Recognize the signs and symptoms of chlamydia in men and women

Have you heard of chlamydia? Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that can affect both women and men. Symptoms of chlamydia should not be underestimated because it can cause health problems, even risk causing infertility. So, what are the characteristics of chlamydia? Check out the full explanation below, yes!

What are the signs and symptoms of chlamydia?

Chlamydia or chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis.

Having unprotected sex, such as without using a condom, is one way a person gets chlamydia.

This disease cannot be underestimated because of the risk of causing other health problems that are much more serious.

In women, chlamydia has the potential to cause cervical inflammation, ectopic pregnancy, and pelvic inflammatory disease.

Meanwhile, men who get chlamydia are also at risk of developing prostate gland and testicular infections.

Unfortunately, most chlamydia patients do not realize that they have this disease because the symptoms are not always visible.

According to the CDC website, it is estimated that only about 10% of men and 5-30% of women with chlamydia develop symptoms.

This is likely due to the unpredictable development cycle of bacteria.

So, bacteria C. trachomatis it can attack a person's body, but the symptoms or features of chlamydia do not appear a few weeks later.

If there are several symptoms that appear, you will usually not know them after 1-3 weeks from the start of infection.

The following are symptoms of chlamydia that need attention:

Symptoms of chlamydia in women

Recognizing the symptoms of chlamydia in women can be quite difficult. This is because nearly 95% of female patients do not experience any symptoms.

However, sometimes symptoms are present several weeks after the patient is first exposed.

The following are symptoms or signs of chlamydia in women that may appear:

Abnormal, smelly discharge from the vagina.
Bleeding outside the menstrual period.
The presence of pain during menstruation.
Pain in the lower stomach accompanied by fever.
The presence of pain during sexual intercourse.
Burning sensation and itching around the vagina.
Pain when urinating.

Symptoms of chlamydia in men

As with women, male chlamydia patients can also have difficulty recognizing the presence of this disease.

If it does appear, the symptoms of chlamydia in men usually include:

There is a small clear or cloudy discharge that appears at the tip of the penis.
Pain when urinating.
Burning sensation and itching at the opening of the penis.
The appearance of pain and swelling in the area around the testicles.

What are the risk factors for someone experiencing chlamydia?

Chlamydia is caused by bacteria that are spread through unsafe sex. However, this disease can only be transmitted through genital fluids.

This means that chlamydia cannot be caught by kissing, hugging, or showering together.

Chlamydia is also not transmitted through water in swimming pools, toilets, seats, eating utensils, or clothes.

You are at high risk for chlamydia if you do or experience the following:

Have sexual intercourse with more than one partner, either vaginal, anal, or oral.
Multiple sex partners without using a condom.
Have sex using sex toys without washing it after previous use or not being coated in a condom during use.
The genitals of you and your partner touch each other, even if there is no penetration, orgasm, or ejaculation.
Vaginal discharge or infected semen enters through the eye.
If you are pregnant and infected with chlamydia, the baby can also catch it.

In addition, chlamydia can also be transmitted through the rectum (anus) of women and men due to anal sex.

Usually, there are no symptoms shown when chlamydial bacteria attack the anal.

However, this infection can cause pain, discharge, and bleeding from the anus.

How to treat chlamydia symptoms?

Before doing treatment, make sure you check with your doctor first.

Usually, chlamydia is diagnosed when you already experience symptoms or while undergoing a sexually transmitted disease screening test.

Chlamydia treatment, whether accompanied by symptoms or not, must be done as soon as possible to prevent complications in the future.

If the infection spreads to other parts of the body, your treatment will be much more complicated and severe.

Here are the treatment options for chlamydia:

Antibiotics

Chlamydia is usually treated with antibiotic drugs, such as azithromycin or doxycycline.

These antibiotics must be taken until they run out even though your body's condition has improved.

After treatment with antibiotics, you will have to do another test to make sure that the infection has been completely treated.

Avoid having sex first

Before you or your partner is declared cured of chlamydia, you and your partner should not have sex and have sexual contact with anyone.

If you have sex with more than one partner, you should also advise the partner you come into contact with to be treated as well.

Can the symptoms of chlamydia be prevented?

Of course there are always ways to prevent chlamydia.

Here are some ways you can prevent chlamydia:

Always use a condom when you have sex, be it vaginal or anal.
Keep clean sex toys and avoid sharing sex toys with multiple partners.
Faithful to a partner by not having sex with multiple partners.
For women, avoid methods douching when cleaning the vagina.
Get screened for sexually transmitted diseases regularly, especially if you have an active sex life.

When should I see a doctor?

Chlamydia is indeed difficult to detect on your own because the signs are uncertain, especially if you are among those who do not experience early symptoms.

Therefore, it is best to do a sexually transmitted disease screening test or a sexually transmitted infection screening test.

Especially if you are classified as active in unsafe sex and often have multiple partners, a screening test is of course very necessary.

In addition, you should also immediately see a doctor if your partner turns out to have chlamydia, even though there are no symptoms yet.

This is important to determine whether you are also infected with chlamydia or not so that doctors can immediately provide treatment.