surgery. In England, if you're a woman under 25 years old, you may be offered a chlamydia test when you visit some health services, for example a pharmacy or GP. Find out more about chlamydia diagnosis. Chlamydia can usually be treated easily with antibiotics.

You may be given a course of doxycycline to take for a week or azithromycin to take once a day for 3 days. If you have doxycycline, you should not have sex including oral sex until you and your current sexual partner have finished treatment. If you have azithromycin, you should wait 7 days after treatment before having sex including oral sex.

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? Have you had an STI in the past?

How was it treated? After the medical history is taken: A woman may have a pelvic exam. A man may have a genital exam for urethritis and epididymitis.

You may have a urine test for chlamydia. Your doctor may recommend testing for: Gonorrhea. Bacterial vaginosis , a condition caused by a change in the normal bacteria in the vagina. Also, see your doctor if you learn your sexual partner has chlamydia. Your doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic even if you have no symptoms. The Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium is most commonly spread through vaginal, oral and anal sex. It's also possible for pregnant women to spread chlamydia to their children during delivery, causing pneumonia or a serious eye infection in the newborns.

The surest way to prevent chlamydia infection is to abstain from sexual activities. Short of that, you can:. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.