Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that may or may not have any symptoms. It is easily treated, and we are going to show you what to watch out for and what you can do about it.
Symptoms
Chlamydia is only spread through sexual fluids, so you won’t be able to get it by touching someone or even being sneezed or coughed on by someone who has it. It is definitely communicable, but not the same way a virus would be. Only through sexual contact of some sort- either by vaginal, oral, etc.- is it able to spread from one person to another. It spreads easily though, so if one person has it, their sexual partner is likely to get it.
People suffering from chlamydia may experience symptoms like pain during intercourse, vaginal bleeding outside of periods, a genital discharge with an unpleasant odor, genital itching, abdominal pain accompanied by a fever and painful periods. Of course, someone suffering from chlamydia may have none of these symptoms and there may be no outward sign that they are infected. That’s why it is so important to have regular checkups for STDs, particularly for those who have frequent sexual partners.
If you are not treated in time for this infection, it can spread deeper into your reproductive system and cause pain, infertility and other serious problems. You need to get treatment as soon as you suspect you may have it and ensure you are tested regularly to catch the problem early.
Treatment
The treatment for chlamydia is very simple. Your doctor will likely just give you a course of antibiotics to take, and once you are finished with them, the infection should have gone away. In some cases, a single dose will be enough to make the problem disappear. Your doctor will have to assess the situation and determine how many doses you need and how long it should take to make the chlamydia vanish. The longest a treatment should last for is seven days.
Because chlamydia is transferable, your sexual partners need to be treated as well. Your doctor will determine how far back you need to examine your sex life and then you can figure out how many people need to be treated as well, or simply be tested as a precaution. If they are not treated, then the infection will continue to spread, and even if you have been cured of the infection once, you may still get it again.
You should abstain from sex for seven days while you are being treated for chlamydia, otherwise it could continue to spread to other people. You want to ensure that you take all the medication your doctor recommends and that you are tested again for chlamydia later. You should return for testing about three to four months after your last dose of antibiotics to ensure that the chlamydia has gone away completely.
Don’t share your medication with your sexual partners. They need their own course of antibiotics if they have chlamydia, and you will need all the medication your doctor gave you to ensure that you get rid of the infection.
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