It's passed on through unprotected sex sex without a condom and is particularly common in sexually active teenagers and young adults. If you live in England, are under 25 and are sexually active, it's recommended that you get tested for chlamydia every year or when you change sexual partner.
If you think you're at risk of having an STI or have any symptoms of chlamydia, visit your GP, community contraceptive service or local genitourinary medicine GUM clinic to get tested. Read more about chlamydia symptoms. Chlamydia is a bacterial infection.
The bacteria are usually spread through sex or contact with infected genital fluids semen or vaginal fluid. It can also be passed by a pregnant woman to her baby - read about the complications of chlamydia for more information about this. Chlamydia can't be passed on through casual contact, such as kissing and hugging, or from sharing baths, towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or cutlery.
Although chlamydia doesn't usually cause any symptoms and can normally be treated with a short course of antibiotics, it can be serious if it's not treated early on. If left untreated, the infection can spread to other parts of your body and lead to long-term health problems, such as pelvic inflammatory disease PID , epididymo-orchitis inflammation of the testicles and infertility.
It can also sometimes cause reactive arthritis. This is why it's important to get tested and treated as soon as possible if you think you might have chlamydia.
