Chlamydia is most common among young people. Two-thirds of new chlamydial infections occur among youth aged 15-24 years. Estimates show that 1 in 20 sexually active young women aged 14-24 years has chlamydia. Disparities persist among racial and ethnic minority groups.
Previous data suggest that females are more likely to contract Chlamydia trachomatis from infected males than males are likely to contract it from females. But . . .
Sexually active women 25 and younger. Older women who have new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted disease. Men who have sex with men (MSM)
A woman's anatomy is more exposed and vulnerable to STDs than male anatomy, as her vagina is thinner and more delicate, making it easier for bacteria and viruses to penetrate.
Sexually active young people are at a higher risk of getting chlamydia. This is due to behaviors and biological factors common among young people. Gay and bisexual men are also at risk since chlamydia can spread through oral and anal sex.
Because the vagina is moist and has a thin lining, it's easier for a woman to get an STI than it is for a man to get one. Also, a woman is less likely to have symptoms of common STIs — such as chlamydia and gonorrhea — compared with a man.
Myth: You can't catch chlamydia if you've only had sex once. Fact: If you have sex once with a partner who's got chlamydia, you've got around a 30% chance that you'll pick up the infection from that one time.
Late-stage chlamydia refers to an infection that has spread to other parts of the body. For example, it may have spread to the cervix (cervicitis), testicular tubes (epididymitis), eyes (conjunctivitis), or throat (pharyngitis), causing inflammation and pain.
If you have chlamydia, there is a 30% to 50% chance of your partner catching it every time you have unprotected sex. Since chlamydia often has no symptoms, you probably won't know whether your partner has it. Chlamydia can't spread from toilets, swimming pools or usual contact with people.
In women, untreated Chlamydia could result in pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility or pregnancy complications such as ectopic pregnancies. Men may suffer from prostatitis, epididymitis, and scarring of the urethra which can result in infertility.
Using condoms for oral, anal or vaginal sex. Condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of gonorrhea and chlamydia. Use a condom or latex barrier for oral sex on a vagina or anus.
As most people do not have symptoms, it is possible the person (who tested positive) could have had chlamydia/gonorrhea from a previous relationship, and has not passed it to their partner yet. It is never 100% that you will pass an STI when you have sex.
Young, sexually active females need testing every year. Most people who have chlamydia don't know it. Often the disease has no symptoms. You can pass chlamydia to others without knowing it.
Chlamydia can lie dormant for months or years and it is often detected through screening and routine sexual health testing. If symptoms do develop, it usually takes 1-3 weeks after exposure to notice signs.
Being tested means that you can be treated, and the proper treatment will help clear up a chlamydial infection in a matter of weeks. On the other hand, if you don't get tested or don't see a healthcare provider for treatment, chlamydia can live in the body for weeks, months, or even years without being detected.
Symptoms can occur within 2-14 days after infection. However, a person may have chlamydia for months, or even years, without knowing it.
Chlamydia isn't directly fatal, but if left untreated, it can lead to a number of serious complications. In women, these complications include inflammation of sexual organs (i.e. cervix, urethra, lining of the uterus, uterus, fallopian tubes, and pelvis), infertility, and chronic pelvic pain.
If your partner has gonorrhea or chlamydia, is it possible to have unprotected sex and not get these infections? While it is possible to have vaginal, oral, or anal sex with an infected partner and not get infected, it's unlikely.
Can you develop a chlamydia infection on your own? Fortunately, you can't contract chlamydia on your own because it spreads through sexual contact with other people. Chlamydia bacteria does, however, thrive in vaginal fluid, semen, and pre-ejaculate (the fluids that the penis may release before sexual climax).
If 2 people who don't have any STDs have sex, it's not possible for either of them to get one. A couple can't create an STD from nothing — they have to get spread from one person to another.
Condoms are the only form of contraception that help to prevent sexually transmissible infections (STIs) like chlamydia and gonorrhoea. However, condoms don't protect you from all STIs such as herpes, genital warts, syphilis and monkeypox which can be spread from skin-to-skin contact.