Chlamydia – Symptoms

Transcript

“What are some of the symptoms of chlamydia? The symptoms can be varied. And chlamydia is interesting in that it can sometimes be asymptomatic, meaning that there are no symptoms. Symptoms of chlamydia in women can include painful urination, purulent or pussy vaginal discharge that’s actually coming from the cervix. It can also include pain with sex, and it can include bleeding after sex because of the irritation of the cervix. So if there’s spotting or bleeding, which is called post-coital spotting or bleeding, it’s important to make sure that there’s no infection or cervicitis or inflammation in the cervix caused by chlamydia. The symptoms of chlamydia in men also can include painful urination or purulent or discharge from the penis. Or other symptoms can be more systemic, like fever or chills, or just feeling overall unwell. In both men and women, the chlamydia can actually climb up from the lower genital tract into the upper genital tract.

And in women, this can cause scarring or inflammation, or what’s called pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to infertility in men. When chlamydia climbs up the genital tract, it can actually go into the epididymis and cause epididymitis. And this is a little coiled area on the back of the testicles, and it can sometimes lead to swelling or pain in one of the testicles. In worst case scenarios, this can cause infertility in men and maybe infertility in women. So especially since chlamydia can be asymptomatic and you don’t necessarily know you have it, it’s really important to make sure that you talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about having been exposed.”