One of the most common physically transmitted diseases is chlamydia. Chlamydia is a type of infection caused by the bacteria "Chlamydia trachomatis". The symptoms of Chlamydia are similar to the symptoms of Gonorrhoea (a bacterial sexually transmitted infection). Chlamydia infection causes permanent fallopian tube damage in women, leads to future ectopic pregnancy (the fertilised egg attaches itself outside the uterus) and infertility.

Symptoms of Chlamydia 
Men and women afflicted with chlamydia exhibit different symptoms.
The symptoms of chlamydia in women include:
1. Abnormal, sometimes foul-smelling, vaginal discharge
2. Bleeding between menstrual cycles
3. Painful periods
4. Abdominal pain, accompanied with fever
5. Pain during intercourse
6. Burning or itching around or in the vagina
7. Painful urination

Men usually display the following symptoms if they have chlamydia:
1. Minimal amounts of cloudy or clear discharge from the head of the penis
2. Painful urination
3. Itching and burning around the slit of the penis
4. Swollen and painful testicles

Treatment options available
1. Chlamydia is diagnosed by taking a swab from the cervix (in women) or the urethra (in men). These swabs will be sent to the laboratory for analysis. Urine samples can also be taken to check for the appearance of bacteria.

2. Since chlamydia is a bacterial infection, it can be easily treated with antibiotics. Oral antibiotics such as azithromycin or doxycycline are commonly prescribed by doctors. Azithromycin is usually prescribed in a large, single dose. The dose may also be stretched out for five days. Doxycycline is taken two times daily for a week.

3. With the right antibiotic therapy, the infection will clear up in 1 to 2 weeks approximately. It is very important that you finish the medication course if you wish you heal completely without having to suffer from further bouts of this disorder.

4. Women with critical chlamydia may need hospitalisation, pain medicine and IV (intravenous, or directly through the vein) antibiotics. Pregnant women with chlamydia infection can be safely cured with antibiotic such as erythromycin ethylsuccinate, amoxicillin and azithromycin.

Your partner needs testing and treatment as well to avoid further spread and reinfection. It is vital not to engage in any sexual activity while the treatment is ongoing. A further retest should be done three months later to make sure the infection is rectified.

Symptoms of Chlamydia and Ways to Treat the Disease

Chlamydia is a Sexually Transmitted Disease. It is generally found in men and women under the age of 25. Researchers have found that in the United States about 2.9 million individuals develop this disease every year. 

Here are things that you must know about the disease:

What is it all about?
It is caused due to bacterial infection and is transferred sexually. You can be infected with disease by having vaginal, oral or anal sex with the patient. You must be aware of the fact that you can develop chlamydia even if your partner doesn t ejaculate inside your vaginal tract. If you had suffered from this disease in the past, you can still get it again by having unprotected sex with an infected person.

What are the symptoms of this disease?
There aren t any obvious symptoms for this disease. Most of the patients show no sign of developing this disease. Thus, you never get to know when you were infected actually. However, some patients do reflect some symptoms after 4 to 5 days of infection. These symptoms include abnormal penis or vaginal discharge and painful, burning urination. Men can also develop a bleeding rectum.

How do you know for sure that you are infected?
Well, you can get yourself tested to confirm about the infection.

What happens if you don t get treated?
If the patient doesn t seek medical help, he or she is posing threat to his or her health. Women may develop pelvic inflammatory diseases, infertility or ectopic pregnancy. In men, it can cause pain and fever as the infection spreads along the tube carrying sperm.

Is there any treatment?
This disease is curable. But it is important to avoid sexual contact with anyone during the period of treatment or medication. First, you need to undertake the test to confirm the infection. You shouldn t have sex for seven days after the treatment is over. It is advisable to get yourself tested thrice in a year.

Chlamydia - Things You Must Know About It!

