It is spread by having
unprotected sex - not using a condom - with someone who is infected
with chlamydia. An infected person can transmit chlamydia any time, whether
or not symptoms are present. An infected person is contagious until he or she
has been treated. Most people with chlamydia do not know they have it as they
have no changes with their body.
To find out if you have
chlamydia, you must be examined by a doctor or nurse and have tests taken.
If symptoms appear, it is
usually one to three weeks after exposure to an infected person. Chlamydia may
not cause symptoms until the infection has spread to other areas of the body.
For women, symptoms can include:
A burning feeling when urinating;
A change in periods or more painful periods;
Bleeding or blood spotting from the vagina;
Pain during sexual intercourse;
Pain in the lower stomach area;
Conjunctivitis or pink eye;
The need to urinate more often; or
A slight fever.
For men, symptoms can include:
Abnormal fluid from the penis;
An itching feeling inside the penis;
Pain while urinating or a need to urinate more often; or
Chlamydia causes no long-term
problems if treated early during the infection. Untreated chlamydia can lead
to complications.
In women, it can spread
and cause infection in reproductive organs and other parts of the body. It can
also cause pelvic inflammatory disease or PID in women. See BC HealthFile #08c
PID for more information. Pregnant women may pass the infection to their
baby's eyes during childbirth. This can cause irritation in the baby's eyes,
and may need to be treated.
In men, complications can
include infection in the urethra or the testicles or an inflammation of the
prostate.
The treatment for chlamydia is antibiotic pills. Any person(s) you have had
sex with within the previous two months must also be treated, whether they have
symptoms or not. Follow up tests are recommended six months after treatment.
Important:
Do not have sex until you and your partner(s) have finished taking the prescribed
pills. Take all of the medication exactly as instructed.
If you have different sexual
partners, or if your partner has different partners, you should also be tested
for other STDs including gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV (the virus linked to AIDS).
You should also consider getting vaccine shots to prevent hepatitis B virus
infection.
Please remember:
The more sexual partners you have, the higher your risk of getting a STD.>
Birth control pills may
not work very well when you are taking some antibiotic medicines. Keep taking
your birth control pills while taking any medication, and also use a second
form of birth control, such as a condom, until your next period after completing
the antibiotics.
Have sex with only
one partner who has been tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),
who has been treated if necessary and who is having sex only with you. The
more partners you have, the higher your risk of getting an STD.
Use a female or male
condom every time you have sex. Condoms offer protection against STDs, but
they must be used properly.
A condom
acts like a barrier that helps prevent the exchange of body fluids, the
transmission of sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy.
A new
condom should be used each time you have sexual intercourse (anal, vaginal,
or oral sex).
Check the expiry date on the condom package.
Use
only water-based lubricants with the male latex condom. Oil-based lubricants,
such as petroleum jelly, lotion or baby oil, can weaken and destroy latex.
Female
condoms are made of polyurethane. This material can be used with any type
of lubricant, water-based or oil-based.
Some
lubricants contain chemicals called spermicides to help protect against
unwanted pregnancy. If they irritate your genitals, don't use them.
Do
not use a male condom together with a female condom as the friction created
may cause tearing of either product.
If
a condom breaks during sex remove it immediately and apply a new condom.
Remember!
Condoms do not offer 100 per cent protection from STDs and unwanted pregnancy.
It will not consistently prevent transmission of STDs passed through skin-to-skin
contact - for example, syphilis, human papilloma virus (warts) and
herpes. However, if used properly, they are very effective and can reduce
the risk of transmission of these STDs.
Place the condom on the
tip of the penis when it is hard and erect, but before it touches the partner's
body. Make sure that the rolled-up condom rim faces outward.
With the other hand,
pinch the tip of the condom to remove any trapped air, and unroll the condom
to the base of the erect penis.
After intercourse and
before the penis becomes soft, withdraw the penis carefully, holding the rim
of the condom against the penis, so that semen does not spill out.
Slide the condom gently off the penis, and knot the open end.
A condom can be inserted up to eight hours before sexual intercourse.
Open the package carefully.
Hold the small ring at the closed end of the condom between the thumb and
middle finger.
Find a comfortable position,
either lying down, sitting with your knees apart or standing with one foot
raised on a stool, squeeze the small ring and insert it into the vagina as
far as you can.
Put a finger inside the
condom and push the small ring inside as far as possible. It is also possible
to insert the condom by putting it onto the erect penis before intercourse.
Make sure that the part
of the condom with the outer ring is outside the body. The outer ring will
lie flat against the body when the penis is inside the condom.
When the penis enters
the vagina, make sure that the penis is inside the condom.
Immediately after sexual
intercourse, remove the condom by gently twisting the outer ring and pulling
the condom out, making sure that no semen is spilt and throw it in the garbage.
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