Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a bacterial infection. It’s one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK.

Symptoms of chlamydia

Most people with chlamydia don’t notice any symptoms and don’t know they have it. So it’s important to get tested if you think you’re infected.

If you do get symptoms, it’s usually 1 to 3 weeks after having unprotected sex. Some people don’t get symptoms until months later.

If you do develop symptoms, you may experience:

• pain when peeing
• unusual discharge from the vagina, penis or anus
• pain in the lower tummy, bleeding after sex, and bleeding between periods
• pain in the testicles
• red, sticky eyes

Sometimes symptoms can disappear after a few days. Even if symptoms go away you may still have the infection and could pass it on.

Testing for chlamydia

If you think you might have chlamydia, get tested for free by:

• booking an appointment at your local sexual health service (if you have symptoms)
• contacting your GP practice for an appointment (if you have symptoms)
• ordering a home test kit (if you do not have symptoms)

Services available may vary depending on where you live.

What does a chlamydia test involve?

The test for chlamydia is simple, painless and very reliable. It involves sending a sample from the area of the body thought to be infected to a lab for analysis.

You usually don’t have to be examined by a doctor or nurse and can often collect the sample yourself.

The 2 main ways the sample can be collected are:

• using a swab – a small cotton bud is gently wiped over the area that might be infected, such as inside the vagina, throat, or inside the anus
• urine sample (if you have a penis) – this is more accurate if it’s at least 1 or 2 hours after you last peed

People who have had anal or oral sex may have a swab taken from their anus or throat.

Treatment for chlamydia

Antibiotics will treat the chlamydia infection.

You should avoid having sex until 1 week after you and your partner(s) have been treated. This includes oral sex and sex using a condom.

If chlamydia is left untreated you may pass it on to other sexual partners.

If chlamydia is left untreated in women, it can spread to the womb and cause a serious condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is a major cause of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women.

If men are not treated, the infection may spread to the testicles and cause discomfort. This could affect your fertility.

How chlamydia is passed on

You can get chlamydia by having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex (sex without a condom). Other ways of getting chlamydia include:

• sharing sex toys that aren’t washed or covered with a new condom each time they’re used
• infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eye

Chlamydia can be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby during childbirth.

Any sexually active person can get chlamydia. It’s most common in people under the age of 30.

You can have had chlamydia for a while without knowing.

How to prevent chlamydia

The best way to reduce your risk of STIs is to practice safer sex. This means using a condom for vaginal, anal and oral sex.

Other STIs

If you have been diagnosed with chlamydia you should get tested for all STIs including:

• gonorrhoea
• syphilis
• HIV