Detail about Chlamydia

What is Chlamydia?

• It is an infection caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis.
• It is very common, affecting around 1 in 10 young men and women; particularly women between the ages of 16 – 19 and men aged 19 – 24.
• It is transmitted through sex, infecting the urethra in men and cervix in women.
• Condoms can prevent it being spread, but unprotected sex, or a split in a condom, can pass it from partner to partner.

Why is testing for Chlamydia important?

• Chlamydia can lie dormant for many years without causing symptoms; this increases the chances of it being spread to others, as the carrier is unaware.
• Because of this, if Chlamydia is diagnosed in someone who is in a longstanding relationship, it does not necessarily mean that either partner has been unfaithful.
• In women, the infection can spread upwards from the cervix, to involve the womb, fallopian tubes, and pelvis. This is called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).
• If not promptly treated, PID can cause scarring of the fallopian tubes, which can result in infertility (difficulty in getting pregnant), or an Ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy in one of the tubes instead of the womb). Chlamydia is the commonest cause of infertility.
• If a woman has a Chlamydia infection when she is pregnant it can be passed on to the baby in the womb or at birth. This can cause miscarriage, premature birth, or eye/lung infection following birth.
• In men, the infection can spread upwards into one or both testicles (balls), causing severe pain and swelling.
• Both sexes, but more often men, can develop Reiter’s Syndrome following Chlamydia infection. This causes inflammation of the eyes and joints.

What are the symptoms?

Most people infected with Chlamydia do not have any symptoms; they feel and look perfectly well. However if you, or friends, ever experience the following symptoms you should ask to be tested:

Women:

• A change in your menstrual bleeding, periods becoming heavier or more painful than usual, or bleeding between periods.
• Lower abdominal pain, or pain felt deep inside during or after sex. This can suggest that the infection has spread into the womb.
• A change in the vaginal discharge, it may become discoloured, offensive smelling, or excessive.
• Burning or a frequent need to pass urine.

Men:

• Burning when passing urine, or an irritation of the urethra (pipe).
• Discharge from the penis.
• Pain in the testicles (balls).

How is Chlamydia diagnosed?

• Dorset County Chlamydia Screening asks for self-taken samples to test for Chlamydia.
• Women will need to supply a self-taken vulvo-vaginal swab (using the swab in the way you insert a tampon).
• Men can provide a urine sample, providing they have not passed urine for two hours.
• The test is very accurate providing the sample has been taken properly.

Detail about screening

How do I take the test?

• When you wish to take the test we will ask you to fill out a form, you must complete all the areas in blue by either giving information or ticking boxes in response to a question.
• You must give your name and date of birth as well as details about your home address / postcode. We can contact you with you results by letter, phone or text, and for these reasons we need an address, landline or mobile number, which must be written clearly on the form. Text message is the most popular way to receive your result.
• We will aim to contact you with your result no more than two weeks after you have taken the test. We will not contact anyone else with your result unless you wish us to, it will only be held on file at our office.
• We cannot accept responsibility for the safe delivery of your result to you, or the interception of it by others, if you wish to be contacted by letter, phone or text, we will always send it to the address/number you supply, so please complete your forms carefully.

How is Chlamydia treated?

• If you receive a positive result you will be asked to contact the office to arrange for free treatment.
• If your test is positive you will be treated with antibiotics. Normally it will be 4 tablets that you can take at once.
• We will also request information about your current or most recent sexual partners, this is so they can be contacted either by yourself or by us, this is to reduce the number of people carrying and transmitting Chlamydia.
• If you attend with your current partner, we will offer them screening and treatment at the same time as they have possibly been exposed to the infection through you.
• If you wish us to contact ex-partners on your behalf we will never mention who gave us the details or where they were from.
• Chlamydia is not resistant to treatment, if you take the tablets correctly and do not expose yourself to re-infection we will not need to see you again.
• We will follow you up with a telephone call after 7 days.
• If you are pregnant, we will always repeat the test 6 weeks later to ensure that the infection is cleared.
• It is important that while you are on treatment, you do not have sex with either a current or new partner, with or without a condom. This increases the risk of re-infection, you should always wait until 10 days after you have completed the treatment, then should always use a condom.
• If you are taking the oral contraceptive pill and antibiotic treatment, you should always use an extra form of contraception (i.e. condoms) until your next proper period.

How can Chlamydia be prevented?

• Because Chlamydia often has no symptoms, the only way of knowing whether you or your partner have it for you both to be tested.
• Always use condoms with a new sexual partner, not only can this help prevent Chlamydia, but it is also a barrier against pregnancy and other sexually transmitted infections.
• If you are thinking about stopping using condoms with a regular partner, it is best that you both get a full check up before doing so.
• Do not have sex with an untreated partner.