What Is A Chlamydia Infection
Chlamydia is among the most common STDs in the world. Many people have it its estimated that 1 in 20 sexually active young women aged 14-24 has chlamydia.
The main cause for chlamydia is the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis that affects both men and women. The chlamydia infection is easily spread because it often has no symptoms and you can unknowingly pass it to your sexual partner.
Although you dont have outward symptoms in the early stages, its important to be careful. If you dont treat it on time, chlamydia can cause infertility or a risky pregnancy.
Genital And Reproductive Health
Amenorrhea
Amenorrhea is the medical term referring to the state of a woman who has missed at least three periods. The name of this disorder comes from Greek, in which a means without and menorrhea means menstrual flow. It is easy to write-off missed periods as a convenience, but amenorrhea indicates your body has a problem that is preventing it from functioning normally. Athletes participating in physically demanding sports often have low estrogen levels, no matter how well balanced their diets are. Low levels of this hormone promote bone density loss, and by the time these athletes lose their period, their bones have suffered significantly. Amenorrhea can have a negative impact on reproductive, endocrine, and muscular-skeletal systems, so you should see a doctor if you go longer than 12 weeks without a period and need help to start menstruating again. Starting or ending contraception disrupts the bodys normal hormone levels, and it may take up to six months for your period to return to normal. Pregnancy is the most common reason women stop menstruating, but if youre definitely not pregnant, here are some possible causes of amenorrhea:
- low body weight
If these changes dont improve symptoms, you may consider medication. Medicine that may help:
What’s The Treatment For Chlamydia
Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. If you take the treatment according to instructions, its over 95% effective at treating chlamydia.
- Youll be given a course of antibiotics for 3 or 7 days or sometimes up to two weeks.
- If theres a high chance you have chlamydia, treatment may be started before the results of the test are back. Youll always be given treatment if a sexual partner is found to have chlamydia.
- You may also need other treatment if complications have occurred.
- Tell the doctor or nurse if youre pregnant, or think you might be, or youre breastfeeding. This may affect the type of antibiotic youre given.
- Complementary therapies cant cure chlamydia.
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Preventing The Spread Of Infection
It is absolutely necessary to inform the partner if you get a positive test for Chlamydia. The sooner the partner is told the more effective and simple the treatment can be. Make sure your partner gets tested and receives the treatment as well and abstain from the intercourse until the treatment of both you and the partner is finished.
Major Weight Loss Or Gain
When it comes to surprise weight changes, Aunt Flo is the first to notice. The length and heaviness of a menstrual cycle is directly correlated with weight, says A. Nicky Hjort, M.D., OB-GYN. If you gain weight, an abnormal period often happens next. It might be heavy one month and absent the next. Rapid weight loss produces a similar effect, causing a light or missed period. This is also true if youre engaging in excessive exercise, Hjort adds. Endurance athletes who are often on the move are likely to experience this. Why the correlation? It comes down to the ability of fat cells to produce extra estrogen, the female sex hormone that regulates the menstrual cycle. When theres too much or too little, a hormonal imbalance occurs and causes irregular or missed periods. In essence, any rapid weight change can shock your body. Getting your body back to an appropriately healthy weight can help regulate your cycle.
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How Do I Tell My Partner I Have An Sti
If you have an STI, its important that your sexual partner be tested as well to make sure the infection doesnt spread further. There are many ways to tell your partner that they need to get tested for STI.
There are programs and tools to help you tell your partner anonymously that they need to get tested.
Contact your local public health department for more information.
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Can You Get Std Tested On Your Period
The short answer is yes your period wont affect the results . In fact, its okay to get an STD test at any time in your menstrual cycle there is no STD window period. Even when your period is heavy, it wont influence the outcome of an STD test.
What Does STD Testing Involve?
A test for STD is quick, easy, and wont cause you any pain apart from the needle pinch if blood is drawn. The most common testing is done via a urine or blood sample. However, sometimes a swab test is the preferred method.
Can You Do an STD Swab Test on Your Period?
An STD test involving a swab from the cervix is sometimes used to test for chlamydia or gonorrhea. From a technical point of view, an STD swab test is possible during your period. However, there is a slight chance that the test will give an inaccurate result and may have to be repeated.
If you are just scheduling a routine gynecological or sexual health test, it may be best to plan the swab test when you dont have your period. This not only avoids the possibility of false results but also makes the process a little more comfortable for you.
