Chlamydia Prevention - How To Protect Yourself From Chlamydia?

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Chlamydia Prevention - How To Protect Yourself From Chlamydia?
Chlamydia Prevention - How To Protect Yourself From Chlamydia?

Video: Chlamydia Prevention - How To Protect Yourself From Chlamydia?

Video: Chlamydia Prevention - How To Protect Yourself From Chlamydia?
Video: Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chlamydia | Infectious diseases | NCLEX-RN | Khan Academy 2024, March
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Ways to prevent chlamydia

Content

  • 1 What are the causes of chlamydia?
  • 2 How is chlamydia manifested?
  • 3 How is chlamydia treated?
  • 4 What is the prevention of chlamydia?
  • 5 How can a woman protect herself from chlamydia?
  • 6 How to prevent a pregnant woman from contracting chlamydia?
  • 7 What is the prevention of chlamydia in men?
  • 8 How to avoid contamination at the household level?

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease and is transmitted through sexual contact. The carriers of the infection are chlamydia microorganisms that parasitize cells. Chlamydia spreads very quickly in the body if the immune system is weakened. With strong immunity, the disease may not manifest itself for a long time. Chlamydia affects the genitals, rectum, eyes, and sometimes the pharynx.

What are the causes of chlamydia?

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What are the causes of chlamydia?

There is only one reason for the infection. It consists in the contact of healthy microflora with pathogens. As soon as the fungus enters the body and enters the cells of soft tissues, the reproduction process begins. How does the infection occur?

Chlamydia spreads sexually through unprotected vaginal, anal, and oral sex. If the expectant mother was not treated in time, then during childbirth the child may become infected, and the woman will receive serious complications. Chlamydia also spreads at the household level through the use of shared linen, hygiene products. Contacting a patient with pneumonia, you can get a dose of the fungus by airborne droplets.

How is chlamydia manifested?

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Chlamydia symptoms in men

The period of introduction of spores of the fungus and their further spread in a fertile environment takes from several days to several months, depending on the individual characteristics of the organism. At the end of the incubation period, the first signs of the disease begin to appear in the form of unpleasant itching and pain when urinating. However, this is not always the case. The peculiarity of chlamydia is that the disease may not have any symptoms.

As mentioned above, the reproduction period of the infection ranges from several days to several months. On average, this period takes from five to thirty days. In this case, no pronounced manifestations are observed.

The symptoms of chlamydia are as follows:

  • Morning vitreous discharge from the urethra at an early stage of the development of the disease;
  • Mild itching and pain during urination;
  • Weakness appears in the body, the temperature rises.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the symptoms of the disease are not constant and periodically disappear, and after a while they reappear. Such a sluggish cyclical process produces a deceptive feeling of mild temporary discomfort. Thus, chlamydia enters the chronic stage.

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Infection symptoms

How is chlamydia manifested in women? Vaginal discharge takes on a mucopurulent form with a characteristic odor. The color of the discharge also changes from transparent to pale yellow. There is pain in the internal and external genital organs, including during menstruation. Bleeding may occur mid-cycle. During urination, the woman feels itching and burning.

Chlamydia in pregnant women manifests itself as periodic purulent discharge and pain in the genitals. Untimely treatment can lead to a natural termination of pregnancy in the early stages, premature birth. The child becomes infected with chlamydia during childbirth, which subsequently manifests itself in inflammation of the mucous membrane, conjunctivitis, and pneumonia. A young mother may be at risk of postpartum fever.

Chlamydia in men manifests itself in the form of urethritis or inflammation of the urethra, which is characterized by vitreous discharge. This period may last for several months. When urinating, the man also experiences discomfort. There are recurrent pains in the genitals. Also, the presence of chlamydia is indicated by the cloudy color of urine with purulent and bloody impurities, including in semen.

Lovers of anal pleasures, both men and women, can get rectal infection. The disease can proceed without symptoms or there is pain, itching, discharge from the anus.

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What are the risks associated with untreated chlamydia?

