Student Wellness Center at OSU : Sexual Wellness : STIs : Chlamydia

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Sexual Wellness

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Chlamydia

Estimated number of new cases each year in the U.S.:

3 million

Statistics:

As many as 1 in 10 adolescent girls tested for this STI are infected with it. This is the most frequently reported bacterial STI/STD in the United States.

Caused by:

The bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis

Symptoms:

Called a "silent disease" because approximately 75% of women and 50% of men have no symptoms. There may be an abnormal discharge from the vagina or penis and/or burning sensation during urination.

Transmission:

Chlamydia can be transmitted during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Chlamydia can also be passed from an infected mother to her newborn during vaginal childbirth.

Treatment:

Easily treated and cured with antibiotics

If Untreated:

In men, untreated chlamydia typically causes urethral infection. Infection sometimes spreads to the epididymis (a tube that stores and carries the sperm from the testes), causing pain, fever, and, potentially, infertility.
In women, the infection can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes (egg canals) and cause an infection called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This happens in up to 40% of women with untreated chlamydia. PID can cause permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and tissues surrounding the ovaries. This damage can lead to chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus).

Risk Reduction:

Use latex barriers correctly every time you have sex.
Limit the number of sex partners, and do not go back and forth between partners.
Practice sexual abstinence, or limit sexual contact to one partner you know is not infected.
Get tested!
If you think you are infected, avoid sexual contact and see a health care provider.

Source for information on this page: CDC Division of STD Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/dstd/dstdp.html