Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI). Anyone who is sexually active can get chlamydia. Most people who have chlamydia have no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with an infected partner. Even when chlamydia causes no symptoms, it can damage your reproductive system. Women with symptoms may notice: 

• An abnormal vaginal discharge;
• A burning sensation when urinating.

Symptoms in men can include: 

• A discharge from their penis;
• A burning sensation when urinating;
• Pain and swelling in one or both testicles (although this is less common).

Men and women can also get infected with chlamydia in their rectum. This happens either by having receptive anal sex, or by spread from another infected site (such as the vagina). While these infections often cause no symptoms, they can cause:

• Rectal pain;
• Discharge;
• Bleeding.

You should be examined by your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms or if your partner has an STD or symptoms of an STD.

Chlamydia Prevention

How is chlamydia spread?

You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has chlamydia. If your sex partner is male you can still get chlamydia even if he does not ejaculate (cum). If you’ve had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can still get infected again. This can happen if you have unprotected sex with someone who has chlamydia.

How can I reduce my risk of getting chlamydia?

The only way to avoid STDs is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. If you are sexually active, you can do the following things to lower your chances of getting chlamydia:

• Be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and has negative STD test results;
• Use latex condoms the right way every time you have sex.
  • How to use an external ("male") condom.
  • How to use an internal ("female") condom.

Free condoms are available from the Health Department at 1270 Natividad Road in Salinas. Call 831-755-4626 to check availability or stop by during normal business hours. 

Chlamydia Testing and Treatment Information

Where can I get tested?

Click to visit the CDC's Get Tested website where you can enter select the type of testing you are interested in and enter your ZIP code to find a testing location near you.

How will my doctor test for chlamydia?

Laboratory tests can diagnose chlamydia. Your health care provider may ask you to provide a urine sample or may use (or ask you to use) a cotton swab to get a sample from your vagina, throat, or rectum to test for chlamydia, depending on which body parts you use when you have sex.

Can chlamydia be cured?

Yes, chlamydia can be cured with the right treatment. It is important that you take all of the medication your doctor prescribes to cure your infection. When taken properly it will stop the infection and could decrease your chances of having complications later on. You should not share medication for chlamydia with anyone. Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. You should be tested again about three months after you are treated, even if your sex partner(s) was treated.

I was treated for chlamydia. When can I have sex again?

You should not have sex again until you and your sex partner(s) have completed treatment. If your doctor prescribes a single dose of medication, you should wait seven days after taking the medicine before having sex. If your doctor prescribes a medicine for you to take for seven days, you should wait until you have taken all of the doses before having sex.

What happens if I don’t get treated?

The initial damage that chlamydia causes often goes unnoticed. However, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems. If you are a woman, untreated chlamydia can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes (tubes that carry fertilized eggs from the ovaries to the uterus). This can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID often has no symptoms, however some women may have abdominal and pelvic pain. Even if it doesn’t cause symptoms initially, PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive system. PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, inability to get pregnant, and potentially deadly ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus).

Men rarely have health problems linked to chlamydia. Infection sometimes spreads to the tube that carries sperm from the testicles, causing pain and fever. Rarely, chlamydia can prevent a man from being able to have children.

How can I let my sexual partners know they need to be tested without letting them know I might have infected them?

You can send an anonymous text to your partners using the TellYourPartner.org website.  It is confidential and easy to use.  Learn more about how it works by clicking here.

Chlamydia Surveillance Data

Please click to view the Communicable Disease dashboard with local chlamydia data available in English and Spanish.

California data is available at the California Department of Public Health's website.

United States data is available at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.

For More Information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website

California Department of Public Health's website

For Healthcare Providers

California STI Treatment Guidelines (CDPH)

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