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

There are sexually transmitted diseases more dangerous than chlamydia. There are STDs that make bigger headlines and claim 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 that can be done is for everyone involved in sexual activity to get tested to check 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 unsightly sores and scabs that appear on the mouth, lips, and genitals. With syphilis and gonorrhea it’s the stabbing pain you feel when urinating, and with pubic lice and scabies there’s the unstoppable itching. Chlamydia is a different type of STD. Many people with chlamydia do not experience any symptoms. Yet the entire 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 is having 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 each year! Chlamydia is most common in people in their twenties and younger, and because their cervix is ​​not yet fully developed, it seems that girls are more likely to get this disease than boys. Regardless, both men and women should get 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 bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. This bacteria infects the vagina, cervix, rectum, penis, and urethra and can be passed from mother to child during childbirth. Again, everyone who is having sex and especially those who are pregnant, whether planned or unplanned, should be tested for Chlamydia.

What was the mode of transmission for those infected with Chlamydia? The transmission of this STD is generally the same for any other STD. He ping pong in the population due to sexual activity which includes vaginal, oral or anal. Because it is so easy to get 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 swollen golden testicles

If you are currently experiencing any of these symptoms, what should you do? Get tested right away. If left untreated in women, the infection results in PID or pelvic inflammatory disease. This occurs when the bacteria infect the cells of a woman’s cervix and spread 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 life of regret and suffering.

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