YOU AND CHLAMYDIA

About Chlamydia

Chlamydia is:

a sexually transmissible infection (STI)
most common among young people
likely not to have symptoms
a major cause of infertility
easily treated

What is chlamydia?

Chlamydia trachomatis is a common bacterium that infects the genitals, particularly the urethra (urine passage) and cervix (neck of the womb). It can also infect the anus, rectum, throat and eyes. It can affect both men and women at any age. As many as one in ten young people (16-25 years old) in the Hunter New England region are infected with chlamydia.

How is chlamydia transmitted?

It is most commonly transmitted by unprotected vaginal or anal sex (when condoms are not used), and less commonly through oral sex.

What are the symptoms?

Up to 90% of people infected with chlamydia will have no symptoms. When symptoms are present for genital chlamydia they can include:

stinging or burning sensation when passing urine
unusual discharge from the penis or vagina
vaginal pain during sex
vaginal bleeding after sex

What are the long-term effects of chlamydia?

If left untreated, chlamydia can:

lead to infertility in both men and women
cause pain due to pelvic inflammation in women (infection of the uterus and fallopian tubes)
increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus)
increase the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Prevention

Chlamydia infection can be effectively prevented by practising safe sex. This means using condoms (with lubricant) for vaginal and anal sex.

Chlamydia testing

Sexually active men and women under the age of 25 years are encouraged to have a chlamydia test at least once each year. More frequent testing may be appropriate with a change of partner or multiple partners. People of other ages should consider testing as required, particularly if they have a change of partner, or multiple partners.

The test for genital chlamydia requires a simple urine sample or a swab from the cervix. Women having a pap smear can be tested for chlamydia at the same time.

Chlamydia treatment

When detected early, chlamydia can be cured easily and quickly with antibiotics, often with a single dose. Upon treatment, a person should only have protected sex (with condoms) or avoid sex until at least one week after completing the prescribed medication.

Follow-up tests

Due to the high risk of re-infection anyone treated for chlamydia should be tested again about three months after treatment.

Treatment for sexual partners

Any recent sexual partners of someone diagnosed with chlamydia should also be treated for chlamydia due to their high risk of being infected. This process is discussed in the Contacting Sexual Partners section of this site.

A letter is also available from doctors to help with contacting partners. This can be done anonymously, if desired.

Further information

For further advice about chlamydia testing, speak to your doctor, make an appointment with a Sexual Health Service or a Family Planning Clinic call 1800 451 624 (in NSW Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm).

In Hunter New England, Sexual Health Clinics are available at the following locations:

Location	Venue	Phone
Cessnock	Community Health Service View Street, Cessnock 2325	(02) 4991 0438
Forster	The Lakes Clinic Forster/Tuncurry Community Health Centre 16 Breese Parade, Forster 2428	(02) 6555 6822
Newcastle	Pacific Clinic. Level 2 670 Hunter Street, Newcastle 2300	(02) 4016 4536
Tamworth	Bligh Street Clinic New England Sexual Health Service 5 Bligh Street, Tamworth 2430. Tel	(02) 6766 3095
Taree	Manning Clinic Taree Community Health Centre 64 Pulteney Street, Taree 2430	(02) 6592 9315

The Resources and Links page contains links to a selection of sites with useful information on chlamydia, other sexually transmissible infections and sexual health.