Chlamydia can lead to infertility in men and women- Study
Chlamydia is an infectious disease that infects around 131,000 people worldwide every year. In Brazil, there are no epidemiological data on the disease, since its notification is not mandatory, but data from the World Health Organization indicate that young people are the most affected by this sexually transmitted infection. Chlamydia is a gram negative bacteria responsible for a number of problems, mainly in the eyes and genital tract. “Studies show that approximately 75% of women and 50% of men with the infection do not have symptoms, do not seek medical assistance and are not treated, but transmit the disease, which is spreading to an increasing number of people”, tells Iara Linhares, gynecologist at the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine at USP.
For this reason, seeking medical attention is so important, because those who have the problem and do not treat it may develop complications resulting from the infection. It is worth noting, however, that men and women have different symptoms.“The infection is undoubtedly more serious in women. In men, chlamydia causes urethritis, inflammation of the urethra. It is usually manifested by pain or discomfort when urinating and the presence of secretion in the penis. In women, the disease mainly affects the cervix, in addition to the urethra and glands that live in the vulva, in the external genitalia. In the cervix, it causes cervicitis, which is inflammation of the cervix. There may also be a purulent discharge, in addition to pain and discomfort in the lower abdomen and during sexual intercourse. Because the cervix is not visible to the woman, gynecological follow-up is necessary.
In the United States, women up to age 25 are tested for chlamydia every time they have a Pap smear. Lack of treatment can affect female and male fertility, potentially leading to sterility, and babies can be born with conjunctivitis and pneumonia. The treatment is simple, but everyone involved needs to do it. Chlamydia is curable, as long as it is quickly diagnosed and treated. However, because it is a silent disease, women often only discover that they had the infection when they have difficulty getting pregnant.
“Because they act more impulsively, young people are the most affected by sexually transmitted diseases, because they act more impulsively, more emotionally compared to the more mature population. This behavior ends up resulting in unprotected sex many times” points out Carmita Abdo, psychiatrist and professor at the Faculty of Medicine at USP and coordinator of Prosex – Sexuality Project at the Institute of Psychiatry at USP. She points out that “education about sexually transmitted infections and other aspects of sexuality deserves more frequent, broader campaigns, involving not only negative aspects, but also others that may be of interest to this population”.