Chlamydia Treatment
Even though chlamydia is one of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted diseases, chlamydia treatment is surprisingly easy and uncomplicated. The only problem with chlamydia treatment is the frequent lack of it. Because chlamydia has very few symptoms, it can easily go unnoticed and, therefore, untreated.
Chlamydia does have some symptoms, and they show up in around 25 percent of women with chlamydia and half of infected men. In women, signs include an abnormal vaginal discharge and pain or burning during urination. Men will most often notice a discharge coming from their penis or feel a burning sensation while they are urinating.
Whether a person infected with chlamydia shows symptoms of the disease or not, the treatment is almost always the same: antibiotics. Most doctors will prescribe one of two different antibiotic medications, and both are equally effective at treating and curing chlamydia.
Chlamydia treatment #1 - Azithromycin
• Also known as Zithromax
• Taken in pill form in one single dose
Chlamydia treatment #2 - Doxycycline
• Also known as Atridox or Bio-Tab
• Comes in pill form and is taken two times a day for one full week
Statistics have shown that about 95 percent of people infected with chlamydia will be completely cured after just one course of their prescribed antibiotics. It is important with chlamydia treatment that the medication is taken in its full course. There are also some antibiotics that are safe for pregnant women who have been infected with chlamydia.
The most unfortunate circumstances occur when chlamydia is left untreated, which is relatively common because the symptoms are either absent or so subtle they are not even noticed. If not treated, chlamydia can lead to more serious problems, especially in women, including pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID.
PID happens when the chlamydia infection spreads from the woman's cervix into her fallopian tubes or uterus. When the disease travels, it can cause damage that can result in chronic pelvic pain. Other, even more serious complications include ectopic pregnancy and infertility.
Men do not suffer from chlamydia complications as frequently as women do, but they can happen and sometimes cause fever, pain and, in rare cases, sterility.
The best way to make sure a chlamydia infection is caught before it does any damage is to get tested. Testing is simple and is done in a lab. Urine testing provides the most accurate and effective diagnosis, but some tests use sample specimens taken from the penis or cervix.
Regardless of the type of testing that is done, the important thing is to get tested so that proper chlamydia treatment can begin. Obviously not everyone needs to run out and get tested for chlamydia, but certain people are more susceptible to contracting chlamydia, and they should get tested every year. This includes any sexually active woman who is 25 years old or younger, anyone who has just entered into a sexual relationship with someone new and anyone who has multiple sexual partners.