What Are the Symptoms and Complications of Chlamydia?
Most women with chlamydia do not have symptoms. Some infected women, however, do develop a yellowish discharge of mucus and pus from the cervix or vagina, abdominal pain, or bleeding between menstrual periods. Those with chlamydial infection of the urethra (the canal through which urine is eliminated) frequently have symptoms that mimic a bladder infection, such as the frequent need to urinate, a burning sensation during urination, and pain during intercourse. Because so many women with chlamydia are without symptoms, infections often go untreated. As a result, the infection can ascend from the lower to the upper genital tract, leading to more serious conditions. These may include endometritis (infection of the internal lining of the uterus) and salpingitis (infection of the fallopian tubes, also known as pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID). These conditions may, in turn, lead to serious complications. • Endometritis can cause infection of pelvic blood vessels and bloodstream (bactere
