Chlamydia – testing, testing...

Chlamydia is the UK's most common sexually transmitted disease, with one out of every 14 young people directly affected by it every year. Unlike other STIs, Chlamydia is easy to pass on or pick up unwittingly because it's often impossible to tell if you or your sexual partner has been infected. The disease has no noticeable symptoms in the early stages. 

However, just because the symptoms aren't there, don’t be fooled into thinking that this isn't a serious disease. If left untreated, Chlamydia can have serious long-term health implications for men and women. So let's take a closer look at this disease, and why it's important to take back control of your sexual health by getting tested regularly.

How is Chlamydia transmitted?

Like all other STIs, Chlamydia is transmitted through sexual contact with an infected partner. That includes both penetrative and oral sex. It can also be transmitted from a mother to her child during birth, and very rarely by touching the eyes after touching the genitals.

Whereas with other types of STIs there are clear indications that warn you of an infection, Chlamydia has very few noticeable symptoms early on. But you can look out for some warning signs:

For women:

• Pain during sex
• Bleeding after sex that isn't associated with your normal monthly cycle
• An increase in the amount of vaginal discharge

For men:

• Pain or a burning sensation when urinating
• Painful swelling of the testicles
• Discharge from the penis

Is it easy to treat?

Chlamydia is easily treated with a course of antibiotics, and the earlier the condition is detected, the easier it is to treat. Left untreated it can cause some very serious health complications including infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease in women and Epididymitis in men. While these are not life-threatening, they do cause considerable pain and discomfort.

But I'm embarrassed to go to the doctor to get tested...

'Embarrassment' is right up there with ignorance as one of the biggest causes of the spread of STIs! But fortunately, you don't have to go to the doctor to keep an eye on your sexual health - and it won’t cost you anything either.

The freetest.me chlamydia test is a special NHS-approved kit that's available free to under-25s who are sexually active. This test can be done at home, so there's no embarrassing visits to your local sexual health clinic or GP. It's quick and easy - all you have to do is supply a urine sample or a vaginal swab, which you then send back to the laboratory in the return box. Your results will be sent through to you either by text message, email or you can track your test online.

The testing kit comes in discrete packaging, and contains everything you need to do your own Chlamydia test in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

When should I get tested?

It's advisable to test yourself for Chlamydia every time you change sexual partners. Remember - you can't tell if someone has Chlamydia just by 'looking' at them - 75% of women and 50% of men don't show any symptoms even if they are infected.

STIs are one of the biggest problems amongst young people today, so take back control over your sexual health by finding out if you're eligible for a free freetest.me chlamydia testing test pack online now (or see if you can collect a free Chlamydia test locally).

Valentine’s Day is on the Horizon

February means Valentine’s Day is on the horizon – chocolates and flowers may be on the cards but there is a present that you definitely don’t want: Chlamydia!

Amazingly this period is often busiest in STI clinics and can be a time when relationships are sorely tested – with evidence on infidelity popping up unexpectedly in the form of flowers and cards in the post from unexpected sources!

And this is really where the guys come in - chlamydia, as I have mentioned before, may cause no symptoms at all in men, or it can cause some discomfort when peeing and even cause a discharge to occur, but these symptoms are often ignored by many blokes. If it is not detected and treated we are sure that chlamydia can cause long-term problems like inflammation to the fine tubes that take sperm from the testicles to the penis. There is some evidence that it may eventually block these tubes with scar tissue. This means that although you will still be able to produce semen there will be no sperm in it as they will be unable to get out of the testicles.

Infection in the testicles and these tubes is called epididymitis, and is important because of the risks to male fertility. Some research suggests the possibility that chlamydia can cause the body to make antibodies against it but which can then attack sperm, causing a reduced sperm count and problems with their mobility. This will then seriously affect their ability to successfully fertilise an egg. We are still looking into this but the bottom line is very clear: if you don't get treated you are putting not only yourself but also your partner at risk of infertility. It’s a shame that this is not well known, and much more attention is given to the problems chlamydia causes in women but these male issues could be just as important.

If you suspect there have been more than two people in your relationship then it is really important to go for a chlamydia test – as a naïve belief in a monogamous relationship that isn’t can lead to troubles with infections later on.

