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How To Tell If A Woman Has Chlamydia

Symptoms Can Differ For Men And Women

What You Need to Know About Chlamydia

By and large, most cases of chlamydia are asymptomatic they are picked up by screening, which is why its so important to have good screening programs in place, notes Dr. Stoner. Men or women who have chlamydia symptoms may experience painful urination.

Women may also have these symptoms:

  • Smelly discharge from the cervix
  • Pain during sex

And men may have these symptoms:

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Are There Complications Of Chlamydia

Chlamydia can cause serious complications if it isnt treated promptly and properly.

Untreated chlamydia can trigger arthritis, skin rashes, and inflammation in the eye or rectum.

For women, chlamydia can spread into the uterus and the fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease . This can cause problems with pregnancy, such as ectopic pregnancy. Women with untreated chlamydia have up to a 1 in 12 chance of becoming infertile. In men, chlamydia can spread to the testicles and the tubes that carry sperm, causing pain and fertility problems.

Pregnant women who are infected with chlamydia have a higher chance of miscarriage or premature birth. Their babies may also get an eye or lung infection. You can read more about chlamydia and pregnancy here.

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Causes And Risk Factors

Chlamydia is an STI caused by a specific strain of bacteria known as Chlamydia trachomatis.

Chlamydia is more common in women than in men. In fact, its estimated that the overall rate of infection is for women than men in the United States.

Some of the other risk factors for infection include:

  • not using barrier methods like condoms consistently with new sexual partners
  • having a sexual partner who is having sex with other people
  • having a history of chlamydia or other STIs

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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.

What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia

Chlamydia

It may be difficult to actually know if you have contracted chlamydia because most people do not have any symptoms at all. The suspicion may only be raised if there has been a known contact with chlamydia or from testing after unprotected sex. It is important that you get tested if you suspect you have chlamydia because there are treatments available and if left untreated it can have serious short-term and long-term effects.

A white discharge may also be caused by vaginal thrush, however, but this is usually curd-like, often odourless, or smells like bread or yeast. It is also often associated with vaginal itching or redness.

A green, rather than yellow discharge, along with a foul smelling odour, may be due to other sexually transmitted diseases such as trichomoniasis.2 A grey-white watery vaginal discharge that has a strong fishy smell may be due to bacterial vaginosis, which is caused by a disruption of the balance of normal vaginal bacteria.3 So, the difference in colour and smell of the vaginal discharge may differentiate between whether it is likely to be caused by chlamydia or not.

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Chlamydia Symptoms & Treatment

FAST FACTS

  • Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection that is normally passed on through sex without a condom or sharing sex toys with someone who has the infection.
  • Using male or female condoms and dental dams during sex will help to protect you from getting chlamydia.
  • Chlamydia is often symptomless however if left untreated it can lead to long-term health problems.
  • Chlamydia is easily treated with antibiotics.
  • Chlamydia can be passed on from mother to child during pregnancy, so its important for pregnant women to get tested.

So How Can Women Test For Chlamydia

Women can test for chlamydia by doing a urine or swab test. These tests are simple, pain free and usually reliable, with results available within 7 to 10 days.

A chlamydia test involves taking a sample of cells using a swab, or by urinating into a container and sending sampled to a laboratory for analysis. Chlamydia testing in women is the same as testing in men. Often, a urine sample is preferred method.

All women can get free tests for chlamydia from their GP or local sexual health clinic. Self-test kits for chlamydia are also available from pharmacies online and on the high street. Chemist Click offer discreet home-testing kits for chlamydia. You provide a urine sample and send it to our partner NHS accredited laboratory, using the prepaid envelope provided. Your confidential results take 2 to 3 days.

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Major Symptoms Of Chlamydia And Related Complications

Medical history says that Chlamydia disease does not report any symptom so people often think about does chlamydia go away forever. Almost 80% females and 50% males stay infected without any related symptom. And in case if the symptoms start appearing, they will be observable only after 2 to 3 weeks of exposure.

Due to this trouble, sufferers are not able to receive right treatment and it leads to several issues that are more dangerous ahead. Studies reveal that almost 40% of the untreated women face pelvic inflammatory disease as the next stage of Chlamydia and this state is highly painful. The untreated female patients can face trouble in pregnancy or in some more critical cases, they can have infertility issues.