However, if you think you may have an STD, you should not avoid being tested because of your period. If left undiagnosed and therefore untreated, some STDs such as gonorrhea and chlamydia can cause reduced fertility.
Can You Get an STD From Period Blood?
What Happens to Your Period When You Have an STD?
- Ectopic pregnancy .
- Chronic pelvic pain.
STDs and You: Final Thoughts
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Women Problems Of Unattended Chlamydia
Some women develop PID, an infection that can harm the uterus, cervix, and ovaries. PID is an unpleasant illness that frequently requires health center treatment.
Females can likewise come to be infertile if chlamydia is left untreated because the fallopian tubes may end up being scarred.
Expecting females with the infection can pass the germs to their babies during birth, which can trigger eye infections and also pneumonia in newborns. Can Chlamydia Affect Your Period
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Can Chlamydia Affect Your Period Cycle
Chlamydia typically does not make you miss your period. Unfortunately, when chlamydia is left untreated, it can cause serious and permanent damage to a womans reproductive system. Untreated chlamydia can travel up the reproductive tract and progress to PID, which sometimes makes women miss their periods.
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Chlamydia Test For Women
To diagnose the infection, your doctor can use a few different chlamydia tests. Your doctor will likely ask you about your symptoms and why you think you have the infection. When this happens, its important to be as honest as possible.
Although many physicians do it, a chlamydia test is not automatically done at the time that a Pap test is done.
For this reason, its important for women, especially sexually active women aged 25 and under, to ask their health care provider whether theyre getting tested for chlamydia every year.
If you think you may have been exposed to an STD, youll have to ask for a screening.
Fortunately, chlamydia is easy to treat. If you suspect that you have it, youll need to:
- See your health care provider immediately before the infection does damage to your reproductive organs.
- Listen to your doctor and take all of your medicine. Even if your symptoms go away, you should finish your pills.
- Tell your sexual partner. They should know about the infection so that they too can be tested and treated.
- Avoid having sexual intercourse until you and your partner have been cured.
Since chlamydia is a bacteria, your doctor will prescribe you antibiotics.
In most cases, the infection resolves within one to two weeks.
Regardless of the type of the antibiotic, you and your sexual partners will need to follow the dosage carefully to make sure the infection goes away for good.
Your New Diet Is Deficient
Many women find that when they drastically change their dietsay, by trying a ketogenic diet or a raw-foods vegan dietthey notice their periods become irregular or cease. If this is temporary its likely just your body adjusting but if it continues your diet might be the problem. One study found that clinical menstrual disturbances are more common in female vegetarians. While the authors cautioned against drawing any direct conclusions, they noted the association might be due to the lack of some nutrients that may be harder to get in certain diets, like iron. A separate study found that 45 percent of females on a low-carb diet experienced missing or irregular periods, often until they stopped the diet. But, like exercise, each womans body responds differently so what works for one woman may not work for you.
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Chlamydia Cdc Fact Sheet
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease that can be easily cured. If left untreated, chlamydia can make it difficult for a woman to get pregnant.
Basic Fact Sheet | Detailed Version
Basic fact sheets are presented in plain language for individuals with general questions about sexually transmitted diseases. The content here can be syndicated .
Sohow Much Of A Delay In Your Period Is Still Considered Normal
âIf you have one or two irregular periods it is definitely something to pay attention to,â says Sherry Ross, MD, an ob-gyn at Providence Saint Johnâs Health Center in Santa Monica, California. A period is considered late if it hasnât started five or more days after the day you expected it to begin, according to Summit Medical Group. So if your period is, say, 10 days late, definitely take a pregnancy test and check in with your ob-gyn regardless of the results. In general, if your flow has been MIA for a week or more, that’s a sign you should take the test and also check in with your gyno to see what might be going on.
But again, you can miss a period and *not* be pregnant. If there’s no way you’re pregnant and/or your test comes back negative , one of these factors, including all the stress you might be under right now, may be to blame for your late period problems. Then, your next step is definitely calling your doc so they can help you suss out the best solution or treatment for your situation.
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Chlamydia Symptoms In Females
Chlamydia symptoms in females are rare. Roughly 7 in 10 women dont experience any symptoms. The infection may be asymptomatic, meaning that people dont know they have it.
If signs and symptoms occur, they usually happen one to three weeks after the exposure, but could start much later. The symptoms are often mild and passing, and easy to overlook.
