Symptoms of chlamydial infection in women

introduction

Chlamydia are a type of bacteria and are divided into different strains. Chlamydia trachomatis, which are transmitted through sexual intercourse and are among the most common infectious diseases, are very important.

But what symptoms do the chlamydia cause and how can an infection be detected early?
This is important to know because an unnoticed and therefore untreated chlamydial infection can have serious consequences such as can cause sterility.

Overview of the symptoms of a chlamydial infection

Depending on the subgroup of chlamydia, different symptoms occur.
Possible symptoms are listed below. It is important to mention that almost 70-80% of the women affected do not feel any symptoms at all.

General symptoms

• fever

• Swelling of the lymph nodes

• Joint pain (possible)

Symptoms of the sexual organs (due to Chlamydia trachomatis)

• increased discharge with odor formation
• Burning sensation when urinating
• Pain in the abdomen
• Intermenstrual bleeding
• Bleeding during or after intercourse
• Cervical infection
• Inflammation of the fallopian tubes, inflammation of the ovaries and even infertility

Further information can be found at: The scrotum itches - what's behind it?

Eye symptoms (due to Chlamydia trachomatis)

• Conjunctivitis, in the worst case up to blindness

Symptoms in the airways (due to Chlamydia pneumonia)

• Inflammation of the paranasal sinuses (sinusitis) up to pneumonia

You may also be interested in the following article: "What are the consequences of a chlamydial infection?"

Changes in vaginal discharge

If your vaginal discharge is no longer milk white, but has a yellowish color and smells strongly, then this should urgently be clarified by a doctor.
Yellowish, sticky discharge can indicate a chlamydial infection, which is mainly transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse.
If left untreated, infertility can occur in the worst case, so we urgently recommend that you consult your doctor in the event of changes in vaginal discharge.

Altered vaginal discharge can also be caused by other pathogens. Find out more at: Altered vaginal discharge - what's behind it?

Odor formation

If there is a chlamydial infection, the smell of the vaginal discharge and urine often changes.
Those affected describe the smell as severe and pungent.

Intermenstrual bleeding and bleeding after intercourse

A typical symptom of chlamydial infection in women is easy bleeding.
These can occur as intermenstrual bleeding between two monthly menstrual periods or manifest as a heavy period.
In addition, there may be light bleeding during or after sexual intercourse.
However, bleeding is not evidence of chlamydial infection; it can have other causes as well. A medical consultation is therefore strongly recommended.

For more information on this topic, we recommend our page on: Spotting - what's behind it?

Burning sensation when urinating

Burning sensation when urinating can have several causes. Mostly a bacterial inflammation of the urinary tract (e.g. cystitis) is behind it. Others and above all Dreaded causes of these symptoms are sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia trachomatis.
An untreated chlamydial infection can in the worst case lead to infertility. Therefore, if you have a burning sensation while urinating, you should consult a doctor.

Further information on this topic can be found at: Burning sensation when urinating

Pain in the abdomen

Abdominal pain can have many different causes and is therefore not specifically due to a bacterial infection with chlamydia.
They can often be related to menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, ectopic pregnancies and other gynecological diseases.
If the abdominal pain occurs together with an inflammation of the ovaries or fallopian tubes, a chlamydial infection could hide behind. A chlamydial infection can also trigger the clinical picture of lymph granuloma inguinale, which can lead to inflamed lymph nodes in the groin region, which can also be very painful.

If the pain is very severe or persistent, you should consult a doctor.

Read more on this topic at: Pain in the abdomen

Cervical infection

The chlamydia are one of the most common pathogens of cervical inflammation, which is also used in medicine Cervicitis is called.
The symptoms of cervicitis can vary. Often the vaginal discharge changes, which should actually be white, medium-sized and odorless. If the discharge is yellow and smells different, this could be an indication of bacterial inflammation.
Occasionally, a cervical infection can lead to light bleeding, especially after intercourse. Some affected women also experience pain when urinating.

Read more on this topic at: Uterine inflammation

Fallopian tube inflammation

If early treatment with antibiotics was not started as part of the chlamydial infection, the bacteria can rise from the vagina via the uterus to the fallopian tubes and trigger an inflammation of the fallopian tubes (med. Salpingitis) there. This is a dreaded complication as it is linked to female sterility.
With an inflammation of the fallopian tubes one usually has unilateral pain in the lower abdomen with a strong feeling of illness. There may also be increased nausea and vomiting.

