Content

• Steps

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STD) caused by the bacteria chlamydia trachomatis. In the United States it is the most common sexually transmitted disease. STDs usually infect men and women through oral, vaginal, or anal sex. However, an infected pregnant woman can pass chlamydia to her baby during childbirth. If left untreated, chlamydia can cause complications such as infertility, an increased risk of HIV, prostate infection, or reactive arthritis. Chlamydia can be cured, but if left untreated can cause permanent damage, so be sure to know how to treat chlamydia.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Reception of a medical diagnosis

1. 

   Recognize the symptoms and signs of chlamydia. Although chlamydia is rarely symptomatic in the beginning, you should be on the lookout for any symptoms that appear. See a doctor for an accurate diagnosis if you notice any signs of chlamydia, especially in case of unprotected sex.
   • Both men and women can get chlamydia and come back at any time.
   • The early stages of chlamydia have very few symptoms, even when signs are present, usually within 1 to 3 weeks after infection, they can be mild.
   • Some of the common symptoms of chlamydia are: painful urination, lower abdominal pain, vaginal discharge in women, penile secretions in men, pain during intercourse, bleeding between menstrual cycles and after. intercourse in women, or testicular pain in men.

2. 

   
   
   See a doctor. If you notice symptoms of chlamydia, including vaginal discharge, or your partner has reported chlamydia, see your doctor. Your doctor will run tests and confirm the diagnosis and apply the right treatment plan for you.
   • Talk to your doctor about what symptoms you are experiencing, what signs of chlamydia you are noticing, and if you have unprotected sex.
   • If you have ever had chlamydia and are having a relapse, you need to see your doctor for a prescription.

3. 

   
   
   Receive medical examination. If you suspect that you have chlamydia, your doctor will order more tests. These simple screening procedures help to accurately diagnose sexually transmitted diseases and facilitate the development of a treatment plan.
   • For female patients, the doctor swabs the discharge in the cervix or vagina and takes the sample to a laboratory for examination.
   • If you are a man, your doctor will insert a thin gauze over the top of the penis and spread the secretions in your urethra. The sample is then sent to a laboratory for testing.
   • If the patient has oral and anal sex, the doctor will swab the cells in the mouth or anus to test for chlamydia.
   • In some cases, your doctor may test for chlamydia with your urine.

Part 2 of 3: Treatment of chlamydia

1. 

   
   
   Get treatment for chlamydia. If chlamydia is diagnosed, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics, the only way to treat the disease beyond preventive measures. Generally, the infection should go away after 1 to 2 weeks.
   • The preferred treatment is azithromycin (1 g orally as a single pill) or doxycycline (100 mg orally twice a day for 7 days).
   • You can be treated with a single dose or taken daily or several times a day for 5 to 10 days.
   • Even if you don't have chlamydia symptoms, your partner needs treatment. This helps keep the two from spreading diseases to each other.
   • Do not share chlamydia with another person.

2. 

   Newborn screening and treatment. If you are pregnant and have chlamydia, your doctor may prescribe azithromycin during the second or third trimester of pregnancy to reduce the risk of passing the disease to your baby. Chlamydia will be treated during pregnancy when found. You will be examined again to confirm that the infection has completely disappeared. After the baby is born, the doctor will examine the baby and give appropriate treatment.
   • If you give birth and pass chlamydia to your baby, your doctor will treat the illness with antibiotics to stop infant pneumonia and serious eye infections.
   • Most doctors use erythromycin eye ointment to prevent chlamydia-related eye infections from occurring in a newborn.
   • You and your doctor should monitor your baby for chlamydia pneumonia for at least the first three months.
   • If your child has chlamydia pneumonia, the doctor will prescribe erythromycin or azithromycin.

3. 

   Avoid having sex. While treating chlamydia, you should abstain from both oral and hormonal sex. This helps to stop infecting your partner and reduce the risk of recurrence.
   • If you take the drug in a single dose, you should not have sex for seven days after taking it.
   • If you take the drug for seven days, you should stop sexual activities for the duration of your treatment.

4. 

   See a doctor if symptoms appear after treatment. If your chlamydia symptoms recur after one course of treatment, see your doctor as soon as possible. Managing and overcoming symptoms and illnesses helps ensure that you don't have a relapse or have a more serious illness or complication.
   • If not completely corrected, symptoms or recurrences lead to serious reproductive health complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause permanent damage to the reproductive organs, and ectopic pregnancy.

Part 3 of 3: Prevent chlamydia and recurrence

1. 

   Check for chlamydia regularly. If your doctor treats early-stage chlamydia, you should have a follow-up visit about three months later. This helps to make sure that the disease is gone and that you are no longer contagious.
   • Continue to see a sexually transmitted infection when you have a new sexual partner.
   • Chlamydia recurrence is very common and is often treated with the same antibiotic. If the disease recurs after the follow-up visit and no infection is noticed, this is a new disease.

2. 

   Do not use douching products. Avoid douching if you have and already have chlamydia. These products kill the bacteria well and increase the risk of infection or recurrence.

3. 

   Have safe sex. The best way to treat chlamydia is to avoid bacterial infections. Using a condom and limiting the number of sexual partners can reduce your risk of getting sick or coming back.
   • Always use a condom during sex. Although condoms do not completely prevent the chance of getting chlamydia, they can reduce the chance of getting sick.
   • Avoid sexual intercourse, including oral or back door sex, during treatment. This abstinence helps prevent recurrence or transmission of STDs to your partner.
   • The more sex partners you have, the higher your risk of getting chlamydia. Limit the number of sexual partners to minimize your risk, and always use a condom during sex.

4. 

   Note the risk factor. There are several factors that increase the risk of chlamydia. You need to take extreme care to reduce the risk of disease.
   • If you are under 24 years old, you are in a high risk group for the disease.
   • If you have sex with more than one person for a year, you are more likely to get chlamydia.
   • Not using condoms regularly can increase your risk of getting chlamydia.
   • If you have a history of sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia, you are at high risk.