One in 10 sexually active young people in the UK has been infected with chlamydia, the most common Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) in the UK. Its symptoms hardly show up in the early stages of a person being infected, increasing the risk of it spreading to the reproductive system.
Discover our latest podcast
The silent infection
Chlamydia is a common STI caused by bacteria, but most people who have it hardly present with symptoms. In fact, an estimated 40 to 96 per cent of people with chlamydia have no outward symptoms. Left untreated, it can cause serious health complications, including infertility.
It is caused by having unprotected vaginal or anal sex with an infected person - touching genitals without penetration can also transmit it. Newborn babies can contract the infection from their mothers through birth.
Often referred to as the ‘silent infection’, chlamydia may take several weeks before a symptom appears. In fact, it can be transmitted from a person who’s been infected once and had successfully treated it. The Oxford Urgent Clinic explains:
Chlamydia … is difficult to identify within the first few weeks [as] its symptoms can be very light and pass quickly, preventing some people from noticing it’s even there.
Symptoms
Chlamydia can manifest differently in men and women, but the common symptoms include:
- pain
- a burning sensation while urinating
- abnormal discharge from the penis or vagina
In women, symptoms include painful sexual intercourse, bleeding between periods and inflammation of the cervix.
An uncommon symptom of chlamydia can occur in the eye. Known as chlamydial conjunctivitis, this type of infection occurs when one touches their eye after coming into contact with genital secretions from an infected individual.
This can then be passed on to others through sharing of eye cosmetics such as mascara or faux lashes.
Chlamydial conjunctivitis is a leading cause of preventable blindness in some developing countries. Symptoms include redness in eyes, irritation, swollen eyelids, tearing and discharge of mucous.
Read more:
⋙ Koalas facing chlamydia crisis that could devastate their chances of survival
⋙ Can the Coronavirus Be Sexually Transmitted?
⋙ Chronic UTI: New bride unable to have sex after ‘sexist’ doctors mistook it for STI
Treatment
Putting off the treatment of chlamydia can threaten the fertility of women. According to the American Centres for Disease Control,
PID and ‘silent’ infection in the upper genital tract may cause permanent damage to the fallopian tribe, uterus and surrounding tissue, which can lead to infertility.
