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Common Symptoms of Chlamydia

3 min read

By Emily Lockhart

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Andrea Eisenberg, MD

Chlamydia happens to be the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world.  With a whopping 2.3 million Americans infected, primarily men and women under the age of 25, Chlamydia can affect the genitals (penis or vagina), the cervix, urethra, anus, throat, or the eyes in its human hosts.

Chlamydia is most known as a sexually transmitted bacterial infection, spread by human to human sexual contact, including penetration, oral sex, petting, or contact with an infected person’s genitals, mouth, or anus. However, Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria can also be passed from mother to baby, or via contact with an infected person’s hand to eye contact.

Unfortunately, Chlamydia doesn’t always show obvious signs. However, you may experience the following symptoms within 5 to 10 days after you become infected…

No Symptoms

The scariest thing about Chlamydia is that it often shows no symptoms—with 3 out of 4 women unaware they have the infection; and 50-percent of men showing no signs of Chlamydia infection.

Burning Urination

Both men and women may feel some pain, often explained as a burning or fiery sensation, or an urgent, pressure-filled feeling prior to urinating.

Genital Discharge

Because women are more prone to catching Chlamydia due to the structure of the vagina, they may notice a thick, yellowish discharge with a strong, foul smell. Men may also experience a type of discharge— a milky pus coming from the penis.

Swelling

It is quite common for both males and females to experience swelling in the genital area. For instance, men may experience inflamed or tender testicles; while women may feel swelling inside the vagina or in the anal region.

Painful Intercourse

Pain during sex is quite common for women infected with Chlamydia. They might even endure vaginal bleeding post-intercourse.

Anal Itch

One common sign of Chlamydia from anal sex for both women and men is anal itching, that can be so severe it can cause discharge and bleeding.

Diarrhea

Akin to other bacterial infections, Chlamydia can cause abdominal pain, a loss of appetite, nausea, and explosive diarrhea.

Irritated Eyes

Chlamydia is not purely a sexually transmitted infection. For instance, it can enter the body through the eyes—either from mother to baby during delivery or contamination via eye contact with contaminated hands. Infection of the eyes will cause redness, itching, and milky eye discharge.

Sore Throat

Particularly in patients where Chlamydia contaminates the throat (from oral sex), the virus will often cause a raw, sore throat as well as painful eating and swallowing.

Blindness

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 15-percent of blindness incidents globally are due to Chlamydia infection.

MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Andrea Eisenberg, MD is a board certified OB/GYN in the Metro Detroit area. She has dedicated her life to caring for women through all stages of their lives -- from adolescence, to delivering babies, and later into menopause. Her special interests include minimally invasive surgeries, adolescence, family planning, infertility, and menopause. In her spare time she writes about the human side of medicine on her blog and has several essays published in a variety of journals. To decompress, she enjoys trail running and baking.

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