Chlamydia is spread through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex, even without a condom. It can also cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women, which can lead to infertility.

It may take weeks, months or years for symptoms to show up. That’s why it’s important to get tested and treated early.

Vaginal Infections

Chlamydia is often passed through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Women who have this infection may experience vaginal discharge or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

Women who don’t receive treatment can develop infections that damage the fallopian tubes. This can lead to long-term pelvic pain and infertility. It can also increase a woman’s risk of an ectopic pregnancy, which happens when fertilized eggs implant outside the uterus.

Men who have this infection can get a painful sore in the epididymis or urethra. They may also have a swollen prostate or bladder inflammation, and they might experience a sex drive change. These infections are easily treated with medicine. That’s why STI testing should be done regularly, even if you feel healthy. Getting the test early can help prevent an STI, and it will give you peace of mind.

Penis Infections

A man’s infection may cause pain or itching in the genital area, as well as a mucus-like discharge from the penis. He might also have an inflamed urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body, or an inflamed coiled tube that stores and carries sperm (epididymitis).

Women who have chlamydia often develop a red, painless sore on the cervix, known as a chancre. It can also spread to the fallopian tubes and ovaries, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This might not produce any symptoms but can affect fertility.

In general, a person who has chlamydia should notify all sexual partners who were with them in the 60 days before they had symptoms or were diagnosed. This helps prevent them from developing symptoms and passing the infection on to other people.

Anal Infections

Chlamydia can spread through vaginal, oral or anal sex. It can also infect the coiled tube that carries sperm to the testicles (epididymis). A severe infection can lead to pain, swelling and tenderness in the scrotum. In men, a chlamydia infection in the epididymis can lead to reproductive health problems including infertility. It can also increase the risk of developing reactive arthritis, a painful condition that affects joints.

Home testing kits are available for chlamydia. The tests require a urine sample or tissue swab. They can be purchased online or at some pharmacies. The kits include a free medical consultation if your test results are positive. Screening is especially important for teens and young adults, and women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB) who have sex with men.

Throat Infections

Chlamydia bacteria are spread through vaginal, oral and anal sex. In women, a chlamydia infection can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy and tubal factor infertility. In men, chlamydia can cause inflammation of the urethra (urethritis) or proctitis. Infected mothers can also spread chlamydia to their babies during delivery, leading to pneumonia or severe eye infections in newborns.

Symptoms for chlamydia vary between women and men, but may include pain or discharge from the vagina, burning sensation during urination, a mucus-like discharge from the penis, a painful, inflamed coiled tube located beside each testicle (epididymitis), or rectal pain, inflammation and bleeding (known as nongonococcal urethritis). It’s possible to have chlamydia in the throat and eyes, so healthcare professionals should swab these areas when examining patients for chlamydia.

Eye Infections

A person with chlamydia can have a bacterial infection of the eye (conjunctivitis) that appears pink and has pus. This is called chlamydial conjunctivitis and may occur when genital secretions come into contact with the eyes. Chlamydia can also spread to the uterus and fallopian tubes, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), or to the anus or urethra (the tube that carries urine). Males with chlamydia might develop an infection near the testicles that causes pain and swelling in the coiled tube beside each one of their testicles.

In rare cases, a foreign object can get stuck in the eye and must be removed immediately by a medical professional. If this happens, the patient must receive antibiotics to prevent serious complications. This is also a sign of herpes, and the patient must be treated with a prescription antiviral medication to avoid spreading it to other people.