Chlamydia

What goes wrong

It may feel like you are peeing barbed wire.
Some girls get a yellowish discharge and feel itchy round the vagina
Some men get a white cloudy droplet coming out of their penis.
BUT: many women don’t feel anything at all. Up to 1 in 10 young women have it, and 90% of them don’t know, because they don’t feel anything. At least 25% of men have no symptoms from it either.

It’s caused by

Having sex (vaginal or anal) with someone who has the chlamydia bacteria. It can even be passed on by fingering or touching someone’s genitals. Once infected a person stays infected until they are treated.

How not to get it

Don’t have sex with anyone who’s got it – but use a condom anyway as it is impossible to know.

What to do if you do get it or are worried that you might have it

Head for your doctor’s, or your local Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic at a hospital. You can find the address in the phone book. You need to get it sorted because it can damage your chances of ever having children.