What Does Chlamydia Look Like?

What Is Chlamydia?

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that is commonly curable. The cervix in women can get afflicted, and in both men and women, the urethra and rectum can become infected. Other parts of the body can get affected as well; these include the throat, eyes, and rectum. Chlamydia is contracted primarily through sexual activity. Since this disease causes no symptoms, it is often known as a silent disease.

Each year, more than 90 million cases of Chlamydia are reported, and more than half of the cases occur in women. Among teens and young adults, the infection rate is the highest. Most of the men and women infected with chlamydia do not notice any symptoms, and thus the disease tends to be left untreated and may also be easily spread from one partner to another. Without simple antibiotics, chlamydia can easily spread or cause serious complications in the reproductive system, such as infertility.

Usually, no symptoms are experienced by people with chlamydia; it is only between one and three weeks after having unprotected sex with an infected person that the symptoms appear. In some people, they may not develop for many months. After a few days, the symptoms may sometimes disappear. However, you may still have the infection even if the symptoms develop and you are able to pass the condition.

In at least 70 percent of women with chlamydia, no symptoms are noticed. However, the most common symptoms that may appear include:

• Pain while urinating
• Pain in the tummy or pelvis
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Pain or bleeding during or after sex
• Bleeding between periods
• Heavier periods than usual

Chlamydia can spread to the womb if it is not treated and can then cause pelvis inflammatory disease, which is a serious condition; one of the major causes of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women is pelvic inflammatory disease.

In men, too, the symptoms of chlamydia generally go unnoticed. If the symptoms do develop, the most common ones are:

• Pain while urinating
• A white, cloudy or watery discharge from the tip of the penis
• An itching sensation in the urethra
• Pain in the testicles
• If the infection is not treated, then it can cause swelling in the epididymis and the testicles, which can affect fertility.

Also, the following parts may be affected by chlamydia:

• Rectum: Unprotected anal sex can cause discharge from the rectum and discomfort.
• Throat: Usually, chlamydia in the throat after an unprotected sex causes no symptoms and is uncommon
• Eyes: Chlamydia in the eyes can cause redness, discharge, and pain if the eyes come into contact with infected semen.

What Chlamydia Looks Like 

Generally, chlamydia symptoms in women begin to show within three weeks of infection.

Often, chlamydia discharge in women is caused by cervicitis. In women, this manifestation is very common. The person may experience a burning sensation while urinating and the discharge may be milky white or yellow. The urethra can get infected by chlamydia and cause a urinary tract infection. During urination, this can manifest itself through pain; also, the urge to urinate becomes sudden and desperate. If the condition is not treated, the infection may spread to the fallopian tube from the cervix, causing the following symptoms:

• Nausea or fever
• Lower back pain, abdominal pain, or a heavy feeling.
• Infertility, which is a common result of a chlamydia infection in women. The cervix is affected first when a woman gets infected. The chlamydia bacteria can spread to the fallopian tubes and ovaries if the condition is not treated. The hair lining the fallopian tube gets damaged due to chlamydia. This helps to guide the ovaries to the womb from the fallopian tube. Scarring can be caused due to this damage and the tubes may become blocked. This causes permanent infertility.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease, wherein the person may experience the following symptoms of PID caused by chlamydia:
  • Vaginal or abdominal bleeding
  • Pain during sex
  • Lower back pain
  • Fever
  • Over the course of just a few days, some may become ill
  • Cervicitis, which is inflammation of the cervix that causes discomfort, irregular discharge, and bleeding. It can cause the following symptoms:
    • Burning during urination
    • Pain during intercourse
    • Increased urge to urinate

If the condition is not treated, it can cause:

• Deep pelvic pain
• Cervical cysts
• Backaches
• Relentless vaginal discharge
• Bartholinitis, which is a blockage and infection of the Bartholin gland that can occur if the infection is not treated. The Bartholin gland is present on both sides of the vaginal opening, and during intercourse, it releases a fluid that provides lubrication. If these glands get blocked due to infection, it may cause an abscess or cyst. Usually, these abscesses are painful, red, and may cause a severe fever.

General Chlamydia Symptoms

• Swelling and inflammation: In infected body parts, such as the testicles, chlamydia can cause inflammation and swelling.  
• Discharge from the penis: Unusual discharge from the penis can develop in men with this infection. This discharge can be pus-like or thick, yellow or watery or white.
• Burning during urination: This is an early symptom and it makes affected men uncomfortable. The condition can be mild or severe, and until the patient receives treatment, the condition may worsen. Some may even experience itching, pain, or burning around the opening of the penis.
• Swelling of the testicles: This is another early symptom in which the testicles become swollen. The testicles may appear enlarged or puffy in affected men and their testicles are also tender to touch.

Ways to recognize chlamydia in women include:

• Vaginal discharge: This includes a darker color or texture and an unpleasant smell. There may also be bloody discharge between periods. 
• Pain: This includes discomfort or pain during sex or a burning pain during urination.
• Bleeding after sexual intercourse: After vaginal intercourse, some may experience minor bleeding.

Other symptoms of chlamydia include:

• Bleeding, pain, or discharge from the rectum
• Upper back pain
• Nausea
• Fever

The disease can be transmitted due to penis-to-mouth sexual activity. It is possible to contract chlamydia if you have a sore throat and have recently engaged in oral sex.

Ways to recognize chlamydia in men include:

• Unusual discharge from the penis: The discharge can be yellow or white and pus-like, or it can be clear, milky, or cloudy. Usually, the discharge is clear.
• Burning sensation while urinating: A person who has contracted chlamydia may experience a burning sensation during urination.
• Burning or itching on or around the opening of the penis: This burning or itching sensation is unpleasant and noticeable.
• Pain or swelling in the testicles or scrotum: The pain may be felt around the testicles and not in the testicles.
• Rectal pain, bleeding, or discharge: The infection could spread from the penis to the rectum or the pain may be based in the rectum.
• Epididymis: The epididymis can become inflamed and infected. This can cause swelling and testicular pain.

Other bodily symptoms include:

• Lower abdominal and general back pain: The most common one is scrotal pain and swelling. In the abdomen, the person gets a feeling of fullness.
• Sore throat: Engaging in recent sex after having a sore throat can cause this symptom.
• Nausea or fever: If the infection spreads to the ureters, then the person may develop fever and become nauseated.