Chlamydia

Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, a pathogen only found in humans which can be transmitted through vaginal, oral and anal sex. According to the World Health Organization, “more cases of STDs are caused by C. trachomatis than by any other bacterial pathogen.” If it’s true that 1 in 2 young people will get an STD by the time they’re 25, then the likelihood of one of those STIs being Chlamydia increases significantly.

So what exactly is it that makes this STI so prevalent in our society? Symptoms. Or in this instance the lack thereof. Most women and men rarely experience any symptoms and if they do they don’t think to associate it with Chlamydia. Symptoms in women might include abnormal vaginal discharge, irritation or itching of the genital tissues, and a burning sensation during urination for both men and women. Abnormal vaginal discharge and dysuria could easily be attributed to a vaginal infection or a UTI respectively. No surprise then why people fail to make the connection between something that seems to me at least very generic, to something that is much more specific and consequential to our health.

While both men and women are carriers of this disease, women tend to have more complications and long-term health problems if treatment is delayed. Untreated Chlamydia can lead to infection or inflammation of the fallopian tubes, or more generally, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), which might involve infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes and/or ovaries.

An acute case of PID may cause permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive organs and lead to infertility, chronic pelvic pain and/or ectopic pregnancies. In rare instances men can also become infertile. More commonly though, if any complications or more noticeable symptoms are to be experienced men will notice discharge (never a good sign) or mild to severe testicular pain that is often accompanied by inflammation, redness, and a sensation of heaviness.

Although less widely known, Chlamydia can also cause conjunctivitis in newborns and is one of the leading causes of blindness in some parts of the developing world (trachoma). Most likely though, the latter is not going to be of any concern to you unless you happen to be pregnant.

When to get tested? At least once a year or any time you have had unprotected sex. If you happen to have a new partner every single week (trying to think of all the possible scenarios here), then you should aim, at the very least, to get tested every three months. The incubation period for Chlamydia is between 14 and 21 days - something to keep in mind when making an appointment since in most cases it can take up to two full weeks from the time of exposure before the pathogen is detected.