Chlamydia

Most people don’t know they have chlamydia because they don’t see or feel anything different.

You may notice one or more of the following symtoms:

• burning or pain when peeing
• yellow or white discharge from the penis
• pain or redness at the opening of the penis
• pain or swelling in the testicles or scrotum
• unusual vaginal discharge
• pain during vaginal sex
• pain in the lower belly
• unusual bleeding from the vagina or spotting between periods.

If you have any of these symptoms, visit a doctor as soon as possible to ask for an STI test.

Even if you do not have symptoms, chlamydia can be in your body. If untreated, it can be passed on to other people through sex.

The only way to know if you have chlamydia is by getting an STI test at your GP, Aboriginal medical service or sexual health clinic.

• Find a Service Get the Facts (external site)
• Learn more about STI tests and take the free online test (external site)

When you get a test from your health care worker, they will ask for a urine (pee) sample and may recommend that you get a swab of your mouth, vagina or rectum, depending on the types of sex you have had.

It’s a good idea to get tested for other STIs (like syphilis, hepatitis B and HIV) at the same time. This involves getting a blood test.

Chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics. You need to take all the antibiotics to cure the infection.

You should not have sex, even with a condom, until you have finished all the antibiotics and your doctor says that it is ok.

If you test positive for chlamydia, it is important to let your sexual partners know so that they can get tested and treated (if needed) too. This is to make sure chlamydia does not impact their health and continue to spread. If your regular sexual partners do not get treated, you can get chlamydia again.

You can tell your partners yourself – if you feel safe and comfortable to do so. If you don’t want your partners to know your name, you can ask your health care worker to do it or send an anonymous message from the Let Them Know website (external site).

If left untreated, chlamydia can cause painful and serious health problems. Chlamydia can spread and cause damage that makes you unable to have a baby (infertile). This damage can happen if chlamydia spreads to your:

• cervix, uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• testicles (balls) and cause epididymo-orchitis.

Chlamydia can also spread to the joints, eyes and urethra which can cause damage.

Getting tested and treated early can help prevent these health issues.

If you are pregnant and have chlamydia it can pass on to your baby and cause serious eye and lung infections.

If you are pregnant or thinking about having a baby, you should get tested for chlamydia and talk to you partner/s about getting tested for STIs.