When is chlamydia dangerous

Many women, and some men, are infected with chlamydia but don't know it. Even without symptoms, the disease can cause complications, particularly infertility. The longer the infection is untreated, the more damage that can be done.

If symptoms do show up, they usually occur within weeks of exposure. Men and women may face painful urination, an abnormal discharge from the urethra, or both. Women also may have abdominal pain, bleeding, and an abnormal discharge from the vagina.

Symptoms usually appear within one to three weeks after being infected and may be very mild. If not treated, chlamydia can lead to damage to the reproductive system. In women, chlamydial infection can spread to the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease PID , according to the CDC. PID can damage the fallopian tubes and uterus and cause chronic pain, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy.

Women who have chlamydia also are at much greater risk for becoming infected with HIV. In men, complications from chlamydia are rare. In pregnant women, chlamydia can cause premature delivery, the CDC says. Navigation menu.

Who gets chlamydia? How is chlamydia spread? What are the symptoms of chlamydia? When and for how long is a person able to spread chlamydia?

Does past infection with chlamydia make a person immune? Past infection with chlamydia does not make a person immune to chlamydia. What is the treatment for chlamydia? What happens if chlamydia goes untreated? What can be done to prevent the spread of chlamydia? Limit your number of sex partners Use a male or female condom If you think you are infected or have been exposed, avoid any sexual contact and visit a local sexually transmitted disease STD clinic, a hospital or your doctor.

Either bring your sex partners with you when you are treated or notify them immediately so they can obtain examination and treatment. Chlamydia trachomatis can also cause conjunctivitis pink eye if the bacteria come into contact with the eyelids or the clear membrane covering the white of the eye.

Because chlamydia infections often cause no symptoms, individuals who have one may not seek medical attention or get treated for it. However, anyone who is infected with chlamydia can pass it to other people, who can, in turn, pass it to others. Women between ages 15 and 24 are most likely to be newly infected with chlamydia, according to the CDC, but anyone who is sexually active — male or female — can be infected.

Men who have oral or anal sex with men are also at risk, notes the CDC. The CDC recommends regular chlamydia screenings for people at an increased risk of contracting it. Schaffir says. Screening for chlamydia is painless: It usually involves testing a urine sample or a specimen swabbed from the vagina or penis.

Some lab tests for chlamydia can use specimens from the throat or rectum. Men or women who have chlamydia symptoms may experience painful urination. Men are less likely than women to have major health problems linked to chlamydia, although they can develop epididymitis , an inflammation of a structure within the testicles called the epididymis that can result in infertility.