Chlamydia Treatment In Community Pharmacy.

Chlamydia is a bacterial infection. It’s one of the most common sexually transmitted infections.

How do you get chlamydia?
The most common way to get chlamydia is by having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex (sex without a condom). Other ways of getting chlamydia include:

sharing sex toys that aren’t washed or covered with a new condom each time they’re used
infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eye
Chlamydia can also be passed by a pregnant woman to her baby.

Symptoms of chlamydia
Most people with chlamydia don’t notice any symptoms and don’t know they have it.

If you do develop symptoms, you may experience:

●pain when peeing
unusual discharge from the vagina, penis or rectum (back passage)
●pain in the lower tummy, bleeding after sex, and bleeding between periods
●pain in the testicles
red, sticky eyes

Chlamydia Symptoms in Men
Many men are unaware of the signs and symptoms of chlamydia. The majority of males show no signs or symptoms at all. The following are some of the men’s most prevalent chlamydia symptoms:

●Yellow or green discharge from the penis
●Pain in the lower abdomen
●Pain in the testicles
●Burning sensation during urination
●It’s also possible to get a chlamydia infection in the anus. In this case, the main symptoms are often:

●discharge
●Pain
●bleeding from this area

Chlamydia Symptoms in Women
Many guys aren’t aware of chlamydia’s indications and symptoms. Some of the most common chlamydia symptoms in guys are as follows:

●Painful sexual intercourse (dyspareunia)
●Pain in the lower abdomen
●Burning sensation during nation
Inflammation of the cervix (cervicitis)
●Bleeding between periods
●Vaginal discharge
Chlamydia may infect the rectum as well. A woman with a chlamydia infection in the rectum may not have any symptoms. Rectal discomfort, discharge, and bleeding are all possible signs of a rectal infection

Testing for chlamydia
If you think you have chlamydia you should make an appointment with your GP or local sexual health services or laboratory.

The test for chlamydia is simple, painless and very reliable. It involves sending a sample to a lab for analysis from the area of the body thought to be infected.

In the majority of cases you don’t have to be examined by a doctor or nurse and can often collect the sample yourself.

Risk factors
Chlamydia trachomatis is caused by several factors, including

Being sexually active before age 25
Having multiple sex partners
Not using a condom consistently
History of sexually transmitted infection
Complications
If left untreated, chlamydia can lead to a variety of issues in both men and women.
In women, chlamydia can cause complications such as

Pelvic inflammatory disease
Infertility
Chronic pelvic pain
A higher chance of ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilised egg implants outside the womb.
Premature birth, infection transmission to the baby, miscarriage, or stillbirth are complications that can occur during pregnancy.
Reactive arthritis
In men, chlamydia complications includes

Inflammation of the testicles, epididymitis, or epididymo-orchitis
Reactive arthritis where the joints, eyes, or urethra becomes inflamed
Inflamed rectum

The 2 main ways the sample can be collected are:

1.using a swab – a small cotton bud is gently wiped over the area that might be infected, such as inside the vagina, throat, or inside the anus
2.peeing into a container – this should ideally be done at least 1 or 2 hours after you last.

Treating chlamydia
Antibiotics will get rid of the chlamydia infection.

You should also avoid having sex until one week after you and your partner(s) have been treated. This includes oral sex and sex using a condom.

If chlamydia is left untreated you may pass it onto other sexual partners.

Chlamydia can occasionally lead to more serious problems such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is when the infection gets into the womb and fallopian tubes. PID could lead to problems in the long term, such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy.

Infection can sometimes spread to the testicles causing pain, swelling and inflammation.

Avoiding passing on chlamydia to a partner
To avoid passing on chlamydia to your partner(s) you shouldn’t have sex until one week after you and your partner(s) have been treated.

●It’s good practice to get a sexual health check-up when you change sexual partner.

●If you have tested positive for chlamydia, all of your sexual partners in last 6 months should be offered a test.

●Reducing the risk of chlamydia
The best way to prevent all sexually transmitted infections is to practice safer sex. This means using a condom for vaginal, anal or oral sex.