Chlamydia - What are the symptoms?

Chlamydia is sometimes called the 'silent disease' because you can have it without knowing it. As many as 8 in 10 women and 5 in 10 men who have chlamydia don't have any obvious signs of the infection.

If you do get symptoms, they start one week to three weeks after you've been infected.[2]

The most common symptoms in women are:[2]

Unusual discharge from your vagina
Bleeding between periods
Pain when passing urine
Pain in the lower abdomen.

The most common symptoms in men are:[2]

Discharge from your penis
Burning and itching around your genitals
Pain when passing urine.

In men or women who have anal sex, chlamydia can cause inflammation in their back passage (rectum).[3] This is called proctitis. Proctitis can cause pain, discomfort, bleeding, constipation or an unusual discharge.

Symptoms of chlamydia may carry on, but sometimes they disappear after a few days.

If you're at risk of chlamydia and have one or more symptoms, you should see your doctor or visit your local sexual health clinic (also known as a genitourinary medicine, or GUM, clinic). You'll be offered a simple test that will show whether or not you have the infection.

The test for chlamydia can be done on either a sample of your urine or a swab sample. A swab is a twist of cotton at the end of a thin stick. Your nurse or doctor uses the swab to take a sample of fluid. The fluid can then be tested for the bacteria that cause chlamydia.

If you're a woman, your doctor or nurse will usually take the swab sample from the neck of your womb (cervix). There are tests that allow you to take your own swab sample at home. But these tests may not be available everywhere.[4] [5] [6]
If you're a man, your doctor or nurse will take the swab sample from the tube (urethra) that carries urine down from your bladder. You many find that a urine sample is best for you because taking a swab can be hard and uncomfortable for men.[7] [8]

If your test shows you have chlamydia, your last sex partner, and any other partners you've had within the past few months, should be tested too.[9] [1] Your recent partners need to have a test even if they don't have any signs of infection. And they may be offered treatment even if the test shows they don't have chlamydia, just in case. This will stop you getting infected again and help to prevent the disease spreading to other people.[2]

Most people with chlamydia don't know they've got it, so it's important for people who are at risk to have regular screening tests.

In the UK, doctors recommend testing for chlamydia for some groups of people who are at more risk of getting the infection.[10] You should have a test for chlamydia if you:

Are younger than 25 and have had a new sexual partner in the past 12 months
Have a sex partner with chlamydia or suspected chlamydia
Are attending a sexual health (genitourinary medicine) clinic
Already have another sexually transmitted infection
Have a baby with signs of chlamydial eye or lung infection
Are donating your eggs or sperm.

If you're a woman, doctors recommend you have a test if you're:

Younger 25 and having your first cervical smear test
Having a termination of a pregnancy (abortion)
Having anything inserted into your womb, including an IUD (coil), and you're at risk of chlamydia.

In England, a national programme is being introduced so that all people younger than 25 who're at risk are offered screening tests in places such as:[11]

Family planning clinics
Health centres and general practitioner surgeries
Hospital maternity departments
Drop-in centres
Military bases
Colleges.

References

British Association of Sexual Health and HIV. 2006 UK national guideline for the management of genital tract infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. British Association of Sexual Health and HIV. Available at http://www.bashh.org/guidelines/2006/chlamydia_0706.pdf (accessed 29 October 2007).
Health Protection Agency. Chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis). Available at http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections (accessed on 29 October 2007).
Waalboer R, van der Snoek EM, van der Meijden WI, et al. Analysis of rectal chlamydia trachomatis serovar distribution including L2 (lymphogranuloma venereum) at the Erasmus MC STI clinic, Rotterdam. Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2006; 82: 207-211.
Black CM. Current methods of laboratory diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis infections. Clinical Microbiology Review. 1997; 10: 160-184.
Ostergaard L, Andersen B, Olesen F, et al. Efficacy of home sampling of Chlamydia trachomatis: randomised study. BMJ. 1998; 317: 26-27.
Hook EW 3rd, Smith K, Mullen C, et al. Diagnosis of genitourinary Chlamydia trachomatis infections by using the ligase chain reaction on patient obtained vaginal swabs. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 1997; 35: 2133-2135.
Quinn TC, Welsh L, Lenz A, et al. Diagnosis by AMPLICOR PCR of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in urine samples from women and men attending sexually transmitted disease clinics. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 1996; 34: 1401-1406.
Chernesky MA, Jang D, Lee H, et al. Diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in men and women by testing first-void urine by ligase chain reaction. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 1994; 32: 2682-2685.
Health Protection Agency. Chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis). Available at http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections (accessed on 29 October 2007).
Health Protection Agency. Diagnosis of chlamydia. Quick reference guide for primary care. Revised 2006. Available at http://www.hpa.org.uk (accessed 29 October 2007).
Department of Health. The first steps: annual report of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme in England, 2003/2004. November 2004. Available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/09/30/91/04093091.pdf (accessed on 29 October 2007).

Glossary

bacteria: Bacteria are tiny organisms. There are lots of different types. Some are harmful and can cause disease. But some bacteria live in your body without causing any harm.
urethra: Your urethra is the tube that carries urine from your bladder out of your body. In a man, the urethra runs through the inside of the penis. In a woman, the urethra is shorter and opens onto the top of the vagina.
cervix: The cervix is a piece of tissue that sits between a woman's womb and her vagina. It has a small opening in it that gets much bigger when a woman is having a baby.
inflammation: Inflammation is when your skin or some other part of your body becomes red, swollen, hot and sore. Inflammation happens because your body is trying to protect you from germs, from something that's in your body and could harm you (like a splinter) or from things that cause allergies (these things are called allergens). Inflammation is one of the ways in which your body heals an infection or an injury.
constipated: When you're constipated, you have difficulty passing stools (faeces). Your bowel movements may be dry and hard. You may have fewer bowel movements than usual, and it may be a strain when you try to go.
sexually transmitted infection: An infection that is spread by people having sex is called a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Examples are HIV, gonorrhoea and syphilis.
intrauterine device (IUD): An intrauterine device (IUD) is a type of contraceptive. It is a small device made of copper or plastic, with threads at the end. These threads can be left in your vagina while the rest of the device sits in your womb (cervix). IUDs stop eggs sticking to your womb and growing.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.