Chlamydia is a bacterial infection. It’s one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the UK.
The most common way to get chlamydia is by having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex (sex without a condom). Other ways of getting chlamydia include:
Chlamydia can also be passed by a pregnant woman to her baby.
Most people with chlamydia don’t notice any symptoms and don’t know they have it.
If you do develop symptoms, you may experience:
If you think you have chlamydia you should make an appointment with your GP or local sexual health services.
The test for chlamydia is simple, painless and very reliable. It involves sending a sample to a lab for analysis from the area of the body thought to be infected.
In the majority of cases you 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:
You may be able to book an appointment for an STI test online using the online booking system. This varies for different NHS board areas.
Antibiotics will get rid of the chlamydia infection.
You should also avoid having sex until one 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 onto other sexual partners.
Chlamydia can occasionally lead to more serious problems such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is when the infection gets into the womb and fallopian tubes. PID could lead to problems in the long term, such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy.
Infection can sometimes spread to the testicles causing pain, swelling and inflammation.
To avoid passing on chlamydia to your partner(s) you shouldn’t have sex until one week after you and your partner(s) have been treated.
It’s good practice to get a sexual health check-up when you change sexual partner.
If you have tested positive for chlamydia, all of your sexual partners in last 6 months should be offered a test.
The best way to prevent all sexually transmitted infections is to practice safer sex. This means using a condom for vaginal, anal or oral sex.
If you have been diagnosed with chlamydia it is recommended you have a test for all STIs including:
Last updated:
19 October 2023