Are There Always Signs of Chlamydia?

Q: My brother has been having unprotected sex with his girlfriend. I heard that his girlfriend had Chlamydia. I have been trying to convince him to seek testing, but he doesn’t think he needs it. Could you tell me some of the signs of Chlamydia? I want to pass the information to my brother, so he will finally realize he needs to be tested.

D. Riley
Tampa, FL

A: You are right in wanting your brother to be tested. The signs of Chlamydia can be hard to notice – in many cases, there are no signs at all. If your brother’s girlfriend had this STD, he definitely needs to seek testing as soon as possible. He may not be having any symptoms, which could be why he doesn’t think he needs to be tested. Remind him that there are symptoms, but that Chlamydia often exhibits no symptoms at all. Roughly 50% of the time men don’t show any symptoms, and about 75% of the time women don’t show symptoms. There are many symptoms associated with Chlamydia; however, the more common ones include:

·    Abnormal discharge from the penis
·    Burning while urinating
·    Itching around the opening of the penis