by Vonda J. Sines

Created on: June 10, 2008

When Sharon, 30, showed up for her annual pelvic exam, the gynecologist asked her how long she had been experiencing a slight vaginal discharge. Puzzled, she frowned and said she wasn't aware of it.

The following week, she got a call from the doctor's office advising her that she had chlamydia.

Although it's the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, chlamydia causes no symptoms in approximately 30 percent of the women who contract it. About a fourth of infected men experience no symptoms, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) web site.

The illnesses is transmitted by a bacterium known as chlamydia trachomatis. Anyone who is sexually active can get it, and individuals with multiple sexual partners are at highest risk.

Males could notice symptoms similar to those of gonorrhea. They might experience a burning sensation during urination, discharge, testicular tenderness or pain, or rectal discharge or pain, according to NIH.

If they note any symptoms, females might recognize vaginal discharge, a burning sensation during urination, or painful sexual intercourse. They also might present with symptoms that mimic those of pelvic inflammatory disease (PIC), salpingitis (an infection of the Fallopian tubes), or a liver inflammation and could also experience rectal pain or discharge.

However, the only sure way to diagnose a case of chlamydia is sampling urethral discharge in males or cervical secretions in females and analyzing it a laboratory. Depending on the type of sexual experience reported, samples from the rectum might also be submitted for a fluorescent monoclonal antibody test, DNA probe test, or cell culture. In certain instances, some of these tests might also be performed on urine specimens.

The only way to cure an infection of chlamydia is to use the proper antibiotic treatment. The effective drugs include tetracyclines, azithromycin, and erythromycin. During treatment, the patient must avoid any sexual activity, and prior contacts should be screened for the presence of the infection. All sexual partners should then be treated to prevent passing the infection back and forth.

Since there is no immunity after clearing up an outbreak, most doctors tell their patients to return in four weeks for a follow-up evaluation.

NIH maintains that when antibiotic treatment is started early, it's highly effective in preventing long-term complications such as PID, scarring, eventual fertility, salpingitis and ectopic pregnancy. Should a pregnant woman become infected with chlamydia, the condition could cause premature labor and delivery. In addition, the baby could develop conjunctivitis and chlamydial pneumonia.

The agency advises that since so many individuals never experience symptoms of chlamydia, all sexually active adults should be screened periodically.

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