Chlamydial Infections:
Teen information

Chlamydia is a very common sexually transmitted disease that can affect both men and women. The disease is spread by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis during unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex with an infected person. The infection can cause symptoms of vaginal discharge and pain in women, or it may cause no symptoms at all. If a chlamydia infection goes untreated, it can impair a woman's fertility. It can also predispose a woman to having an ectopic pregnancy, which is a life-threatening surgical emergency. In men, the infection rarely has symptoms but if left untreated can also cause sterility. Many people who have a sexually transmitted disease have no symptoms, so it is important to discuss your concerns and sexual history with your doctor so you can have routine testing. If you have a chlamydia infection and are treated, you can get it again. It is easily spread through unprotected sex and can also less commonly be spread from an infected mother to her baby at the time of birth; this can create a potentially life-threatening infection in the baby.