How Do You Catch Chlamydia

What is going on?

Having a really terrible feeling, my abdomen and backache, I noticed some milky substance that smelt like rotten eggs on my panties…. I itched crazily, down there. Did I contact a flu or what? My throat hurts too.

What could have happened? Zack, one of my boyfriend’s came around. I was more than glad to see him; before we knew it we were in the mood and decided to have a good time. I do not know when I started crying. The pain was excruciating and I started to bleed. Everything was so painful- my abdomen, vagina and my throat.

I guess it was the pain in my eyes and tears that got Zack to share his experience.

He complained peeing was very painful, his anus had so many sores and he also noticed a smelly discharge.

We decided to see a doctor.

The result of we test we did struck us like a blow. It was a bacterial infection called chlamydia.

The questions came rushing. What is chlamydia? And how did we catch chlamydia?

This is a scenario that has faced some people; others have come across the name Chlamydia and wondered what it was and how to prevent the infection.

To understand how the infection is contacted, we will first give an overview of what chlamydia is.

What is chlamydia?

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection that is highly contagious.

It affects sexually active men and women; infants; and even animals.

The disease is very dangerous, some people do not know they have it, because the symptoms are similar to other diseases or even do not appear. This makes it a disease that spreads quickly.

Who is at risk of infection?

Men and women are at risk of contacting the disease if they are sexually active.
Women under 25, are the most likely to be infected because their cervical cells are not fully developed and can easily be infected.
Women are twice as likely to be infected with this bacterium as men
Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are also at risk because chlamydia can be transmitted through oral and anal sex.
African Americans have chlamydia five times more often than Caucasians

Can there be a reinfection of chlamydia after treatment

Some diseases cause some kind of immunity against future reinfections.

This is not the case with chlamydia. If you have sex with an infected person, you can be re-infected with the Chlamydia bacteria, even if you have just finished the treatment.

It is recommended that both partners be treated at the same time and resist sexual intercourse until treatment is complete to prevent relapse or reinfection.

Can Chlamydia be transmitted by informal contact with objects?

The chlamydia bacteria cannot be transmitted by simple contact such as: sharing of food, drink or clothes, kissing, hugging, holding hands, coughing, sneezing, sitting on the toilet, going to a sauna or using a swimming a pool

How is Chlamydia contacted?

You can contact chlamydia only by direct contact of a mucous with the Chlamydia bacteria.

Chlamydia can be gotten by sex: anal sex, oral sex or vaginal sex
Infants contract chlamydia from infected mothers
In rare cases, it can also come from animals.

Chlamydia contacted by oral sex

What is oral sex?

Oral sex is a sexual activity in which the mouth, lips or tongue are used to stimulate the penis; stimulating the vagina is known as fellatio; stimulating the penis is known as cunnilingus, and stimulating the anus is called aniling or rimming. Stimulating areas that surround the genitals with the mouth are also associated with oral sex.

What is the oral transmission process?

When an infected penis, vagina or anus comes into contact with the mouth, the mucous membrane secretions or semen infected with the chlamydia bacteria enter the mouth and affects the cell lining in the mouth and throat.

Chlamydia bacteria can still be transferred even if the penis or tongue does not penetrate fully into the vagina or anus. If the vagina, cervix, anus, penis or mouth comes into contact with infected fluids or secretions, transmission is possible.

Chlamydia contacted by anal sex

What is anal sex?

Anal sex is a sexual activity in which the penis is inserted into the anus. It is most commonly practiced in gay men. Women also practice anal sex with their partners.

What is the process of transmission through anal sex?

Chlamydia bacteria are transmitted from the penis to the anus or the anus to the penis.

This occurs when the moist lining (mucous membrane) in the rectum comes into contact with an infected penis or when an infected rectal mucosa comes in contact with the penis.

It can also be transmitted when a sexual tool (used for anal sex) that still contains remains of infected body fluid is used by another person immediately after use by an infected person.

Chlamydia contacted by vaginal sex

Vaginal sex is the conventional and preferred sexual method. This involves inserting the penis into the vagina.

What is the process of transmission through vaginal sex?

The infection is conveyed in the semen and vaginal fluids.

In women, the bacterium Chlamydia enters and infects the cervix (the passage between the vagina and the uterus). The infection, if left untreated, extends to the urethra (ureter), uterus (uterus) and fallopian tube.

In men, Chlamydia bacteria are transferred into the tip of the penis and infect the urethra and epididymis (the tube that carries sperm).

Ejaculation does not have to take place to become infected with chlamydia because it also spreads through contact with the mucous membrane in the genitals.

Contact of chlamydia from mother to infant during delivery

The Chlamydia bacterium is mainly transmitted to newborns when the baby is exposed to the vaginal flora of an infected mother during birth.

Caesarean section does not reduce the risk of a baby being infected with the bacteria.

The risk of transmission of chlamydia to a newborn by a mother is between 50% and 70%.

Chlamydia contacted from animals

This is a situation that occurs but rarely.

Chlamydia can be transferred between animals through sex or through contact with infected droppings or excreted fluid from the eyes.

Humans having sex with animals that recently had intercourse with another human, infected with the chlamydia bacteria, which still had remains of body fluids of the infected person, can spread the disease.