  • Chlamydia in men leads to the appearance of adhesions, which in turn entails the blockage of seminal flows. As a consequence, a man can become sterile;
  • In women, chlamydia leads to similar results (adhesions appear in the reproductive system, obstruction of the fallopian tubes occurs, and then the inability to become pregnant);
  • Chlamydia treatment should only be comprehensive (only then a positive result will appear);
  • The defeat of the body with chlamydia can concern not only the reproductive system, but also, for example, the organs of vision.

It is very important to pass all tests again after undergoing treatment. This will avoid re-infection.

How is chlamydia treated?

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How is chlamydia treated

Chlamydia treatment is strictly contraindicated to carry out independently. Only the attending venereologist or gynecologist, urologist prescribes therapy.

Medicines are selected in such a way that their pharmacological properties make it possible to treat the disease at the cellular level. Timely diagnosed chlamydia is treated with Azithromycin, the capsule of which is taken once. Longer therapy is carried out with the drug Doxycycline for one week, one tablet twice a day.

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Azithromycin
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Doxycycline

Complex therapy, in addition to the above means, includes antifungal, immunity-enhancing drugs. Topical ointments and suppositories can be used if there is a strong discharge from the urethra.

Analyzes and treatment are prescribed to all partners who have had a relationship with the infected. You cannot live sexually during the period of treatment and medical examination, or you must use condoms.

It is prohibited to drink alcoholic beverages during the treatment period. The use of dairy products in food should also be reduced. One and a half to two months after treatment, it is required to repeat the tests for chlamydia in order to confirm or deny their presence in the body.

Once every six months or a year, you need to visit a gynecologist and urologist. A competent approach to your own health will allow you to always be aware of any changes, diagnose the disease in time and avoid complications. Any unpleasant symptoms are a signal that you need to see a doctor.

Complex treatment may also include such types of therapy as immuno- and physiotherapy, massage of the prostate gland, the introduction of liquid medications directly into the urethra. If the patient is diagnosed with chronic chlamydia, then in this case, several types of antibiotics are used for treatment.

What is the prevention of chlamydia?

For chlamydia not to darken life, prevention is necessary. The measures are the same for all infections that can be transmitted sexually.

What are the best preventive measures to take against chlamydia?

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  • Responsible attitude to the choice of a sexual partner - to be faithful to a regular partner, to use a condom while in a relationship with a casual partner. In this case, the risk of infection is reduced many times.
  • Douching, washing away after sexual intercourse, antiseptics with chlorine and other well-known folk remedies against infection with sexually transmitted diseases are not reliable preventive measures. Some of them can backfire. Chlamydia will also have problems with microflora. Its absence will lead to an even greater possibility of infection.
  • A healthy lifestyle and hygiene of the genitals maintain a high level of immunity, help to cope with various diseases, including those that are sexually transmitted.
  • Using a condom during sexual intercourse protects against infection, which still does not give a 100% guarantee. If there is no permanent partner, then in order to maintain confidence in your own health, once a year you need to see a doctor and undergo the necessary examination. If an infection has occurred, then it is better to notify all partners with whom there was a connection. This approach will not allow re-infection. An important point: with repeated infection with chlamydia, the possibility of complications increases several times.
  • Tests for chlamydia are also good for people planning to conceive in order to avoid any risks associated with the development and birth of a future baby. If the mother is infected, then she is sure to infect her baby during childbirth. Taking care of healthy heirs means being a responsible parent.
  • It is necessary to undergo preventive examination for chlamydia not only for sexual partners, but also for all family members. This disease is insidious and is not only transmitted through sexual contact. She can be infected at the household level through the use of common objects, as well as by airborne droplets. If one of the family members is sick, it means that everyone else, if not infected, is at risk. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo an examination and a course of treatment. During and after therapeutic measures, each family member should switch to individual hygiene items.

Thus, using simple preventive measures will avoid contracting chlamydia. It is much more effective and cheaper to adhere to certain rules than to cure the disease later. Even worse, if the disease becomes chronic, then the treatment will take a long time.

How can a woman protect herself from chlamydia?

The prevention of chlamydia in women overlaps with the general recommendations in many ways. What mistakes in prevention should a woman pay special attention to?

