Chlamydia symptoms: The common signs in women – 70% ‘don’t notice any symptoms’

NHS: Expert gives advice on treatment of chlamydia

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The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) says chlamydia is usually spread through vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Chlamydia is one of the most common STIs in women, and can cause serious health problems for women, such as difficulty getting pregnant, when left untreated. The OWH says: “Chlamydia is known as a ‘silent’ infection, because most women who have chlamydia do not have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may not notice them until several weeks after you get chlamydia.”

The NHS says that at least 70 percent of women with chlamydia don’t notice any symptoms, though there are some common signs which may show up.

The health body says these include pain when urinating, unusual vaginal discharge, pain in the tummy or pelvis, pain during sex, bleeding after sex and bleeding between periods.

The health body warns: “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.”

It says: “If you have any symptoms of chlamydia, visit your GP, community contraceptive service or local genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic as soon as possible.”

The health body says: “If you’re a woman, sexually active and under 25 in England, it’s recommended that you have a chlamydia test once a year, and when you have sex with new or casual partners.

“If you’re a man, sexually active and under 25 in England, it’s recommended that you have a chlamydia test once a year if you are not using condoms with new or casual partners.”

According to Harvard Health: “Chlamydia can affect several parts of the reproductive system.”

In women who don’t receive swift treatment, chlamydia can lead to infertility, chronic pelvic pain and tubal pregnancy, in which an egg grows in the fallopian tube, as opposed to the uterus.

The Terrence Higgins Trust says: “If chlamydia is not treated it can sometimes causes serious problems, including pain, inflammation and infertility in men and women. It can also lead to complications in pregnancy.”

The charity says testing for it is “quick and painless”, and it can be treated with a course of antibiotics.

Chlamydia is the most common STD in the UK, affecting millions of people.

In fact, one in 10 sexually active young people is believed to be affected, but researchers think rates of the disease could be on the rise after screening programmes were deferred during the pandemic.

The health website Online Doctor explains that in 2019, over 229,000 people were diagnosed with chlamydia in England, which accounted for 49 percent of all STIs.

The NHS explains: “Under-25s who have chlamydia should be offered another test three to six months after being treated.

“This is because young adults who test positive for chlamydia are at increased risk of catching it again.”

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