What is chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a bacterial sexually transmissible infection (STI) that can infect the cervix, urethra, rectum, throat and occasionally the eyes.
How do I know if I have chlamydia?
Most people infected with chlamydia will not notice any symptoms.
Vaginal symptoms may include:
- abnormal vaginal bleeding (between periods or after sex
- stinging or burning when passing urine
- pelvic pain and/ or pain during sex
- changes in vaginal discharge
- discharge from the penis
- stinging or burning when passing urine
- urethral irritation and occasionally redness at the urethral opening (pee-hole)
- testicular pain/ swelling
Chlamydia in the anus and throat usually has no symptoms. However, anal infections can occasionally cause rectal pain, bleeding and/ or mucous discharge.
Chlamydia can be diagnosed by a urine or swab test.
How can I get chlamydia?
Chlamydia is passed on by having vaginal, oral or anal sex without a condom with someone who has the infection.
What is the treatment for chlamydia?
Chlamydia is treated with a short course of antibiotics. Symptoms, if any, will usually resolve shortly after commencing antibiotics.
It is important not to have any sexual contact for 7 days after you start treatment, as you may be at risk of passing chlamydia to your sexual partners or becoming re-infected.
Do sexual partners need treatment?
All sexual partners in the last 6 months should be tested regardless of symptoms. You may be reinfected from untreated partners therefore it is important to avoid sex until previous partners have been tested and/ or treated.
What else should I know?
- Chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in people with a vagina and uterus, which may lead to ectopic pregnancies, infertility, or chronic pelvic pain.
- Untreated chlamydia in pregnant people is associated with premature birth and low birth weight.
- Chlamydia can be passed on to a baby during childbirth, potentially causing conjunctivitis (eye infection) or pneumonia.
- Using condoms and dams is the best way to reduce the transmission of chlamydia.