What makes chlamydia burn

Even one infection can lead to PID without proper treatment. Make sure to take your antibiotics exactly as prescribed. Take the full course of medicine, even if you feel better in a couple of days.

Some doctors recommend retesting 3 to 12 months after treatment to reduce the risk of complications from reinfection. If you have chlamydia, your doctor will send a report to the state health department. Your personal information is kept confidential.

The health department may contact you about telling your sex partner or partners that they may need treatment. You can reduce your risk of becoming infected with chlamydia or another sexually transmitted infection STI and spreading the infection. Preventing an STI is easier than treating an infection after it occurs. For more information, see the topic Safer Sex.

Condoms reduce the risk of becoming infected with an STI. A condom must be put on before any sexual contact begins. Use condoms with a new partner until you are certain he or she does not have an STI. Even if you are using another birth control method, you may want to use condoms to reduce your risk of getting an STI.

Female condoms are available for women whose partners do not have or will not use a male condom. There is no home treatment for chlamydia. Antibiotics, taken exactly as prescribed, normally cure chlamydia infections. Chlamydia does not cause long-term problems if it is treated before complications develop. Untreated chlamydia can lead to many complications.

Finding out that you have chlamydia may cause you to have negative thoughts or feelings about yourself or about sex. You may feel embarrassed, be angry at the person who infected you, or feel frustrated with treatment. You may want to seek counseling or join a support group for people who have sexually transmitted infections STIs. You may get counseling from a psychologist, a social worker, or another counselor.

STI health clinics may offer counseling and support groups. Antibiotic treatment, when taken exactly as directed, normally cures chlamydia infections.

If antibiotics are not taken properly, the infection will not be cured. Prompt treatment prevents the spread of the infection and reduces the risk of complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease PID. Avoid sexual contact or use condoms until you and your partner have finished the full course of medicine.

Call your doctor if symptoms continue or new symptoms develop 3 to 4 weeks after treatment. To prevent reinfection, your sex partners need to be tested and treated.

Some types of chlamydia can't be treated by are resistant to certain antibiotics. If your doctor finds that your chlamydia is resistant to the drug you are taking, you will be tested so that your doctor can prescribe another antibiotic to cure the infection. Treatment in a hospital with intravenous IV medicines may be needed for women who have pelvic inflammatory disease PID and men who have epididymitis. In many cases, these conditions can be treated outside of the hospital with oral antibiotics and close follow-up by your doctor.

Untreated chlamydia can cause complications, such as an abscess. Surgery may be used to drain or remove the abscess. Author: Healthwise Staff. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.

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Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Skip Navigation. Top of the page. Topic Overview What is chlamydia? But left untreated, it can lead to serious problems, especially for women: If it spreads, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. This serious infection can make it hard or impossible for a woman to get pregnant.

Pregnant women who have chlamydia often pass it to their babies at birth. If the infection gets in a baby's eyes, it can cause blindness. 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. A woman can also pass chlamydia to her baby during childbirth. If you've had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can get re-infected if you have unprotected sex with someone who has it.

Chlamydia is more common in young people, especially young women. You are more likely to get it if you don't consistently use a condom, or if you have multiple partners. Chlamydia doesn't usually cause any symptoms. So you may not realize that you have it. People with chlamydia who have no symptoms can still pass the disease to others. If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with an infected partner.

There are lab tests to diagnose chlamydia. Your health care provider may ask you to provide a urine sample. For women, providers sometimes use or ask you to use a cotton swab to get a sample from your vagina to test for chlamydia. You should go to your health provider for a test if you have symptoms of chlamydia, or if you have a partner who has a sexually transmitted disease.

Pregnant women should get a test when they go to their first prenatal visit. In women, an untreated infection can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease PID.

PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive system. This can lead to long-term pelvic pain , infertility , and ectopic pregnancy. Women who have had chlamydia infections more than once are at higher risk of serious reproductive health complications. Men often don't have health problems from chlamydia. Sometimes it can infect the epididymis the tube that carries sperm. This can cause pain, fever, and, rarely, infertility.

Both men and women can develop reactive arthritis because of a chlamydia infection. Reactive arthritis is a type of arthritis that happens as a "reaction" to an infection in the body. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are also at risk since chlamydia can spread through oral and anal sex. Have an honest and open talk with your health care provider. Ask whether you should be tested for chlamydia or other STDs. If you are a sexually active woman younger than 25 years, you should get a test for chlamydia every year.

If you are an older woman with risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has an STD, you should get a test for chlamydia every year. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; as well as pregnant women should also get tested for chlamydia. If you are pregnant and have chlamydia, you can pass the infection to your baby during delivery. This could cause an eye infection or pneumonia in your newborn. Having chlamydia may also make it more likely to deliver your baby too early.

If you are pregnant, you should get tested for chlamydia at your first prenatal visit. Testing and treatment are the best ways to prevent health problems. Most people who have chlamydia have no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with an infected partner. Even when chlamydia causes no symptoms, it can damage your reproductive system. Men and women can also get infected with chlamydia in their rectum.

This happens either by having receptive anal sex, or by spread from another infected site such as the vagina. While these infections often cause no symptoms, they can cause. You should be examined by your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms or if your partner has an STD or symptoms of an STD.

STD symptoms can include an unusual sore, a smelly discharge, burning when urinating, or bleeding between periods. Laboratory tests can diagnose chlamydia.

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.