In case of males, Chlamydia generally starts from urethra and its symptoms may come or go with time. Some people can feel its symptoms during the first urination of day you can identify them as:

  • Painful burning at the time of urination.
  • Some people may face scrotal pain.
  • It can also appear in form of Reiters Syndrome that is a kind of arthritis and usually cause major damage to eyes and body joints.
  • Prostate inflammation issues.
  • Infertility is one more dangerous issue when infection gets spread from urethra to testicles.

In case of women as well as men, the major complications due to Chlamydia Bacterium are:

Top Things To Know About Chlamydia:

Sexually transmitted diseases STD in women and men syphilis, chlamydia, gonoirrhoeae and hermes
  • Chlamydia is often asymptomatic, meaning that many people donât know they have it
  • Chlamydia symptoms can include pus-like yellow discharge frequent or painful urination spotting between periods or after sex and/or rectal pain, bleeding, or discharge
  • Untreated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy, and/or infertility in women and people with female reproductive tracts
  • Antibiotics are used to treat chlamydia infections

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Hepatitis Symptoms In Women

Hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver that causes liver damage. Certain types are caused by viral infections, the most common being hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Hepatitis A is spread through eating or drinking something contaminated by infected fecal matter. It can be transmitted during any sexual contact with an infected person, including fecal-oral contact. Hepatitis B and C can be spread through exposure to infected blood, such as sharing contaminated needles, as well as through sex.

Usually, it takes a few weeks or months after infection to show hepatitis symptoms. New hepatitis A infections usually cause symptoms, but up to half of people with new hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections are asymptomatic, meaning they dont see or feel any changes.10

Hepatitis symptoms in women include:

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Do I Need To Get Tested For Chlamydia

  • If you are 24 or younger and have sex, you need to get tested for chlamydia.3 Chlamydia is most common in women between 15 and 24 years old.2 You need to get tested if you have had any symptoms of chlamydia since your last negative test result or if your sex partner has chlamydia.
  • If you are older than 24, you need to get tested if, in the past year or since your last test, you:3
  • Had a new sex partner
  • Had your sex partner tell you they have chlamydia
  • Traded sex for money or drugs
  • Have had chlamydia or another STI in the past
  • Did not use condoms during sex and are in a relationship that is not monogamous, meaning you or your partner has sex with other people

You also need to be tested if you are pregnant or if you have any symptoms of chlamydia.

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Treatments For Gonorrhea And Chlamydia

Since both STDs are caused by a bacterial infection, the treatment is a regimen of oral antibiotics.

Some strains of gonorrhea in the US have become antibiotic resistant, sometimes called super gonorrhea. Therefore, a medical physician will decide on the best course of antibiotics.

The most commonly recommended antibiotics for both chlamydia and gonorrhea are:

The infection should clear after one to two weeks.

You should never stop taking antibiotics until the recommended course is finished, even if you think the infection cleared or you are feeling better.

If you do not finish the antibiotics, the infection can come back and be resistant to the antibiotics you were taking.

Additionally, since antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria are already more common, if your symptoms continue after a few days of taking antibiotics, consult your doctor. They may switch you to a different strain of antibiotics.

Some people report home remedies for chlamydia and gonorrhea easing their symptoms, but the only effective treatment for both STDs are antibiotics.

Gonorrhea and chlamydia are curable by taking the appropriate medication as directed however, repeat infections are common.

You and your sexual partner should always be tested after three months of completing treatment, especially if you are unsure whether your partner received treatment.

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Can You Get Pregnant If You Have Chlamydia

á? Buy Chlamydia Treatment Online With Further Information Available

Sexual health plays an important role in fertility. Many STDs can cause scarring and inflammation, making it more difficult to conceive, even after the infection has been treated.

In the case of chlamydia, the infection can damage your reproductive health, if left untreated. The bacteria can cause PID which can do permanent damage to your reproductive system. PID can lead to inflammation, scarring, and blockage in your reproductive organs. In some cases, it can also cause ectopic pregnancy which can be deadly if the pregnancy isnt removed in time.

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What Are The Risks Of Chlamydia Or Gonorrhea During Pregnancy

Getting chlamydia or gonorrhea while pregnant can lead to:

  • Stillbirth: bacterial infections, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, might cause stillbirth , even though more research is needed to confirm this risk.
  • Preterm delivery: which is when a baby is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. This can be problematic as the earlier a baby is delivered the higher the risk of health complications.