Further information on this topic can be found at: Symptoms of fallopian tube inflammation

Ovarian inflammation

A bacterial infection with chlamydia can lead to ovarian inflammation, among other things.
This mainly occurs if the infection has not been treated for a long time. It is common for the chlamydia to cause adhesions in the ovary area. In the worst case, the sticking can lead to infertility, which can make artificial insemination necessary if you want to have children.

Also read: Ovarian Inflammation - What You Should Know!

Joint pain

A chlamydial infection often leads to the typical symptoms mentioned above (changes in vaginal discharge, lower abdominal pain, painful urination, fever and others). However, the infection can also proceed without any symptoms.
Typically, after about one to three weeks of pain-free time, those affected experience acute joint pain, especially in the knee joint, but also in the ankle joint or in the whole toe. The pattern of joint involvement is not always typical and can vary. Therefore, it can be difficult to attribute the inflammation of the joints to the chlamydial infection during a visit to the doctor, if the symptoms are low.

Conjunctivitis up to trachoma

An infection with Chlamydia trachomatis not only affects the genital organs, but can also affect the eyes. This can lead to conjunctivitis.
Newborns often become infected during childbirth if the mother has a genital chlamydial infection.
Adolescents or adults, on the other hand, can get away from each other through intimate contact or through unpurified water, e.g. infect in the swimming pool. This can lead to conjunctivitis. In this case one often speaks of swimming pool conjunctivitis.

Treatment of conjunctivitis is important, otherwise in the most extreme case it can be permanent (chronification). The chronic form is also called trachomatis and can lead to blindness.

Further information on this topic can be found at: Trachoma

lung infection

Pneumonia can be caused by a chlamydial infection, among other things. This is Chlamydia pneumoniae, which is transmitted through the air as a so-called droplet infection. This means that you can get infected through infected people if they e.g. sneeze.

Usually, however, there are only mild cold symptoms with a scratchy throat, cough, fever and a general feeling of illness as part of the infection.
In the case of immunocompromised people, pneumonia can occur, which can be life-threatening and must therefore be treated urgently.
The immunocompromised include the elderly, diabetics, people with HIV and people who have taken cortisone or chemotherapy.

Further information on this topic can be found at: Chlamydial infection of the lungs

Unspecific symptoms

fever

Fever is a nonspecific symptom of chlamydial infection. From 38.3 degrees one speaks of a slight fever. Other unspecific symptoms can include headache and body aches. If you notice an altered vaginal discharge in addition to the unspecific symptoms, if you experience pain when urinating or having sexual intercourse, this could be an indication of a chlamydial infection or other bacterial infection and should be examined by a doctor.

Swelling of the lymph nodes

In the case of a lymph node swelling or enlargement, the lymph nodes can usually be felt or seen. Lymph node swellings indicate that something is wrong in the body. They are therefore a non-specific symptom for infections, but also for tumors. A chlamydial infection can also lead to a swelling of the lymph nodes, especially in the groin area.

This is how long it takes for the symptoms to appear (incubation period)

The incubation period is the time between infection and the onset of symptoms. If you have been infected with chlamydia, it takes about one to four weeks for the disease to break out.

Find out more about this topic at: Chlamydia Infection - What You Should Know!

Can you get symptoms only after years?

A chlamydial infection that has been causing symptoms for the first time may have been months or years ago.
This means that those affected have long been infected with chlamydia and these may have already settled in the fallopian tubes or ovaries without this being noticed.
If the doctor is only consulted after months or years when acute complaints occur, the risk of long-term effects such as infertility can no longer be dealt with.

Can a Woman Have Chlamydia Without Symptoms?

A chlamydial infection can be symptom-free.
Around seven out of ten women report having no symptoms, whereas this is five out of ten for men.
This means that only around 20-30% of women notice symptoms. This, in turn, can be dangerous, as an unnoticed and thus untreated chlamydial infection is one of the main causes of infertility.

Our next topic could also be of interest to you: Treatment of a chlamydial infection