Do I Have Chlamydia? Signs and Symptoms of Chlamydia
Hi, my name is  [PRESENTER NAME]. I’m [PRESENTER ROLE]. Welcome to “Do I Have Chlamydia? Signs and Symptoms of Chlamydia.”
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection. Chlamydia usually has no symptoms, can leave a woman unable to have children, and can be passed from the mother to child during vaginal childbirth. Having an active sexually transmitted infection such as chlamydia increases the risk you will get HIV or give it to someone else. HIV is incurable and can be fatal. Fortunately, chlamydia can be diagnosed with a test and cured with antibiotics. 
You can have chlamydia without knowing it. If you think you may have been exposed to or infected with any sexually transmitted infection, see a doctor and get tested whether or not you have any symptoms. All pregnant women should be checked for chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections.  
How Is Chlamydia Transmitted?
Chlamydia is transmitted by vaginal, oral or anal sexual contact. Chlamydia can also be transmitted from mother to child during vaginal delivery. 
Signs and Symptoms of Chlamydia
Chlamydia usually has no symptoms. If you have symptoms, they usually appear one to three weeks after infection.  
When a woman has a chlamydia infection in her vagina, symptoms may include:
•	abnormal vaginal discharge
•	"a burning sensation when urinating"
•	"lower abdominal pain"
•	"low back pain"
•	"nausea"
•	"fever"
•	"pain during" sex
•	"bleeding between menstrual periods"
When a man has a chlamydia infection, his symptoms may include:
•	abnormal discharge from his penis
•	 "burning sensation when urinating"
•	"burning and itching around the opening of the penis"
•	rarely, "pain and swelling in the testicles"
If the penis is put into a person's anus during intercourse, that person may get a chlamydia "infection in the rectum, which can cause rectal pain, fluid discharge, or bleeding."
Men or women who perform oral sex on an infected partner may get a chlamydia infection in their throat.
Effects of Untreated Chlamydia in Women
When not treated, chlamydia can cause a woman to develop:
•	pelvic inflammatory disease
•	"permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and surrounding tissues"
•	"chronic pelvic pain"
•	"infertility" (inability to have a baby)
•	ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus) which can be fatal
If a woman is infected multiple times with chlamydia, her risk of serious complications, including infertility (not being able to have a baby), increases.
Chlamydia in Pregnant Women
If you are a woman who is pregnant or who may become pregnant, it is important that you be tested for chlamydia. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all pregnant women be tested for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections including HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis B and that pregnant women who are at risk for gonorrhea or live where it is common be tested for gonorrhea. The World Health Organization recommends that all pregnant women be tested for HIV and syphilis and checked for symptoms of other sexually transmitted infections. 
If you are pregnant, have chlamydia, and don't get treated, your baby may have problems including:
•	premature delivery
•	infections of the eyes and lungs
•	pneumonia
By getting tested for chlamydia and treated if you need it, you can protect your own health and your baby's health too. So if you are pregnant, talk to your doctor right away, get tested for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections, and follow the doctor's instructions.
Effects of Untreated Chlamydia in Men
Rarely, men can develop complications including pain, fever, and even sterility (not being able to make a woman pregnant). 
Testing for Chlamydia
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that:
•	"[A]ll sexually active women age 25 years and younger" should be tested annually for chlamydia.
•	Older women who have risk factors for chlamydia, such as a new sex partner or multiple sex partners, should be tested for chlamydia.
•	All pregnant women should be tested for chlamydia.
•	All people who have chlamydia should be retested three months after they are treated, whether or not they believe that their sex partners were treated.
Both men and women can be tested for chlamydia through a urine sample. Men can be tested by swabbing a sample from inside the penis. Women can be tested by swabbing a sample from inside their vagina.
Testing for rectal chlamydia requires a swab of the rectum. Testing for chlamydia of the throat requires a swab of the throat. 
Chlamydia Treatment
If you have chlamydia, your doctor will give you antibiotics. Anytime your doctor gives you antibiotics, it's vital that you take them on schedule until you use them up. If you don't, it increases the risk that you won't be cured and that you will develop an infection that is harder to cure. Do not have sex until seven days after single-dose treatment or after you finish a seven-day treatment with antibiotics.
Getting Your Sexual Partners Tested and Treated for Chlamydia
If you have a sexually transmitted infection, it is important that all of your current and recent sexual partners be tested and treated as well. Don't resume having sex until you and all your partners have been tested and, if necessary, treated. Otherwise, they may infect you again the next time you have sex, and they may infect any other partners as well. If you aren't comfortable telling a current or recent sexual partner that you were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, in many places, you can give the public health service the names and contact information of your partners and the public health service will ask your partners to get tested without revealing your name.
Preventing Chlamydia
The best ways to prevent chlamydia are to:
•	abstain from sex
•	be mutually faithful with a partner who has been tested and is known not to have chlamydia. 
•	use a latex condom correctly every time you have sex because it will reduce the risk of transmitting chlamydia.
See a Doctor
Watching a video is no substitute for seeing a doctor and being evaluated in person. If you are feeling ill, have any signs or symptoms of disease, or think you may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted infection, see a doctor and be evaluated in person. 
For AIDSvideos.org, this is [PRESENTER NAME].
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TO LEARN MORE:

http://cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/
www.cdc.gov/std/treatment/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlamydia
http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/rtis/chlamydia/en/
http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/guide/chlamydia

WORKS CITED:

California STD/HIV Prevention Training Center. "Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Treatment Guidelines: Recommended Treatment for STDs in HIV-Infected Adults." Updated November 2011.

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Chlamydia - CDC Fact Sheet." http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/STDFact-Chlamydia.htm. Accessed 27 Nov 2011.

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines, 2010: Special Populations." http://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment/2010/specialpops.htm. Accessed 28 Nov 2011. 

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "STDs & Pregnancy - CDC Fact Sheet." http://www.cdc.gov/std/pregnancy/STDFact-Pregnancy.htm. Accessed 25 Nov 2011.

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "STD Trends in the United States: 2010 National Data for Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Syphilis." http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats10/trends.htm. Accessed 27 Nov 2011.

World Health Organization. "Standards for Maternal and Neonatal Care: Prevention and management of sexually transmitted and reproductive tract infections." http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/maternal_perinatal_health/prevention_mngt_stis.pdf, p.1. Accessed 25 Nov 2011.

This script was reviewed for accuracy and approved by Becky Kuhn, M.D. on December 31, 2011.

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