Sexually transmitted diseases are rampant nowadays as young men and women fail to practice safe and responsible sex.
Just imagine how the young generation of today is curious about having sex at an early age and doing it with multiple partners. No wonder, they easily acquire sexually transmitted diseases.
What is chlamydia? If you’re aware of STDs then you’re likely to be familiar with it. It is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases around.
If it is not detected and treated early, it can damage a woman’s reproductive system and even prevent pregnancy.
Symptoms of chlamydia are often mild or absent, but for infected men, discharge caused by the disease can come out of the penis.
Chlamydia can spread through anal, vaginal, or oral intercourse.
The risk for the disease is higher if one has more sexual partners. Men who engage in sex with members of the male population are also susceptible to contracting chlamydia.
Chlamydia is often called a silent disease because most cases exhibit almost no symptoms at all. This makes it hard to determine if one is infected.
However, when symptoms show, it usually presents itself 1 to 3 weeks after transmission has occurred. This is why it’s important to know what is chlamydia.
Common symptoms of chlamydia include:
- Abnormal vaginal discharge
- Burning sensation when urinating
- Pain in the lower back or lower abdominal area
- Nausea and fever
- Bleeding during menstrual periods
- Pain during intercourse
- Joint inflammation in some men have also been noted
If one experiences these symptoms, it is best to see a doctor right away to detect and treat chlamydia early.
Those diagnosed should also abstain from any sexual activity until chlamydia has been fully treated. The disease is notorious for causing serious damage and complications in prolonged cases such as:
- Pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can damage the fallopian tubes and sometimes even block the tubes completely.
- Blocked fallopian tubes will lead to complete infertility, wherein the woman will have to resort toz in-vitro fertiliation. If a woman succeeds in getting pregnant with the disease, there is also an added risk of passing on chlamydia to the baby.
- Furthermore, if a woman succeeds in getting pregnant when infected with chlamydia, the baby can develop in the tubes instead of the womb. This can lead to the tubes splitting apart and can cause internal bleeding which can be fatal if not detected early.
- Chlamydia can infect the sperm and can affect male fertility. It also causes inflammation of testicles along with swelling, redness, and pain in the scrotum.
If you are at high risk for the disease and have multiple sexual partners, annual testing is highly recommended.
However, if you do contract chlamydia, treatment is usually provided with the use of antibiotics but be sure to talk to your doctor to get the proper prescription for medications.
In order to prevent contracting chlamydia, be sure to use condoms every time you have sexual intercourse especially when you engage in casual sex.
Abstaining from sex or staying with one partner will greatly reduce your risk for contracting it too. Of course, knowing what is chlamydia, its symptoms and treatments can also help you in more ways than one.