Humans can also get some strains of the chlamydia bacteria, from infected animals, through their droppings or body secretion.

Other means of transmission of Chlamydia bacteria

Finger penetration can be used as a transmission medium. When a person touches the body fluid infected with Chlamydia bacteria and places it immediately in the genital area, the bacteria can be transmitted.
When body fluids containing the bacteria come in contact with the eye, the eye can develop Chlamydia conjunctivitis.
A woman who has her vagina infected with the chlamydia bacteria can spread it to her anus or rectum when cleaning with a toilet paper.
Children can be infected if they are sexually abused by a person infected with the chlamydia bacteria.
Using public toilets. In very rare cases, it is said that a man has a 5% chance of contacting the chlamydia infection, when his penis touches a freshly used toilet by an infected person. This is because the Chlamydia bacteria remain active until it dries up.

Conditions that increase the risk of contact with chlamydia

Some teens and adults do not use or wear condoms.
Some adolescents and adults may move from one relationship to another more quickly than during the likely infectiousness of chlamydia, which increases the risk of transmission
Teenagers and girls may have cervical ectopia. This occurs when endocervical cells are present in the exocervix. Cervical ectopia increases susceptibility to Chlamydia infection.
Participate in the act of masturbation.
When sex toys containing traces of excreted body fluid with the chlamydia bacteria is shared
Participation in oral or anal sex without the use of protective barriers
Having sex partners that engage in oral and anal sex
Having more than one sexual partner
Start sexual activity before the age of 18
Use of spermicide as a contraceptive. Spermicides contain nonoxynol-9, which can cause genital irritation and increase the risk of infection
Vaginal rinsing reduces the amount of good bacteria in the vagina and increases the risk of infection

Practices that help avoid contacting and spreading chlamydia

Avoid sex if you are not married and if you are married, stay alone with your partner
Limit the number of sexual partners if you cannot refrain
Avoid risky sexual activities
Go for regular medical exams
Pregnant women should always be tested for infection
Chlamydia-infected pregnant women should be re-tested 3 weeks and 3 months after completion of recommended treatment
DO NOT practice bestiality
Use a latex barrier for oral sex in the vagina or anus
Notify the sexual partners immediately if they become infected
Use a latex condom for oral sex on a penis
Always use latex condoms during vaginal and anal sex if you have multiple partners.
Ensure partners are tested and treated at the same time to prevent reinfection
If partner is positive and the other negative, both must be treated
A follow-up test after treatment must be performed to ensure that the chlamydia infection has completely been eliminated
Use appropriate protective equipment when handling infected animals
Avoid poop from infected animals
Avoid any discharge of infected animals
Make sure the environment in which you keep your pets is always clean
Always take your pets for regular medical examination
Any infection or prolonged infection that occurs in children over 2 years of age should be thoroughly investigated

How to Know You Have Contacted Chlamydia

For men

itching and burning around the penis opening
Testicular pain and swelling
Abnormal excretion (thick, yellow-white, milky or watery) of the penis
Damaged or reduced semen
Pain from reactive arthritis in the joints, eyes and urethra
Sore throat, causing discomfort while swallowing
Inflammation, tenderness and pain in and around the testicles.

For women

Abnormal vaginal discharge that may smell
Pain during urination caused from a cervical infection (cervicitis)
Burning sensation while urinating and frequent urinating.
Bleeding between menstrual cycles
Unusually heavy periods
Lower back pain
Nausea
Abdominal pain with fever
Pain and bleeding during sex
Pelvic Inflammation (PID)
A painful feeling around the hips
Infertility resulting from damage to the hairs lining of the fallopian tubes, which help guide, the egg from the ovaries to the womb. This damage leads to scarring, causing the tubes to become blocked and unable to fertilize an egg.
Itching and burning feeling around the vagina

For both men and women

Pain while urinating
Rectal pain, vaginal discharge or bleeding
A painful or itchy anus around the anus
Discharge or bleeding from the anus
Diarrhea in severe cases
Swelling in or around your anus
Cough and high fever
Lymph nodes swollen in the neck
Vision problems that can lead to blindness
Redness, itching, eyelid discharge and inflammation of the eyes

For pregnant women

Growth of the fetus outside the uterus and in the fallopian tubes (ectopic pregnancy).
Early contractions, leading to premature birth
Reduced fetus growth, resulting in very low birth weight
Miscarriages
Death of infant at birth
Uterine infections

For Infants

Infection of the eyes: Babies develop conjunctivitis, discharge of pus from the eye, redness and swelling of the eyelid, in severe cases of blindness.
Pneumonia / respiratory infection, characterized by rapid breathing, stuffy nose and cough
Respiratory failure if pneumonia is not treated.

Tests to determine if Chlamydia has been contacted

The test can be done through the following methods:

A urine sample is sent to a competent laboratory for analysis to help diagnose if the patient has chlamydia
The area that could be infected is cleaned with a cotton swab and tested to detect the presence of the bacteria.
A blood sample is collected and tested for antibodies against chlamydia. Chlamydia is not a blood-borne disease or infection, so this test cannot be used for diagnosis. However, it is used to tell whether or not the individual has had the bacteria in the past.