Chlamydia is one of those diseases that are silent as they destroy. The reason that so many women and men suffer from this very common STD is that almost seventy five percent of women and fifty percent of men who have it show no symptoms at all. It's hard enough to get people to submit to testing when symptoms are very obvious. With a disease like Chlamydia it is even harder. Don't be one of those people who bury their heads in the sand. Read this article—and if you feel that testing is appropriate—by all means get yourself to a certified STD clinic to begin.

What exactly is Chlamydia? Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis. In America, out of the over twenty five different diseases that can be classified as an STD, Chlamydia is the most commonly reported of them all. Teenage women are the most common sufferers according to statistics. Chlamydia is also one of those diseases that seems to ping-pong back and forth from lover to lover. If treatment is not applied to both individuals in the sexual relationship at the same time there is often times a re-infection. It must be made crystal clear that testing is the best way to defeat this disease due to its nature of stealth.

How does one become infected with Chlamydia? Chlamydia is spread by vaginal, anal or oral sex. Basically, any sexual activity at all could spread this awful disease. Because of the fact that many times symptoms do not appear, it is important that testing for Chlamydia is done regularly if you are sexually active. Although a majority of individuals infected with this disease do NOT show symptoms—others do. If you are sexually active be on the lookout for the following symptoms:

In Women

Painful urination

Abdominal pain

Lower back pain

Nausea

Fever

Painful intercourse

Spotting between periods

In Men

Penis discharge

Painful urination

Itching at the tip of penis

Painful or swollen testicles

Okay. Let's say that you have experienced some of these symptoms. What are you going to do? Go to STD Clinic as soon as possible. If Chlamydia progresses in women, the results of the infection can cause PID—or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. This occurs when the Chlamydia bacteria infects the cells of a woman's cervix and spreads to the uterus and fallopian tubes. PID can cause several major health problems for women. They include chronic pelvic pain, ectopic or tubal pregnancies, and infertility. Infertility is caused by the scarring associated with the infection inside the fallopian tubes that will keep an egg from being fertilized. Testing to find out your status can help keep you healthy—as long as you get treatment if the results are positive.

Other worrisome problems associated with Chlamydia are cystitis and AIDS. Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder. AIDS? Unfortunately, we all know what that is. What is not commonly known is that women who have Chlamydia are over five times more likely to catch HIV from their partner. Again, all it takes is for you to receive Chlamydia testing before the infection gets to this point in order to remain healthy and happy.

In men, the problems are infection and scarring of the urethra. Swelling of the prostate gland and—just like women—infertility. Let's not lose sight of what infertility is. It is losing the ability to ever have children naturally for an entire lifetime.

Well , let's talk about something positive: testing! What is the testing procedure like? Testing for Chlamydia is very simple, pain free and affordable. Testing consists of a swab that will analyze the specimen produced, or an even simpler and pain free urine test. There is nothing holding you back from visiting a certified STD Clinics to receive testing.