Long Term Considerations

It can affect other parts of the body and lead to long term health problems such as:

In women - it can cause infection and inflammation inside the reproductive system. It can result in pain, especially in the abdomen (area under your belly button) and may then cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). It can also lead to damage in the fallopian tubes (the tubes that take the eggs to your womb each month) and cause them to become narrow or blocked. This could result in infertility (not being able to have a baby), or may cause an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy which is developing in the tube).

In men - it can cause painful inflammation in one or both testicles. It's thought that Chlamydia might also lead to reduced fertility or infertility in men.

In men and women - If left untreated it can cause Reiter's syndrome, a form of arthritis which causes swelling of the joints, inflammation of the urethra (the tube which carries your wee form your bladder) and the eyes.

The risk of developing serious health problems increases if a person becomes infected more than once.