Dear ginagee,

Chlamydia is the most common and most invisible sexually transmitted bacterial infection in the U.S. Three million American men and women become infected every year.

There is a cure for chlamydia. Chlamydia is easy to treat. Both partners must be treated at the same time. Certain antibiotics are used to kill chlamydia bacteria.

If not treated, chlamydia can cause sterility in women and men. In women, it infects the cervix and can spread to the urethra, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. It can cause bladder infections and serious pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy (a serious condition where pregnancy happens in one of the fallopian tubes), and sterility.

In men, chlamydia infects the urethra and may spread to the testicles, causing epididymitis, which can cause sterility. Untreated, it can lead to disabling reactive arthritis.

Chlamydia is spread through vaginal and anal sex, from the birth canal to the fetus, and rarely from the hand to the eye, or through oral sex.

Female or latex condoms can reduce the risk of transmitting chlamydia.

Hope this information helps!

Take care,

teenwire.com^® Editors

This column is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have a medical problem, please call toll-free 1-800-230-PLAN for an appointment with the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you.