Chlamydia how serious is it?

a friend of mines recently found out she contracted it, and I myself want to learn more about it for safety reasons.

It can be treated with simple antibiotics......But if not treated for a long time then it can cause serious problems with your reproductive organs................You can keep from getting it by using a condom..............

It is serious, want to learn more check out these web sites;

http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/default...

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_he...
Chlamydia is the least serious when it comes to STD's; However, it can become very serious if left untreated. Besides, being able to spred it to anyone they are intimate with, if left un-treated it can cause serious problems down the road. And if it becomes really bad-it can even cause steralization problems. Tell your friend to get treated as soon as possible. And if she has been with anyone in the last six months, she needs to inform them so they can get treated too.
Chlamydia ("kla-MID-ee-uh") is a curable sexually transmitted infection (STI). You can get chlamydial infection during oral, vaginal, or anal sexual contact with an infected partner. It can cause serious problems in men and women, such as penile discharge and infertility respectively, as well as infections in newborn babies of infected mothers.

CAUSE
Chlamydia is caused by bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis.

SYMPTOMS
Chlamydia bacteria live in vaginal fluid and in semen. About 70 percent of chlamydial infections have no symptoms, thereby naming it the "silent" disease. Symptoms usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks after you are infected. Those who do have symptoms may have an abnormal discharge (mucus or pus) from the vagina or penis or experience pain while urinating. These early symptoms may be very mild.
The bacterial infection may move inside your body if it is not treated.

In women, bacteria can infect the cervix and urinary tract in women. If the bacteria move into the fallopian tubes, they can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

In men, bacteria can infect the urinary tract and the epididymis, causing epididymitis (inflammation of the reproductive area near the testicles).
PID and epididymitis are both very serious illnesses.

C. trachomatis also can cause inflammation of your rectum and lining of your eye (conjunctivitis or "pink eye"). The bacteria also can infect your throat if you have oral sexual contact with an infected partner.
Hi there,

Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that is spread by sexual contact. It is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States. Chlamydia infects the urethra in men and the urethra, cervix, or upper reproductive organs (or all three) in women. Chlamydia can also infect the rectum and the surface of the eyes and lining of the eyelids (conjunctiva).

Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. The disease can be spread during vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected partner. A pregnant woman can pass the infection to her newborn during vaginal delivery. Infection is rare during cesarean delivery, unless the amniotic sac has broken.

You can spread chlamydia even if you do not have symptoms. You are contagious until you have been treated. Condoms may help reduce the spread of chlamydia.

Up to 90% of women and men with chlamydia do not have symptoms.2 As a result, they may unknowingly spread chlamydia to their sex partners. When symptoms do occur, they may include:

Painful urination.
Cloudy urine.
Abnormal discharge from the urethra in men.
Abnormal discharge from the urethra or the cervix (or both) in women.
How is chlamydia diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask you questions about your medical and sexual history, such as how many partners you have. You also may have a physical examination. Women have a gynecological exam to look for signs of infection. Men have a genital exam to look for discharge from the penis and tenderness in the scrotum.

Several types of tests can be used to diagnose a chlamydia infection. Most use a sample of fluid from the urethra or the cervix. This requires that a woman have a pelvic exam. A urine test also can be done if there is no other reason to have a pelvic or genital exam. Test results are usually ready in 2 to 3 days-except for the chlamydia culture, which can take 5 to 7 days.

Low-cost tests are usually available at local health departments and family planning clinics.

How is it treated?
Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. If taken exactly as directed, antibiotics can cure a chlamydia infection. The infection will not be cured if antibiotics are not taken as directed. Prompt treatment also stops the spread of the infection and reduces complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

Having a chlamydia infection that was cured does not protect you from a future infection. A new exposure to chlamydia will reinfect you, even if you were treated and cured.

Experts recommend that you notify all partners with whom you had sex in the 60 days since your symptoms or diagnosis; if you have not had sex in the last 60 days, contact your last sexual partner. This prevents reinfection. If your symptoms continue after treatment, you probably have been infected again. It does not mean the first treatment failed. If you have chlamydia, avoid all sexual contact or use condoms until you and your partner (or partners) have finished the full course of medication.

Some people who have chlamydia also have the STD gonorrhea. Treatment includes antibiotics that kill both types of bacteria.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.
www.webmd.com
Its a very serious and potentially dangerous STD. It can cause infertility in sufferers and requires urgent treatment.
It has practically no symptoms until the latter stages.