My Teen Issues

What Is Chlamydia?

Chlamydia is one of the most commonly found sexually transmitted diseases in teenagers. It can affect the urethra and rectum in both boys and girls as well as the cervix in girls. In rarer cases, chlamydia has also been known to affect the lungs and live, as well as your throat and eyes.

Chlamydia can be passed on by having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex. It can also be passed on during vaginal child birth.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms vary between the sexes, and in most cases males are more likely to notice symptoms then females, although symptoms are not always noticeable.

Female symptoms

• An increase in vaginal discharge.
• Inflamed bladder (cystitis).
• Urinating more  than usual and/or pain when passing urine.
• Unusual pain during intercourse.
• Bleeding during or after sex.
• Abdominal pains, usually in the lower half.

Male symptoms

• Irregular discharge from the penis.
• Pain when passing urine.

Any anal infection of chlamydia will rarely show any symptoms in males or females.

Treating chlamydia

The treatment of chlamydia is fairly simple and usually only a urine sample is need to run to diagnostic tests.

After a case of chlamydia is confirmed you will be prescribed with a short course of antibiotics.

Once you have finished the course of antibiotics and providing you took them as directed you should now be clear of chlamydia (after test will be needed), remember not to have sex again until it is confirmed that you are clear.

You must also inform any sexual partners that you have had in the previous 6 months so that they can get tested also.

Untreated chlamydia

If it is left untreated, chlamydia can cause all sorts of unwanted problems such as;

• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Mother 2 child transmission
• Cervicitis
• Epididymitis
• Urethritis
• Reiter’s syndrome
• Appendicitis

For a free chlamydia test visit http://www.chlamydiascreening.nhs.uk/

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