- ATHENS OFFICE MED4WOMAN ATHENS
- VOLOS OFFICE MED4WOMAN VOLOS
Obstetrician-Gynecologist
PhD, University of Athens Medical School
Obstetrician-gynecologist Panagiotis Polyzos practices at the Institute of Life, the IVF Unit of IASO Maternity Hospital.
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the microorganism Chlamydia trachomatis. In men, it typically infects the urethra and epididymis, while in women it affects the cervix and fallopian tubes. In newborns of infected mothers, it can infect the eyes and lungs. The high prevalence of this infection is due to the fact that it often presents without any noticeable symptoms. When sexual partners are not treated simultaneously, they can repeatedly reinfect each other.
You may not realize you have chlamydia, as many individuals do not show signs or symptoms such as genital pain or abnormal vaginal or penile discharge.
Chlamydia trachomatis most commonly affects young women, but the infection can occur in both men and women of all ages. It is not difficult to treat, but if left untreated, it can lead to more serious health problems.
Early-stage Chlamydia trachomatis infections often cause few or no signs and symptoms. Even when symptoms do appear, they are usually mild, making them easy to overlook.
Symptoms and signs of a Chlamydia trachomatis infection may include:
Chlamydia can also infect the rectum, either without noticeable symptoms or with rectal pain, discharge, or bleeding. Chlamydial eye infections (conjunctivitis) may also occur through contact with infected bodily fluids.
Visit your doctor if you experience discharge from the vagina, penis, or rectum, or if you have pain during urination. You should also see your doctor if you learn that your sexual partner has chlamydia. Your doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic even if you do not have any symptoms.
The bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is most commonly transmitted through vaginal, oral, or anal sex. It is also possible for pregnant women to pass chlamydia to their babies during childbirth, causing pneumonia or a serious eye infection in newborns.
Factors that increase the risk of developing a Chlamydia trachomatis infection include:
Chlamydia trachomatis may be associated with:
Sexually active women aged 25 or younger. The rate of chlamydia infection is highest in this group, so an annual screening test is recommended. Even if you have been tested in the past year, get tested when you have a new sexual partner.
Pregnant women. You should be tested for chlamydia during your prenatal checkups. If you are at high risk of infection, because of a new sexual partner or because your regular partner may have been infected, get tested again later in your pregnancy.
Women and men at high risk. Individuals with multiple sexual partners, those who do not consistently use condoms, or men who have sex with men should consider frequent screening for chlamydia. Other high-risk indicators include an active sexually transmitted infection and possible exposure through an infected partner.
Screening and diagnosis for chlamydia are relatively simple. Tests include:
A urine test. A sample from the first part of the urine stream is tested in the laboratory with a molecular method (NAAT/PCR). It is the preferred sample for men.
A vaginal or cervical sample. For women, a swab is taken from the vagina or cervix and tested with a molecular method (NAAT/PCR), which is now the test of choice. Older cultures and antigen tests are clearly less sensitive and are no longer used as a first choice. The sample can be taken during a Pap test (Pap smear) at a routine checkup.
For men, as an alternative to urine, a sample can be taken from the urethra with a thin swab. When there has been anal or oral sex, samples are also taken from the rectum or throat.
If you have been treated for an initial chlamydia infection, you should be retested in about three months.
Chlamydia trachomatis infection is treated with antibiotics. According to current guidelines, the first choice is doxycycline twice a day for 7 days. Alternatively, for example during pregnancy, azithromycin is given as a single dose.
Avoid sex for 7 days: until you finish the doxycycline course or for 7 days after the single dose of azithromycin, and in any case until your partner has also been treated. Your sexual partner or partners also need treatment even if they have no signs or symptoms. Otherwise, the infection can be passed back and forth between sexual partners.
Having chlamydia or having been treated for it in the past does not prevent you from becoming infected again.
In men, chlamydia usually does not present noticeable symptoms. In contrast, women may experience various discharges, discomfort, burning during urination, and vaginal pain. For this reason — and because symptoms tend to appear more clearly — women often realize something is wrong more quickly, making diagnosis relatively prompt.
Yes, chlamydia can be detected through a Pap test; however, a Pap smear is typically performed for broader cervical screening purposes. To learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of chlamydia, contact Dr. Polyzos today.
Chlamydia testing has changed in recent years. Older cultures and antigen tests have largely been replaced by molecular methods.
Gonorrhea, trichomonas and Mycoplasma genitalium are often tested together in the same sample. Testing can also be done from the liquid-based cytology vial, at the same time as cervical screening.
Current guidelines prefer doxycycline for seven days as the first choice, because it is more effective than a single dose of azithromycin, especially when there is a rectal infection. Azithromycin remains an alternative, for example during pregnancy. Your doctor will choose the regimen.
Infection during pregnancy has been linked to premature rupture of the membranes and preterm birth, and it can be passed to the newborn during delivery and cause conjunctivitis or pneumonia.
Chlamydia testing is part of prenatal care, so ask your doctor whether it has been done.
Telling your partners may be the hardest part, but it is also the most important. Without it, reinfection is almost certain.
If you find it difficult, ask your doctor for a written note for your partner with the diagnosis and the treatment needed.
Many women only find out about a past chlamydia infection when they have trouble getting pregnant. A silent infection may have caused pelvic inflammatory disease and damage to the fallopian tubes without any symptoms.
The best way to protect your fertility is to get tested with every change of partner and to be treated early.
Yes. About seven in ten women and half of men have no symptoms at all.
The test is reliable about one to two weeks after exposure.
Yes, with antibiotics. It does not leave immunity, so you can be infected again.
Seven days after finishing treatment, and only once your partner has also been treated.
If left untreated, it can travel up to the fallopian tubes and leave damage. Early treatment prevents this complication.
Yes, transmission to the throat is possible, although less common. Throat infection usually causes no symptoms and is tested with a separate throat swab.
Yes. Guidelines recommend treating partners regardless of their test result, because a negative test does not rule out a recent infection.
No. The bacterium does not survive outside the body and is spread only through sexual contact and from mother to newborn during delivery.