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are the infections that spread primarily from unprotected sexual intercourse or any kind of sexual contact. Men, like women, are equally prone to contracting STDs on having unprotected sexual intercourse; anal, vaginal or oral. Having multiple sex partners just increases the risks of it. So, you need to consult a specialist sexologist if anything these sort of things happening to you:

Common STD Symptoms in Men

Blisters on or around penis 

Spots, bumps or lesions on the penis 

Discharge (clear, white, or yellow) 

Oozing from the tip of the penis (thick or thin) 

Painful urination 

Painful ejaculation 

Itching on the tip of the penis 

Rash on the penis, testicles, or groin

Here is a list of STDs for men

Chlamydia- Chlamydia is a type of bacterial STD transmitted during oral, anal or vaginal sex with an already infected person. Some of the symptoms of Chlamydia in men are swollen testicles, penile discharge or pain while urinating.

Gonorrhea- This is another bacterial infection, majorly affecting the urethra, anus or the throat and primarily spreads through vaginal, oral or anal sex with someone already suffering from it. The symptoms are quite similar to those of Chlamydia.

Hepatitis B- Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is the cause of the disease Hepatitis B and can cause severe inflammation of the liver. It spreads from one person to the other on coming into contact with the bodily fluids or blood of the person affected. Few signs of Hepatitis B include jaundice, vomiting, nausea, body aches, mild fever, lethargy and appetite loss.

Herpes (Simplex) - It is a viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) and generally tends to develop on or near to the mouth and the genitals. Primarily, herpes spreads through direct contact with the genitals or mouth of a person already diagnosed with the same.

Syphilis- Another bacterial Sexually Transmitted Disease, unprotected oral, vaginal and anal sex are the primary carriers of this disease. It is considered to be one of the most serious STDs because the risks of contracting HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) get magnified once infected with Syphilis.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) - In men, HPV is capable of causing cancers in the throat, anus or the penis. It is either passed on through skin-to-skin or unprotected sexual contact with an infected partner.

Preventing STDs

Many people can be infected with an STD without experiencing any visible symptoms. This means that practicing safe sex is crucial if you want to prevent STD infection.

The only way to completely prevent an STD is abstinence from any type of sexual contact or contact with open sores and bodily fluids of an infected person. But there are other ways to prevent STDs too.

Condoms during intercourse and dental dams or barriers during oral sex are proven effective when used correctly. Refraining from sex with multiple partners and instead opting for a monogamous sexual relationship can also help to prevent STDs. To understand it better and get treated you can always consult a sexologist.

Common STDs in Men

The HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a critical disease. This virus invades a person's immune system which is the body's defense against infections such as viruses and bacteria. The immune system doesn't work properly and becomes deficient once attacked by HIV. One social acknowledgement to HIV that has gained enough recognition is the HIV counselling due to the crucial need to counsel the patient about sexual behavior and the risks associated with it. 

Importance of HIV counselling 
The human immunodeficiency virus has become an epidemic in nature and has reached to a distressing proportion worldwide as it is in its third decade. Thus, counselling becomes remarkably crucial part of the treatment. 

HIV prevention counselling is a significant mode of behavioral invasion particularly in the deficiency or lack of an effective curative treatment or vaccine. HIV counselling varies from other forms of counselling sessions. Apart from being a health obstacle, the disease is equally overwhelming for the family as well as people around you. family. It is also connected with endless and intense human suffering which stimulates multiple emotional responses. Such reactions involve self-denial, grief, fear, loss, anxiety, anger, annoyance, depression self-blaming, pity, self-condemnation isolation and suicidal thoughts. 

Also, the risk of passing the virus to the partner during sexual activity is high and the patient must be aware of safe sex and the risks associated with unprotected sex. Hence, counselling becomes paramount. 

Counselling session s information Self-care counselling: 
The patient must be well informed about the disease and should be supported in embracing attitudes, actions, and beliefs which will defend and serve as a protective shield to the body s immune system. Improving, enhancing, and transforming nutrition is required. A few other things that are emphasized are, encouraging physical activity, avoiding objects, actions, and events that threaten the body, overcoming anxiety and stress that compromise the psychological, mental, physical and welfare of the body, and seeking and giving support for self-care. 