Some of the potential signs and symptoms of chlamydia include:
- lower abdominal pain
Where Can I Get A Test
There are a number of services you can go to. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with.
A chlamydia test can be done at:
- a genitourinary medicine or sexual health clinic
- your general practice
- contraception and young peoples clinics
- some pharmacies.
Abortion clinics, antenatal services and some gynaecology services may also offer a chlamydia test.
In England, if youre a woman aged under 25 years old, you may be offered a chlamydia test as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme when you visit some service for other reasons, for example at a pharmacy or your GP.
The NCSP aims to identify people without symptoms to reduce the complications of untreated infection. If chlamydia is not treated, it can cause health complications, especially in women. Untreated chlamydia in women can cause pain in the pelvis, ectopic pregnancy and infertility .
If you are a woman aged under 25 years old and you are offered a chlamydia test as part of the NCSP you should consider taking it.
In many areas, free home self-sampling tests for chlamydia are available to order online. This is where you take your own sample and send it to be tested. See www.nhs.uk
Its also possible to buy a chlamydia test to do at home. The accuracy of these tests varies. Some types are very accurate when carried out according to the instructions, others can be less reliable. If you buy a testing kit make sure you get advice from a pharmacist or your doctor.
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When Should I Get Tested For Stds
To help stay as safe as possible, the CDC recommends that you get tested for STDs after having an unprotected sexual encounter with a person outside of a monogamous sexual relationship. However, beyond this general principle, there are specific windows of time during which you should get tested for each STD. Its important to be aware of these time windows because if you get tested before the window begins, you could have a false negative STD test, according to the CDC. This means that you could get a negative result when you actually do have the STI. It can be agonizing to waitbut its definitely worth it to get tested during the appropriate time window. Another important thing to keep in mind is that you should refrain from any sexual activity until you are sure you do not have an STI.
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What Are The Signs Of Implantation
Implantation is the process when an embryo attaches itself to the uterine lining. It doesnt always cause symptoms. However, some people report feeling light cramping, headaches, and mood swings around the time of implantation. Implantation bleeding can occur around the date when you expect your period, but its usually lighter and only causes pink or brown spotting or discharge.
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How Are Irregular Periods Treated
Treating irregular periods requires an accurate diagnosis. When you visit Ideal Gynecology, LLC, with irregular periods, your provider takes a medical history and performs a comprehensive physical exam. In some cases, they may order laboratory tests, an ultrasound, or an endometrial biopsy.
An IUD with progesterone, hormonal birth control, a polypectomy or an endometrial ablation may be right to treat your irregular periods. Some women receive prescription medication designed to control heaving bleeding. Depending on the cause of your bleeding, you may be a candidate for a progesterone IUD or an endometrial ablation.
To find out the cause of your irregular periods and receive treatment, schedule an appointment online, or call Ideal Gynecology, LLC, today.
Who Should Be Tested For Chlamydia
Any sexually active person can be infected with chlamydia. Anyone with genital symptoms such as discharge, burning during urination, unusual sores, or rash should refrain from having sex until they are able to see a health care provider about their symptoms.
Because chlamydia is usually asymptomatic, screening is necessary to identify most infections. Screening programs have been demonstrated to reduce rates of adverse sequelae in women.31,41 CDC recommends yearly chlamydia screening of all sexually active women younger than 25, as well as older women with risk factors such as new or multiple partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted infection.40 Rectal chlamydia testing can be considered for females based on sexual behaviors and exposure. 40 Pregnant women under 25 or older pregnant women at increased risk for chlamydia should be screened during their first prenatal visit and again during their third trimester.40 Women diagnosed with chlamydial infection should be retested approximately 3 months after treatment.40 Any woman who is sexually active should discuss her risk factors with a health care provider who can then determine if more frequent screening is necessary.
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How Much Of A Delay Is Normal In Periods
Worried about a late period, but know youre not pregnant? Missed or late periods happen for many reasons other than pregnancy. Common causes can range from hormonal imbalances to serious medical conditions.
There are also two times when its typical for your period to be irregular: when it first begins, and when the menopause transition starts. As your body goes through the transition, your cycle can become irregular.
Most people who havent reached menopause usually have a period approximately every 28 days. However, a healthy menstrual cycle can range from every 21 to 40 days. If your period doesnt fall within these ranges, it could be because of one of the following reasons.
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