Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection And it’s on the increase. The amount of instances of chlamydia In England rose by 74 percent between 1995 and 1999.
Rates have been consistently higher in women than men, and especially in those aged 16-24. Part of this increase is as a result of new diagnostic techniques and marketing, which mean that more individuals are being screened and seeking attention. Up to 70 percent of girls and at least 25 percent of men infected with chlamydia don’t have any symptoms, so a large variety of illnesses remain undiagnosed and untreated. Where there are symptoms, girls may have discharge, pain when passing urine, heavy periods or bleeding between periods, low stomach pain or stomach pain during vaginal sex. Guys may find discharge from the member and stinging when passing urine.
New approaches of testing for chlamydia are now available which will enable simpler and more prevalent detection and treatment. Over 56,000 cases of chlamydia disease were treated in STD or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in England and Wales in 1999 – that’s more than three times the amount of cases of gonorrhoea reported.
Who Should Be Tested For Chlamydia?
â– All sexually active women under 25 and girls over 25 with a brand new sexual partner.
â– Those with more than two sexual partners annually.
â– All men and women attending STD clinics: almost 1 in 5 has chlamydia.
â– Girls seeking termination of pregnancy: almost 1 in 10 has chlamydia.
Â
How Is Chlamydia Passed On?
Chlamydia is more often than not transmitted through vaginal or anal sex, and quite sometimes through oral-genital contact. Sometimes a pregnant woman can pass the disease to her infant. In this instance disease is generally restricted to the eyes, but can infrequently cause pneumonia.
How Does Chlamydia Hurt You?
After infection with chlamydia, the fine hairs can be ruined that waft the fertilized egg down the fallopian tube to the uterus. This sets the landscape for tubal or ectopic pregnancy.
In Britain, the ectopic pregnancy rate has quadrupled since the early 1960s, in parallel with chlamydia disease. The damage can also set up tubal inflammation, swelling and complete blockage of the tubes, though why this grows in some women and not others isn’t understood. Adolescents are more exposed to this bacterial assault, so endangering the fertility of future generations of moms.
Long Term Effects   Â
Chlamydia infection in women has serious drop¬out. Untreated infections can last for quite a while and up to one third of inadequately treated girls may go on to develop pelvic inflammatory disease.
Up to half of all cases of pelvic inflammatory disease can result from chlamydia.
Among women with pelvic inflammatory disease, one fifth may become infertile, and one tenth will go on to have an ectopic pregnancy once they conceive. So the private and economic costs of untreated chlamydia disease are significant.
Screening
Given the prevalence of chlamydia and the longterm effects of disease, could women be screened for its existence so instances are got and treated early before continuing damage was done?
The first trial of chlamydia screening in women aged 18-34 in the US revealed that pelvic inflammatory disease was 56 percent lower in screened and treated women than in those who were unscreened. All girls and men with a discharge should thus be tested for chlamydia. Since this disease is frequently without symptoms, those that have regular partner changes should also be examined.
Latest Evaluations For Chlamydia
At one time chlamydia was notoriously elusive to track down but evaluations are getting to be more complex with increasing use of DNA pee check; there’s even talk of a future evaluation being accessible over the counter. Anyone can request a test at any SI D or GUM clinic.
Chlamydia – The Fertility Time bomb
Frequently ignored by patients and physicians alike, chlamydia disease may not be life threatening but it can be life-destroying. It’s come to be known as the fertility time- bomb, capable of lurking quietly for years before causing irreparable damage.
Carriers Of Chlamydia
Because chlamydia is almost symptomless in guys, they’re able to carry the disease without understanding. Male carriers can re infect girls and keep a long-term low grade disease simmering even after a girl has had antibiotics. What this means is that if chlamydia is discovered in a girl, her partner (s) must be treated also.
Â