Types of counselling: 

Patient centered counselling: It changed the focus of counselling from a single informative one to one that concentrated on a patient s circumstances and needs. This involved active listening, to render better support and managing client's particular prevention needs. 
Risk reduction counselling: This includes examining client s awareness about sexual activity and their feelings.Using their current HIV knowledge as an appealing tool, the limitations they have for protected sex is discussed. A better understanding is ensured in the patients so that unsafe behaviors can be avoided. 
Grief counselling: People who are contaminated with HIV have an elevated risk of acquiring depression. Counselling helps you to deal with any emotional outburst. 
Aims of counselling in HIV infection-

Prevention is the first purpose of HIV counselling. It decides whether the lifestyle puts that individual at a higher risk. Helping to recognize and distinguish the definitions of high-risk behavior. The counselling contributes to behavioral change and also aims at working with the person and his family to obtain and sustain that change in approach and behavior.

HIV Counselling - Why It Is Important To Get It?

Chlamydia is one of the most common STD. It is a bacterial infection, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. Occurring in both males and females, it can be transmitted via oral, genital, or anal sex. it has been dubbed as silent infection, as the affected person hardly ever presents with symptoms. It is extremely common though about 1 in 20 females in the age group of 15 to 25 can be affected. The disease, if left untreated, can cause severe reproductive issues including infertility in both males and females. Let us look at symptoms in men and women separately.

Men: About 50% of men infected with Chlamydia will go with no symptoms. It may take about 3 weeks for the symptoms to manifest and will include

    Small amounts of discharge from the penis
    Discomfort or pain with urination
    Painful, swollen, and inflamed testicles
    Burning and itching around the tip of the penis

Depending on the mode of transmission, the eyes, throat, and rectum can also be infected and there could be throat infection or conjunctivitis also.

If left untreated, Chlamydia can affect the sperm quality and lead to infertility in men in the long run.

Women: The infection is "silent" even in females and does not manifest itself with a lot of symptoms, only 30% of infected females present symptoms including:

    Abnormal, white or light yellow vaginal discharge
    Painful sex
    Bleeding or spotting in between regular periods
    Sometimes even bleeding during sex
    Burning or itching sensation around the vagina
    Severe abdominal discomfort
    Fever

In females, the infection usually travels up the urinary and reproductive tract. So, from vaginitis, it can lead to urinary tract infection, cervicitis, bartholinitis, and even pelvic inflammatory disease. If it reaches the fallopian tubes and/or the uterus, then the chances of fallopian tubes getting blocked is high. There can be scarring of the tubes and this can lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy in areas other than the uterus, for example the fallopian tubes). This can be very dangerous and can be life-threatening situation too.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a serious bacterial infection of the uterus and the fallopian tubes. Untreated Chlamydia infection often results in PID and requires antibiotics and bed rest.
Chlamydia infections have two negative sides to it, on one hand, it is difficult to detect given the absence of symptoms. On the other hand, there are serious implications leading to even fertility. It is therefore very important to prevent it. It is best to use a condom, especially with unknown partners; and in case of any doubt, one should get themselves tested and treated.

Symptoms of Chlamydia in Men and Women

Don't Panic !

Having unprotected sex isn't the smartest move a person can make, but it isn't necessarily the end of the world, so follow the advice below and you should be fine.

We Had Unprotected Sex And...I Think I'm Pregnant

Finding out you're pregnant can be the happiest or the scariest day of your life.

Don't wait around and bury your head in the sand saying 'it won't happen to me' and 'I'll be fine' you might not be, and then you'll find yourself in a much more difficult situation than if you'd faced the situation head on and quickly.

If the intercourse happened less than 72 hours ago, emergency contraception, the morning-after pill, can be taken as a precaution against you becoming pregnant. However, note that the sooner you take the emergency contraceptive pill, the higher its efficiency is.

We Had Unprotected Sex And...I Think I Have an STI

Check for any unusual symptoms around your genitals (vagina or penis), such as:

Pain when you urinate
Itching
An unusual or smelly discharge
Sores
Unexplained bleeding
If any consult your healthcare provider immediately

Not all STIs have visible symptoms so even if you think you're fine, after having unprotected sex, get tested!

Go For Sexually Transmitted Disease Profile Including HIV ( 1ST Month HIV RNA, 3RD MONTH HIV ELISA), HSV 1 and 2, HbsAg, HCV, Urine Routine, VDRL, etc.

We Had Unprotected Sex And...I Think I May Get HIV

Take Post Exposure Prophylactic Drugs (Anti - HIV) as soon as possible. It works when started within 72 hours and must be continued for 1 month to prevent HIV.



What If You Have Unprotected Sex?

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