Here Is What You Need To Know About Chlamydia And Gonorrhea

January 20, 2022 by Elodie Takamiya

Chlamydia is the most reported sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Its relative, gonorrhea, is the second most common STI. Both are caused by bacteria and can have disastrous, long-term consequences on a womans health. This is especially the case if she doesnt receive treatment immediately. In this article, you will find useful information that will help you to be proactive with your health. Without further ado, here is what you need to know about chlamydia and gonorrhea.

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How Does A Male Know If He Has Chlamydia

Testing is really the only way. Here are signs and symptoms:

Chlamydia is known as a silent infection because most infectedpeople have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they may not appearuntil several weeks after exposure. Even when it causes nosymptoms, chlamydia can damage a womans reproductive organs.

Symptoms In The Throat

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Chlamydia symptoms can sometimes appear in the throat, although this is uncommon. When it does occur, the time frame is likely to be similar to that of chlamydia infections of the genitals.

In people who experience symptoms, the main one is a persistent sore throat. A doctor may refer to a chlamydia infection in the throat as pharyngeal chlamydia.

Testing for chlamydia in the throat is not a common practice in STI testing, as it does not have approval from the Food and Drug Administration . However, if a person suspects that they have pharyngeal chlamydia, a doctor may take a swab from the throat.

A person can undergo testing for chlamydia at their:

  • doctors office
  • local health department
  • local planned parenthood center

A person can also order a chlamydia test online, take it at home, and then send it off for testing.

If people are at high risk of chlamydia, they may need screening for all types of chlamydia every 36 months.

At risk groups include people who have:

  • multiple or unknown sexual partners
  • sex in combination with illegal drug use
  • sexual partners who use illegal drugs or have multiple partners

7 days .

People should avoid having sex until their treatment is complete. If a person is experiencing symptoms even after the treatment, they should see a doctor.

People who menstruate should notice that their periods return to normal or that bleeding between periods stops by their next period.

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Burning Sensation When Urinating

Chlamydia can cause a burning sensation when you urinate. Its easy to mistake this for a symptom of a urinary tract infection.

You might also feel like you have the urge to urinate more often than usual. And when you do go to urinate, only a little bit comes out. Your urine might also smell unusual or look cloudy.

If you have chalmydia, you might also feel some pain during sex, especially intercourse.

You may also some bleeding and lingering irritation after any type of sexual activity involving penetration.

You Said Common But How Common Exactly

The bad news is that new STI cases have been increasing year after year. In 2019, almost 2 million new chlamydia infections were reported to the CDC nationally, as well as over 600,000 new gonorrhea contaminations. In addition, its important to note that young people are the most at risk, with over half of new chlamydia cases reported in those aged 15-24. And what about Missouri more specifically? According to official statistics, 42,358 new cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea were reported in the previous year alone.

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Chlamydia Is Common But Many People Dont Realize They Have It

About 1.7 million chlamydia infections were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017, but the real number is likely higher because chlamydia is considered an underreported infection.

The number of reported cases is substantially lower than the true estimated incidence, says Bradley Stoner, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and former president of the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association.

The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System relies on state and local public health departments to collect and report data on chlamydia to the CDC. Those public health departments depend on individual physicians, hospitals, and laboratories to report cases of chlamydia to them. Accurate statistics require all parties to routinely comply with disease-reporting mandates.

How Is Chlamydia Diagnosed

The Oral Chlamydia Test and You

Diagnose chlamydia with nucleic acid amplification tests , cell culture, and other types of tests. NAATs are the most sensitive tests to use on easy-to-obtain specimens. This includes vaginal swabs or urine.43

To diagnose genital chlamydia in women using a NAAT, vaginal swabs are the optimal specimen. Urine is the specimen of choice for men. Urine is an effective alternative specimen type for women.43 Self-collected vaginal swab specimens perform as well as other approved specimens using NAATs.44 Patients may prefer self-collected vaginal swabs or urine-based screening to more invasive specimen collection.45 Adolescent girls may be good candidates for self-collected vaginal swab- or urine-based screening.

Diagnose rectal or pharyngeal infection by testing at the anatomic exposure site. While useful for these specimens, culture is not widely available. Additionally, NAATs have better sensitivity and specificity compared with culture for detecting C. trachomatis at non-genital sites.46-48 Most tests, including NAATs, are not FDA-cleared for use with rectal or pharyngeal swab specimens. NAATs have better sensitivity and specificity compared with culture for the detection of C. trachomatis at rectal sites.46-48 However, some laboratories have met set requirements and have validated NAAT testing on rectal and pharyngeal swab specimens.

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