DIET | DETECTIVE^®

Chlamydia is transmitted sexually, but not as a virus, like many other STDs. It's caused by a bacterium called chlamydiae. The disease dates at least as far back as ancient Egypt. The problems it caused in women, such as infertility, still exist today.

If caught early, chlamydia can be easily cured with antibiotics. If it's not, the damage can be disastrous, especially for women, says Rosanna Peeling, M.D., acting chief of the National Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Manitoba, Canada. Among other things, Peeling studies chlamydia's affect on reproductive capabilities in women. "What happens in women is that one third of those with chlamydia get pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Once a woman has PID she is 7 to 10 times more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy (when a pregnancy begins by having the fertilized egg implant itself in tissue outside the uterus, often within the fallopian tubes). One third of women who have PID will go on to develop infertility, because scarring from the disease causes the fallopian tubes to be blocked. Roughly 50,000 women become infertile in the United States each year from PID," says Peeling.

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America's Web site (www.plannedparenthood.org/STI-SAFESEX/chlamydia.htm) lists other symptoms women should know about:

Bleeding between menstrual periods
Vaginal bleeding after intercourse
Abdominal pain
Painful intercourse
Low-grade fever
Painful urination
The urge to urinate more than usual
Cervical inflammation
Abnormal vaginal discharge
Mucopurulent cervicitis (MPC), a yellowish discharge from the cervix that may have a foul odor

The best ways to avoid getting chlamydia or prevent it from doing permanent damage are:

Use condoms
Get routine check-ups for STDs
Abstain from sexual intercourse
Keep in mind, just like any other STD, it doesn't just matter whom you have been with but whom your partner has been with.

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