Chlamydia is a common STD that can infect both men and women. It can cause serious, permanent damage to a woman's reproductive system.SkipdirectlytositecontentSkipdirectlytopageoptionsSkipdirectlytoA-ZlinkChlamydiaSectionNavigationCDCHomeFacebookTwitterLinkedInSyndicateChlamydia–CDCFactSheetOtherLanguagesEspañol(Spanish)中文(Chinese)Kreyòl(HaitianCreole)Русский(Russian)TiẽngViêt(Vietnamese)MinusRelatedPagesChlamydiaisacommonsexuallytransmitteddisease(STD) thatcanbeeasilycured.Ifleftuntreated,chlamydiacanmakeitdifficultforawomantogetpregnant.BasicFactSheet|DetailedVersionBasicfactsheetsarepresentedinplainlanguageforindividualswithgeneralquestionsaboutsexuallytransmitteddiseases.Thecontentherecanbesyndicated(addedtoyourwebsite).PrintversionpdficonWhatischlamydia?ChlamydiaisacommonSTDthatcaninfectbothmenandwomen.Itcancauseserious,permanentdamagetoawoman’sreproductivesystem.Thiscanmakeitdifficultorimpossibleforhertogetpregnantlateron.Chlamydiacanalsocauseapotentiallyfatalectopicpregnancy(pregnancythatoccursoutsidethewomb).Howischlamydiaspread?Youcangetchlamydiabyhavingvaginal,anal,ororalsexwithsomeonewhohaschlamydia.Ifyoursexpartnerismaleyoucanstillgetchlamydiaevenifhedoesnotejaculate(cum).Ifyou’vehadchlamydiaandweretreatedinthepast,youcanstillgetinfectedagain.Thiscanhappenifyouhaveunprotectedsexwithsomeonewhohaschlamydia.Ifyouarepregnant,youcangivechlamydiatoyourbabyduringchildbirth.HowcanIreducemyriskofgettingchlamydia?TheonlywaytoavoidSTDsistonothavevaginal,anal,ororalsex.Ifyouaresexuallyactive,youcandothefollowingthingstoloweryourchancesofgettingchlamydia:Beinalong-termmutuallymonogamousrelationshipwithapartnerwhohasbeentestedandhasnegativeSTDtestresults;Uselatexcondomstherightwayeverytimeyouhavesex.AmIatriskforchlamydia?Anyonewhohassexcangetchlamydiathroughunprotectedvaginal,anal,ororalsex.However,sexuallyactiveyoungpeopleareatahigherriskofgettingchlamydia.Thisisduetobehaviorsandbiologicalfactorscommonamongyoungpeople.Gay,bisexual,andothermenwhohavesexwithmenarealsoa