Why not use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to show how much you care for each other and both get properly tested? Free postal tests for Chlamydia are available from freetest.me.

Chlamydia - Why can it affect women so badly?

The reason why chlamydia can have such a devastating effect in women is because it can travel to the delicate reproductive organs. The uterus, or womb, is shaped like an upside-down pear with its lower end narrowing to form a protective opening called the cervix. In teenage girls the cervix is still not fully developed and matured and is lined with fresh tissue that is easily infected by chlamydia. Of course you can catch chlamydia at any age but their young cervix makes teenage girls far more vulnerable. But it doesn’t just stop at the cervix. The bacterium can creep upward to the uterus and fallopian tubes, the fine tubes that act as guides for the egg to move from the ovaries, at ovulation, down into the uterus. It can cause chronic inflammation and infection in these tubes, which may not be noticed for many months or even years. This long-term infection can cause the tubes to gradually scar and become blocked so that while you may still be producing eggs they are not able to travel down into the womb to get fertilized by sperm. This condition is known as pelvic inflammatory disease and whilst there are other causes of it, we know that half of all PID cases may be due to chlamydia. PID is a concern because not only can it ruin your fertility but also if a pregnancy does occur it can cause it to form outside the uterus (called a tubal or ectopic pregnancy). The scarring can also cause pain that can last for months or even years. Occasionally, the effects of PID can be so severe that surgery is required to remove pus, get rid of scar tissue or remove the damaged organs.

PID can cause different symptoms in different women, but generally includes dull pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen, vaginal discharge that is often yellow or green and may have an unpleasant smell, irregular menstrual periods, such as extra long periods, spotting or cramps throughout the month, chills, high fever, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, pain during sex, lower back pain and painful urination. Some women who have PID don’t experience any of these symptoms and so have no idea that they have it –the first time that it is diagnosed is when they have been trying to get pregnant for long time without success. Please don’t let this be you - get tested for Chlamydia.

Monday 14th January is National STIQ Day 2013

National STIQ Day is held every January 14th - two weeks after New Year. The awareness day was launched in 2010 to encourage people to think about their sexual health - it's a day to ask questions about sexual health, and maybe to question your own sexual health.

Two weeks is the time after which common STIs such as Chlamydia can be detected with a simple STI test kit.

Nobody likes to think that they could have a sexually transmitted infection, yet anyone who has ever had unprotected sexual contact (including, for example, oral sex) could be at risk.

Although many people don't think they've got an STI, around 1-in-12 of those who get tested find that they are infected with an STI! This may sound surprising, but as some of the most common STIs (such as Chlamydia) often don't show any signs, most people who have the infection wouldn't even know.

Have you ever had unprotected sexual contact? Do you think you may have be at risk from an STI? Would you like to get tested for Chlamydia or other STIs? - Even if you only answered 'yes' to the first question, you may have put yourself at risk - there's only one way to be sure if you've become infected - get an STI test!

To read more about STIQ Day, see www.stiq.org.uk.

Chlamydia - What is it?

Why is it that we get nagged so often in magazines and health campaigns about getting tested for chlamydia? Why is it so important to get tested for something that you can’t see or feel?

Well, if I told you that there was a bug going round that could secretly invade your organs and prevent you from ever having children - without you having any idea you were infected with it, would you worry? If I told you that it can infect babies as they are delivered causing a nasty discharge of pus from their eyes about a week after birth, which if untreated can go on to become a pneumonia, would you want to know more? I think so!

That’s exactly what chlamydia does and as it’s now one of the most common sexually transmitted infections around you can see why there are so many warnings about it. The numbers of people infected with chlamydia are reaching worrying proportions so I am urging all sexually active men and women to get tested for the disease every six months.

There are many sexual health clinics around that can give you loads of advice and test you for a variety of sexually transmitted infections, but for speed and convenience you can also test for chlamydia via post through freetest.me.

If you are embarrassed to talk to someone face to face or are simply not able to get away from work to go to an appointment then this may be a good option for you – it’s definitely better than doing nothing at all. Best of all, testing is free for under 25s!