Chlamydia is a dangerous but common and treatable sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause pelvic pain and infertility. Unfortunately, 75% of infected women do not experience symptoms until complications arise. To undergo the treatment in time, it is therefore essential to understand and learn to recognize the signs of chlamydia and then promptly consult a gynecologist.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Recognizing the Symptoms of Chlamydia in the Genital Area
Step 1. Look for vaginal discharge
Unusual leaks can be a sign of chlamydia or another sexually transmitted infection.
- How to tell if vaginal discharge is abnormal? Generally speaking, they have a different or unpleasant smell, a darker color, or a texture never noticed before.
- If you are concerned that vaginal discharge is abnormal, consult your gynecologist to request a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
- Bleeding between periods can also be a symptom of chlamydia.
Step 2. Watch out for pain
If you feel this when you urinate and / or during intercourse, it may be a sign of a chlamydial infection.
- If you feel pain or excruciating discomfort when having sex, refrain from sex until you have been examined by a gynecologist. Chlamydial infections can cause painful vaginal intercourse for some women.
- Feeling a sharp sting while urinating usually indicates an infection, whether it's candidiasis or something else. Contact your gynecologist for an accurate diagnosis.
Step 3. Look for bleeding after intercourse
Some women experience slight bleeding after vaginal intercourse. This symptom is sometimes associated with chlamydia.
Step 4. If you notice pain, bleeding and / or rectal discharge, tell your gynecologist
These can also be symptoms. In fact, if you have vaginal chlamydia, the infection could spread to the anus. If you have had anal sex, the infection may primarily affect the rectum.
Method 2 of 3: Knowing the Other Symptoms of Chlamydia
Step 1. Observe if you have light pains in the lower back, abdominal and pelvic area that slowly worsen
You may also experience lower back discomfort similar to kidney pain. This may indicate that the chlamydial infection has spread from the cervix to the fallopian tubes.
As the infection progresses, your lower abdomen may feel sore when you apply gentle pressure
Step 2. Don't underestimate the sore throat
If you've been having oral sex lately and you've had a sore throat, your partner may have infected you this way, even though he had no obvious symptoms.
Contact between the penis and the mouth is one of the possible means of transmission of the infection
Step 3. Look for nausea and fever
Infected women can often have fever and nausea, especially if the infection has already spread to the fallopian tubes.
One can speak of fever when the temperature exceeds 37.3 ° C
Method 3 of 3: Understanding Chlamydia
Step 1. Learn about the risks of chlamydia
If you have oral, vaginal or anal sex with multiple partners and / or don't protect yourself, you risk getting chlamydia. It is transmitted when the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium comes into contact with mucous membranes. Those who are sexually active should have annual tests to diagnose the presence of infections, including chlamydia. You should also get tested after having sex with a new partner.
- If you have unprotected sex, your risk of getting chlamydia is higher, as your partner may be suffering from it or have another sexually transmitted infection. It can be prevented by using latex condoms and dental dams.
- If you have been diagnosed with other sexually transmitted infections, you run a higher risk of getting chlamydia.
- Younger people are more prone to getting chlamydia.
- Men who have sex with people of the same sex are more likely to get chlamydia, so talk to your partner to make sure they are monogamous.
- There is no certainty about the infection from the mouth to the vagina or from the mouth to the anus. On the other hand, transmission from the mouth to the penis and vice versa is absolutely possible, although infection through oral sex is less likely than vaginal or anal infection.
Step 2. Get tested before symptoms occur
Chlamydia is asymptomatic in 75% of infected women. Despite the lack of obvious symptoms, it could harm the body. Untreated infections lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which can later cause scar tissue formation and infertility.
- When symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks after infection.
- If your partner tells you they have chlamydia, get tested immediately.
Step 3. Undergo 1 or 2 tests
A sample can be taken from the infected genital area and analyzed. In the case of a woman, it is collected from the cervix, vagina or rectum with a swab, while to diagnose a man, a special swab is inserted into the tip of the urethra or rectum. A urine sample may also be requested.
See your gynecologist or go to a clinic that offers the screening test for sexually transmitted diseases
Step 4. Get treatment immediately
If you are diagnosed with chlamydia, you will be prescribed oral antibiotics (especially with azithromycin and doxyclycin). If you follow the full course of antibiotics carefully, the infection should pass within 1-2 weeks. In the case of more advanced chlamydia, you may need intravenous antibiotics.
- If you have chlamydia, your partner should get tested and treated as well, to avoid mutual contagion. You should refrain from sex until you have finished the treatment.
- Many people with chlamydia also have gonorrhea, so your gynecologist may prescribe additional treatment for this infection. Sometimes treating gonorrhea is cheaper than taking a lab test to diagnose it, so your doctor may give you medicines without testing.
