What is Chlamydia?

Chlamydia (pronounced kluh-mid-ee-uh) is the most frequently reported sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by bacteria in the UK. One of the key issues with this STD is the fact that women are often reinfected, meaning they can get the STD again and again, if their sex partner/s are not effectively treated. This of course means that early detection is especially important as reinfections place women at a higher risk of serious reproductive health complications in the future, including infertility.

Sexually active women and men can get chlamydia through sexual contact with an infected person. Chlamydia can be passed during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Because there are often no symptoms, people who are infected may unknowingly pass chlamydia to their sex partners.

An infected mother can also pass chlamydia to her baby during childbirth. Babies born to infected mothers can get pneumonia or infections in their eyes, also called conjunctivitis.

By the process of simple statistics the more sex partners a person has, the greater the risk is of being infected with chlamydia. Chlamydia is easily confused with gonorrhea, another STD. Gonorrhea and chlamydia have similar symptoms and can have similar complications if not treated, but the two STDs have different treatments so correct diagnosis is vital.