Chlamydia: The most common STD in the United States. Is it time to get tested?

There are more dangerous sexually transmitted diseases than chlamydia. There are STDs making headlines and claiming more lives, but Chlamydia infections in the United States have reached unprecedented proportions and something needs to be done about it. The most obvious thing to do is have everyone who engages in sexual activity get tested to verify their status. This would allow the potentially infected person to take control of their body, begin treatment, and return to good health.

Some STDs leave a trail of obvious symptoms. With herpes are the nasty sores and scabs that appear on the mouth, lips and genitals. With syphilis and gonorrhea it’s the stinging pain you feel when you urinate, and with pubic lice and scabies there’s the unstoppable itch. Chlamydia is a different type of STD. Many people with chlamydia do not experience any symptoms. Although all the time they are infected the disease is inside their bodies wreaking havoc on the reproductive organs. Getting tested is the smart thing to do if you are a man or woman who has sex and would like to have a child one day.

The number of people in the United States infected with this insidious disease is staggering. It is estimated that more than three million men, women, and children in the United States are infected with Chlamydia every year! Chlamydia is most common in people age twenty-five or younger and because their cervix is ​​not yet fully developed, it appears that girls are more likely to get this disease than boys. Still, both men and women should be tested for chlamydia if they engage in sexual activity of any kind.

Let’s take a long step back and start from the beginning: What exactly is chlamydia? Chlamydia is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the United States and is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis. This bacterium infects the vagina, cervix, rectum, penis, and urethra and can be passed from mother to child during childbirth. Again, everyone who has sex and especially those who find themselves pregnant, whether planned or unplanned, should be tested for chlamydia.

What was the mode of transmission for those who became infected with Chlamydia? The transmission of this STD is generally the same for any other STD. It ping pongs in the population due to sexual activity that includes vaginal, oral or anal. Because it is so easy to become infected with Chlamydia, the test should be given as soon as possible.

Although many of the individuals infected with this disease do not have symptoms, some do. If you are currently sexually active, watch for the following symptoms:

in women

pain when urinating
belly bread
lower back pain
Nausea
Fever
painful intercourse
spotting between periods

in men

penis discharge
pain when urinating
Itching at the tip of the penis.
Painful golden and swollen testicles

If you are currently experiencing any of these symptoms, what should you do? Get tested right away. If left untreated in women, the results of the infection can cause PID, or pelvic inflammatory disease. This occurs when the bacteria infects cells on a woman’s cervix and spreads to the uterus and/or fallopian tubes. PID can cause significant health problems for women. Problems include chronic pelvic pain, ectopic (or tubal) pregnancies, and infertility. Scarring can occur due to infection and will prevent an egg from being fertilized properly. Getting tested for chlamydia can end a lifetime of regret and suffering.

What is not commonly known is that women who have chlamydia are five times more likely to contract HIV from their partner. This is a disturbing statistic, to be sure. Although all it takes is the quick, easy and affordable chlamydia test to stop the infection before it reaches a point where it does this terrible physical (and mental! and emotional!) damage.