If chlamydia is left untreated, it can spread to the womb and cause a serious condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is a major cause of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women.
An untreated chlamydia infection can persist for several years. Although this goes for both men and women, it is believed that men are less likely to carry the bacteria for several years. If you remain infected for a long time you have an increased risk of complications.
However, if chlamydia is left untreated, it can cause permanent damage. Your risk of getting other STIs, like gonorrhea or HIV, increases. In males, untreated chlamydia can lead to sterility (inability to make sperm).
It takes 7 days for the medicine to work in your body and cure Chlamydia infection. If you have sex without a condom during the 7 days after taking the medicine, you could still pass the infection to your sex partners, even if you have no symptoms.
What are the symptoms? Symptoms can occur within 2-14 days after infection. However, a person may have chlamydia for months, or even years, without knowing it.
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.
In women, chlamydia can spread to the womb, ovaries or fallopian tubes. This can cause a condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can cause a number of serious problems, such as: difficulty getting pregnant or infertility.
It's not a big deal - it's the most common sexually transmitted infection you can pick up. 80 per cent of people who have chlamydia don't have any symptoms. The doctor will give you one dose of antibiotics and boom, you're cured.
But if they're not treated there's a risk the bacteria could travel into the female reproductive organs. If you have chlamydia and it's left untreated, it may develop into PID within a year.
Increased risk of fertility issues
Chlamydia can eventually cause excessive damage and scarring to the fallopian tubes, ovaries, or testicles, all of which can contribute to a higher risk of infertility.
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.
Chlamydia rarely goes away by itself. In fact, it can cause some serious health problems if left untreated in both men and women. Thankfully, chlamydia is curable! All you need is a short course of antibiotics.
The initial damage that chlamydia causes often goes unnoticed. However, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems. In women, untreated chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
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.
Early-stage Chlamydia trachomatis infections often cause few or no signs and symptoms. Even when signs and symptoms occur, they're often mild, making them easy to overlook. Signs and symptoms of Chlamydia trachomatis infection can include: Painful urination.
(Remember, the signs of chlamydia in women and men can be hard to spot.) And don't feel embarrassed or guilty if you do have chlamydia. “There is a sense of shame around sexually transmitted diseases,” Dr. Grifo says.
In the later stages of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia, people often complain about being extremely tired. Along with these infections, fatigue can also be caused by Hepatitis A, B, or C. Associating fatigue with having a busy lifestyle is not a good idea as it can be a symptom of a Sexually Transmitted Disease.
Left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause serious health problems like PID, infertility, and potential deadly ectopic pregnancy. Also, without treatment, your partner might pass the STD back to you.
The majority of people who have chlamydia aren't aware of any signs or symptoms, even after several months or years with infection. Nonetheless the impact of untreated chlamydia can be serious for women, causing significant damage to the reproductive organs.
Untreated, about 10-15% of women with chlamydia will develop PID. Chlamydia can also cause fallopian tube infection without any symptoms. PID and “silent” infection in the upper genital tract may cause permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and surrounding tissues, which can lead to infertility.
Chlamydiae exist as two stages: (1) infectious particles called elementary bodies and (2) intracytoplasmic, reproductive forms called reticulate bodies.
Chlamydia isn't spread through casual contact, so you CAN'T get chlamydia from sharing food or drinks, kissing, hugging, holding hands, coughing, sneezing, or sitting on the toilet. Using condoms and/or dental dams every time you have sex is the best way to help prevent chlamydia.