Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that is very common and often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Chlamydia is caused by having unprotected sex with an infected partner or can even be passes on from an infected mother to her child.
The symptoms related to Chlamydia do not show up easily and therefore the condition remains undiagnosed for a very long time. This makes early treatment of the condition impossible and increases chances of fatality. The long term effects of Chlamydia can cause a lot of irreversible damage and harm. As this infection affects both male and female genitalia, undiagnosed Chlamydia can result in pelvic inflammatory disease or PID in women. PID can result in infection of the cervix, the uterus and even the fallopian tubes. It could damage the fertility of a woman permanently. It could cause pelvic pain and in more serious cases even ectopic pregnancies, in which the baby grows outside the uterus. It can also lead to cystitis or an inflammation of the bladder in women.
Untreated Chlamydia can weaken the immune system and lead to an environment that will make your body susceptible to different other conditions. HIV is one such infection you are likely to contract if Chlamydia remains untreated. Untreated Chlamydia in men is also known to cause complications but not as frequently as in women. This infection can affect the epididymis which is the tube in the penis that carries the sperm. Here, it can cause pain, swelling and in rare cases, even sterility.
In pregnant women, if untreated Chlamydia exists, it could cause all sorts of complications for the mother and her unborn child. The mother could have a premature delivery. The mother could also pass on the infection to her baby leading to early conjunctivitis or Chlamydia infection in the eye. Therefore, all doctors advise that pregnant women be screened for all sexually transmitted diseases. If Chlamydia is caused from oral sex, it can lead to persistent infection in the throat or proctitis in case you have anal sex and have gotten infected thus.
answered by G R