Chlamydia is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) that affects both men and women. Chlamydia can also cause a number of issues during pregnancy. Doctors recommend that all pregnant women be screened for chlamydia at their first prenatal care appointment.

Active chlamydia could be passed to the baby during delivery, causing serious eye or lung infections. The infection also puts you at higher risk for preterm delivery or low birth weight infants. This infection can be treated and cured by a course of oral antibiotics, safe for use in pregnancy. Doctors recommend additional screening for chlamydia in the third trimester, before delivery. Reinfection is common, and it is important to prevent transmission to the baby at birth. 

It is important to note that chlamydia also has implications for an abortion decision. Any infected cells in your vagina can travel up to your uterus before an abortion, so it is important to treat it ahead of time. An appointment with us at Alcove Health would be very valuable to you if you are considering an abortion. You should get checked and fully treated for all STI’s before you have any kind of abortion. 

Most people with chlamydia are unaware that they have the infection. Left untreated, it can cause serious complications including infertility and chronic pain. Chlamydia is fairly easy to treat if you know you have it — one course of antibiotics is usually enough; however, it is spread easily by having unprotected sex with an infected person.  Chlamydia continues to be the most commonly reported nationally notifiable disease. Many of the infection symptoms go unnoticed but could include vaginal discharge, pain during sex, irregular bleeding between cycles, or burning on urination.

That’s a lot of scary news, right? 

Good news is here at Alcove Health we now test for chlamydia at no cost to you, and we also offer a safe place to process your pregnancy decision. We are concerned about all of you and if a sexually transmitted infection is part of your story, we have resources to help you. Accurate information concerning your pregnancy and all the options available are just some of the services we provide, free of charge! Make an appointment today!

Facing an unplanned pregnancy? CALL or click HERE to make a no-cost appointment today.