Picture yourself going to a routine check up and finding out that you have a sexually transmitted disease, how would you feel? Would you know who gave it to you? Now picture yourself finding out that it is something as serious as Chlamydia. Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in North America. The infection gets its name after the bacterium that causes it, Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia affects both women and men (more cases have been reported by women) and can be treated if caught early enough. In a lot of cases the symptoms come and go, or in a lot of cases most don’t have symptoms so it is passed on without knowing. Chlamydia is spread during sexual contact whether it be vaginal, anal, or oral sex and is highly infectious. If caught in time Chlamydia can be treated, if not it can lead to serious complications. It is estimated that 40% on untreated women will develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can be very painful. It also puts women in risk of abnormal pregnancies or infertility. Women with Chlamydia must be very careful when getting pregnant. New born babies can get infected when coming out of the birth canal so it is suggested to get a C-section. In new born babies Chlamydia usually appears as eye problems or even respiratory problems rather than typical genital infections usually seen in adults. In adults with Chlamydia most of the time they won’t see symptoms of the infection until they have already had it for about 1-3 weeks after exposure. In men Chlamydia starts in the urethra verse women where it usually begins on the cervix. Symptoms for men include: painful burning while urination, redness, swelling, burning, itching around the opening of the penis, and also a milky-white, gray, or yellow in color discharge from the penis. When men are exposed to Chlamydia they have a chance of also suffering from Epididymitis, Prostatisitis, and they may also develop Reiter’s syndrome.…
