When Many STIs Have No Obvious Symptoms, Why Should You Seek Testing For Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease(STD) in the United States.
But would you know if you had Chlamydia? A lot of people who have this "silent" disease only find out when they are tested perhaps because a partner has more noticeable symptom.
It is believed to go unrecognized in 3/4 of infected women and 1/2 of infected men.
According to the U.
S.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an estimated 2.
2 million U.
S.
civilians ages 14-39 are infected with Chlamydia.
What's more, anyone can be frequently re-infected if their sex partners are not tested and treated.
Recent research in the UK has shown that men are more reluctant to be tested for STIs than women but in fact are much more likely to test positive than women.
So this all raises concerns that men may be delaying testing until they are showing symptoms so the real levels of infection are much higher than reported.
Are you placing yourself at risk with unprotected sex? Almost twice as many men as women have done this with more than one partner in the last 5 years.
Amazingly 72% of men have never had an STI screen, compared to 62% of women What are the Symptoms of Chlamydia? Well of course most symptoms are in the expected places but Chlamydia can also be found in the throats of women and men having oral sex with an infected partner and men or women who have anal intercourse may acquire a rectal Chlamydia infection Women who have symptoms might have a range of symptoms ranging from difficult to pin down items like •low back pain •nausea •fever •pain during intercourse To more specific symptoms like •abnormal vaginal discharge •burning sensation when urinating.
•lower abdominal pain •bleeding between menstrual periods.
Men with signs or symptoms might have •burning and itching around the opening of the penis.
discharge from the penis •burning sensation when urinating •Pain and swelling in the testicles are uncommon.
Once infected with Chlamydia you are up to five times more likely to become infected with HIV, if exposed.
But a very real threat is the possibility of infertility in both men and women Rarely it can cause skin lesions and inflammation of the eye and urethra (Reiter's syndrome).
How is Chlamydia treated? Chlamydia can be easily treated with antibiotics but all sex partners should be tested, and treated.
If you have Chlamydia you should abstain from sexual intercourse until you and your sex partners have completed treatment, otherwise re-infection is possible.
Retesting should be encouraged for women three to four months after treatment.
This is especially true if a woman does not know if her sex partner has been treated.
Latex male condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of Chlamydia.
Yearly Chlamydial testing is recommended for all those who are sexually active.
Get Tested Call 877-357-3117 NOW
But would you know if you had Chlamydia? A lot of people who have this "silent" disease only find out when they are tested perhaps because a partner has more noticeable symptom.
It is believed to go unrecognized in 3/4 of infected women and 1/2 of infected men.
According to the U.
S.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an estimated 2.
2 million U.
S.
civilians ages 14-39 are infected with Chlamydia.
What's more, anyone can be frequently re-infected if their sex partners are not tested and treated.
Recent research in the UK has shown that men are more reluctant to be tested for STIs than women but in fact are much more likely to test positive than women.
So this all raises concerns that men may be delaying testing until they are showing symptoms so the real levels of infection are much higher than reported.
Are you placing yourself at risk with unprotected sex? Almost twice as many men as women have done this with more than one partner in the last 5 years.
Amazingly 72% of men have never had an STI screen, compared to 62% of women What are the Symptoms of Chlamydia? Well of course most symptoms are in the expected places but Chlamydia can also be found in the throats of women and men having oral sex with an infected partner and men or women who have anal intercourse may acquire a rectal Chlamydia infection Women who have symptoms might have a range of symptoms ranging from difficult to pin down items like •low back pain •nausea •fever •pain during intercourse To more specific symptoms like •abnormal vaginal discharge •burning sensation when urinating.
•lower abdominal pain •bleeding between menstrual periods.
Men with signs or symptoms might have •burning and itching around the opening of the penis.
discharge from the penis •burning sensation when urinating •Pain and swelling in the testicles are uncommon.
Once infected with Chlamydia you are up to five times more likely to become infected with HIV, if exposed.
But a very real threat is the possibility of infertility in both men and women Rarely it can cause skin lesions and inflammation of the eye and urethra (Reiter's syndrome).
How is Chlamydia treated? Chlamydia can be easily treated with antibiotics but all sex partners should be tested, and treated.
If you have Chlamydia you should abstain from sexual intercourse until you and your sex partners have completed treatment, otherwise re-infection is possible.
Retesting should be encouraged for women three to four months after treatment.
This is especially true if a woman does not know if her sex partner has been treated.
Latex male condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of Chlamydia.
Yearly Chlamydial testing is recommended for all those who are sexually active.
Get Tested Call 877-357-3117 NOW
