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Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a very common bacterial STI which can be passed on during sex without a condom or other barrier method.

Quick facts

  • Chlamydia can infect the genital organs, urethra, anus/rectum, throat and eyes.
  • Most people infected with chlamydia have no symptoms
  • Chlamydia is treated effectively with antibiotics

Been diagnosed with chlamydia?

  • Follow these steps:
    • Take medication (follow your doctor’s advice)
    • Avoid sex for 7 days
    • Let your sexual partners from the past 6 months know
    • Have a retest 3 months after treatment
    • Use condoms to avoid a reinfection

Download a fact sheet (PDF):

What is this?

Chlamydia is a common bacterial sexually transmissible infection (STI):

  • If you have a vagina, it can cause infection of the cervix, anus, rectum, throat and occasionally eyes.
  • If you have a penis, it can cause infection in the urethra, testicles, prostate, anus, rectum, throat and occasionally eyes.

How do you get it?

You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has the infection or sharing insertive sex toys or objects.

Using condoms or dams can decrease your chances of getting chlamydia.

What are the symptoms?

Most people have no symptoms.

Vagina

If you have a vagina, you may experience:

  • change in vaginal discharge
  • irregular bleeding (especially after sex)
  • pelvic pain, including pain during sexual intercourse
  • stinging or burning when passing urine

Penis

If you have a penis, you may experience:

  • redness at the opening of the penis
  • stinging or burning when passing urine
  • discharge from the penis (which is often clear in colour)
  • pain and swelling in the testicles

Anus

You may experience discharge, bleeding or pain from the anus.

How do you test for it?

Chlamydia is tested either by a urine sample, or a swab from the cervix, vagina, throat or anus.

How is it treated?

Chlamydia is treated effectively with antibiotics. However, if complications are suspected, a longer course of treatment is given.

If you have symptoms, they will usually start to go away a few days after you have started treatment. 

If you still have symptoms a week after starting treatment, see your doctor again.

Are there any complications if not treated?

If you have a vagina, untreated chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which is an infection of the uterus and fallopian tubes. PID can lead to infertility, chronic pelvic pain or ectopic pregnancy (hover link definition - a pregnancy that occurs outside the womb).  It can also pass to a baby during delivery and cause significant infections.

If you have a penis, untreated chlamydia can lead to scrotal infection, prostate infection and infertility.

Rarely, infection can cause a type of arthritis, affecting the joints and an inner part of the eye.  It can also affect the lining of the eye (conjunctivitis) by contact with infected fluid. 

Is it likely to come back after treatment?

To avoid getting reinfected and passing chlamydia on to anyone else:

  • You should not have any sexual contact until one week after starting treatment. Not even sex with a condom or dam.
  • You should not have sex with any partners until one week after they have started treatment.
  • If your partner is treated after you, this means no sex until one week after they have started treatment. Otherwise you could be reinfected and would need to be treated again. 
  • It’s important to tell all your sexual partners from the past 6 months that they need to get tested, so they can avoid developing complications or passing an infection on to someone else. You may want to tell them directly or send them an anonymous message using a partner notification website (see below).

We recommend a repeat test three months after treatment to detect re-infection.

How can I protect myself?

Your best protection to avoid getting chlamydia again is by:

  • letting your sexual partners know about your chlamydia infection  
  • making sure that your current sexual partners are also treated for chlamydia
  • using condoms or another barrier method with any future partners

Let them know

When you've been diagnosed with an STI like this, all of your sexual partners from the last few months should be checked by a doctor. 

It is very important that all your sex partners (regular and casual) are checked because if STIs are not treated they may cause serious problems later on.

If you have difficulty telling your partners, you can use Let Them Know for sample conversations, emails, text messages and letters you can send to your partners either personally or anonymously.

Where can I get help?

How urgent are my symptoms?
What tests do I need?
Where can I be tested?
Related fact sheets
Lymphogranuloma venereum Pelvic inflammatory disease
Related links

Disclaimer

This fact sheet provides general sexual health information and is not intended to replace the need for a consultation with your doctor.

If you have concerns about your health, you should seek advice from your doctor.

If you require urgent care, you should go to your nearest Emergency Department or call 000.