Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can infect both men and women. It is one of the most common STIs in the UK and is most common in sexually active teenagers and young adults.
How Do You Get Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is caused by a bacterial infection called chlamydia trachomatis, that is spread through unprotected sex or any contact with infected genital fluids such as, semen or vaginal fluid. You can get chlamydia by:
- Having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has chlamydia even if they are asymptomatic.
- Sharing sex toys that have not been washed before use or covered with a clean condom each time they are used.
- Your genitals coming into contact with your sexual partner’s genitals who is already infected with chlamydia. Even if there is no penetration, orgasm or ejaculation you can still catch chlamydia.
- Infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eyes or other body part that is moistened with infected discharges.
- Pregnant women with chlamydia can pass on the infection to their unborn baby.
What Are The Symptoms of Chlamydia?
It is not easy to tell if you are infected with chlamydia because the symptoms are so vague and are shared with a number of other infections. For some people symptoms can appear a few weeks after unprotected sex. For others, the symptoms develop months later, or in some cases symptoms can disappear after a few days even though they still have the infection.
70% of infected females and 50% of males will not have any obvious symptoms of chlamydia. However, there are some common symptoms to be aware of.
The most common symptoms for women include:
- Burning sensation/discomfort when urinating.
- Abnormal vaginal discharge.
- Pain in the lower abdominal.
- Pain during sex.
- Bleeding after sex.
- Bleeding between periods.
- Rectal pain, discharge or bleeding.
The most common symptoms for men include:
- Burning sensation/discomfort when urinating.
- Cloudy/watery discharge from the penis.
- Burning or itching sensation in the urethra.
- Testicular pain and swelling.
- Rectal pain, discharge or bleeding.
If chlamydia is left untreated it can spread and cause complications for both men and women. Complications that can arise include: reactive arthritis in men and pelvic inflammatory disease in women. This is why it is vital if you have had unprotected sex you get tested as soon as possible.
You can get a chlamydia test at a number of places including: Your doctor’s surgery, a sexual health clinic or use a home testing kit.
What Antibiotics Treat Chlamydia?
Our doctors at Prescription Doctor are on hand to prescribe the right chlamydia treatment for you and discuss any concerns you have about your symptoms. There are various antibiotics for chlamydia, some tablets are to be taken in one day or you may be advised to take a longer course for seven days.
You can get antibiotics for chlamydia at Prescription Doctor such as:
The antibiotics work by preventing the growth of the bacteria known as chlamydia trachomatis. In order for the bacteria to grow, it needs to create a protein however by taking the antibiotics it stops the protein from being made. This means the bacteria can no longer multiply and the 
immune system then attacks the remaining bacteria and kills off the infection.
It is important that your current sexual partner and any other recent sexual partners are also tested for chlamydia. You should also abstain from having sex until you and your current sexual partner have finished taking the antibiotics. You will know that the treatment is working when any symptoms you had start to improve.
Finally, remember if you are under 25 and are sexually active, it is recommended that you get tested for chlamydia every year or when you change sexual partner.