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  • Many ladies believe that they can protect their bodies from infection if, after intercourse, they immediately take a shower and douche with chlorine solution or potassium permanganate. Taking care of a woman about herself pleases, but this is not the way that can protect against chlamydia. Moreover, along with chlamydia, a woman will receive a splitting of the protective environment of the vagina.
  • The possibility of complications is reduced if the lady has strong immunity. Thanks to the support of the immune system, the body copes better with diseases, including chlamydia.
  • If infection still could not be avoided, then the woman should notify her sexual partner and all family members, so everyone with whom she constantly contacts will have to undergo treatment.

How to prevent a pregnant woman from contracting chlamydia?

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How to prevent a pregnant woman from contracting chlamydia?

Chlamydia can harm not only the expectant mother, but also her child. Therefore, it is very important to conduct an examination before the couple is planning to conceive. A course of treatment will be necessary if one of the partners or both of them have a disease. As soon as the tests confirm the absence of pathogenic microorganisms, we can already talk about the subsequent pregnancy. Why is it important? Chlamydia affects the female body. During childbirth, a baby can also become infected with chlamydia. The consequences of such carelessness can be catastrophic for the weak body of the newborn.

Statistics show that in recent years, the number of pregnant women with chlamydia has been increasing. Today, every tenth woman is affected by the disease.

Research for chlamydia should be mandatory for women wishing to become pregnant if they have a history of miscarriage or are undergoing fertility treatment. What is it for? Chlamydiae penetrate the cells of the placenta, after which the supply of oxygen and other nutrients to the fetus is reduced to a minimum. The child simply stops breathing and feeding. In the first trimester, chlamydia for the most part leads to a natural termination of pregnancy or stopping the development of the baby inside the womb.

Chlamydia also does not allow a woman to become pregnant, since, entering the body and parasitizing on cells, they affect the ovaries and fallopian tubes, causing their inflammation.

Any disease is easier to treat if it is diagnosed at an early stage. Timely measures taken will prevent the disease from developing into a chronic stage and relieve complications. What complications can arise if chlamydia is not treated? This is Reiter's disease, which includes three diseases: urethritis, arthritis, conjunctivitis. Also, with a negligent attitude to one's health, another serious complication may arise - this is a stricture of the urethra, in other words, a decrease in the passage for urine due to the resulting inflammatory process.

Chlamydia can also be infected in late pregnancy. During this period, such internal organs as the liver, pancreas, and kidneys are most at risk. An infected baby gets a lot of serious illnesses if the mother is not treated before pregnancy. What are these complications?

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  • Chlamydial pneumonia;
  • Conjunctivitis;
  • Brain damage.

A woman should take care of her health. Only then will she be able to give birth and bear healthy offspring and daily delight her loved ones.

What is the prevention of chlamydia in men?

Chlamydia is a disease with which it is better not to get involved. It is better to take all measures to avoid infection than to treat the symptoms. Prevention of chlamydia in men consists in observing the elementary life rules that will save him from trouble:

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  • Refuse casual sexual relationships;
  • If it is not possible to refuse sexual intercourse, be sure to use a condom, while remembering that this method of protection does not give one hundred percent guarantee;
  • Be faithful to your constant partner;
  • Any slightest suspicion of infection should be an incentive to see a doctor and further examination and therapy.

How to avoid contamination at the household level?

Chlamydia can be contracted not only through sexual contact. Pathogenic microorganisms are capable of infecting the body in the most ordinary environment through a handshake or the use of common dishes or linen. How to protect yourself from chlamydia at the household level?

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  • Strictly follow the rules of personal hygiene - wash your hands with soap and water after the street and contact with people, as some of them may be infected with chlamydia. As mentioned above, the infection affects even children. Signs of the disease are purulent discharge from inflamed eyes and severe cough, bronchitis;
  • Use only individual accessories, it is not allowed to use other people's hygiene items, as well as dishes and other household items;
  • Observe the rules for visiting a public toilet, do not sit on the toilet or lay a special paper pad on the seat, if not, you can use toilet paper, then wash your hands thoroughly;
  • The same applies to visiting public baths and saunas - to use a personal broom, basin, lay a sheet on the bench.

Chlamydiae are very resistant to the external environment. They are so tenacious that they can live in water for two days. You should not risk your health for the sake of momentary pleasures. The best treatment for a disease is prevention.

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