What are the symptoms of chlamydia and how do you prevent it?

Answer 1

Most people (80-90% of women and half of men) have no symptoms of chlamydia. If a person does have symptoms, they might have burning with urination, discharge, pelvic pain, or scrotal pain.

You can reduce the risk of chlamydia by getting tested before exchanging body fluids with a sex partner, and by using condoms regularly. Abstaining from oral, anal, and vaginal sex, genital-genital contact, and sharing sex toys can prevent all cases of chlamydia.

Answer 2

Chlamydia is known as a 'silent' infection because most infected people have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they may not appear until several weeks after exposure. Even when it causes no symptoms, chlamydia can damage a woman's reproductive organs.

In women, the bacteria first infect the cervix (structure that connects the vagina or birth canal to the uterus or womb) and/or the urethra (urine canal). Some infected women have an abnormal vaginal discharge or a burning sensation when urinating. Untreated infections can spread upward to the uterus and fallopian tubes (tubes that carry fertilized eggs from the ovaries to the uterus), causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can be silent, or can cause symptoms such as abdominal and pelvic pain. Even if PID causes no symptoms initially, it can lead to infertility (not being able to get pregnant) and other complications later on.

Some infected men have discharge from their penis or a burning sensation when urinating. Pain and swelling in one or both testicles (known as "epididymitis") may also occur, but is less common.

Chlamydia can also infect the rectum in men and women, either through receptive anal sex, or possibly via spread from the cervix and vagina. While these infections often cause no symptoms, they can cause rectal pain, discharge, and/or bleeding (known as "proctitis").