Some things like to lurk. They like to just sit there all comfortably and then-without any warning at all-they spring up and bite you on the butt! Things that do this quite often are hairy spiders, scorpions, some types of snakes, rabid monkeys, perhaps-and definitely chlamydia.

One of twenty-five different diseases that qualify as an STD, chlamydia is also a lurker. It is an STD that can sit and wait for years before it bites you (really takes a chunk out of you, especially if you are a woman who would like to have a child). If you are sexually active, testing for such an STD is a great first step in taking control of your overall health.

Annual testing is highly recommended by certified STD clinics-and it’s not because they want repeat business-but it is precisely because of the lurking factor that chlamydia possesses. In the United States of America Chlamydia infects over three million people a year; a hefty sum, by any standard. Up to seventy five percent of chlamydia cases in women, and up to twenty five percent of cases in men, are completely symptomless. That’s seventy five percent of all women infected showing no signs of their status at all. If this isn’t an awesome case for testing, nothing is.

Whoa, let’s take it back a bit and discuss what it is we’re talking about here. What exactly is chlamydia? Well, chlamydia is a bacterial infection that grows-and wreaks havoc-in the urinary and reproductive organs. The fact that it is a bacterial infection is actually good news. A bacterial infection can be cured, while a viral infection cannot. Without treatment, chlamydia can lead to Non-Gonoccal-Urethritis (NGU) in the men who are infected, and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID in the women who are infected. Again, testing is a great way to guide your health care in a positive manner.

Anyway you cut it, chlamydia is an awful scourge. NGU can lead to inflammation-and even arthritis-of the testicles, in men. In women, PID can lead to sterility, that is, to not be able to have any children at all. For many women and families, this is devastating news. And it can all be avoided by receiving annual testing at a certified STD clinic

What to be on the lookout for? As previously mentioned, many cases of chlamydia do not show symptoms, therefore testing is imperative. For those cases where symptoms are present be on the lookout in men for, painful urination, whitish discharge from the penis and/or testicular pain. In women, itching & burning of the genitals, and a greenish (!) vaginal discharge. Do not become paralyzed with fear if these symptoms occur to you, instead insist on testing.

Chlamydia testing may the only real chance you have to stop it dead in its tracks. Way too many people are affected by its insidious complications each and every year. Getting yourself to a certified STD clinic annually for testing will stop the growth of this bacteria inside of you. This will eliminate the possibility that your reproductive organs can be affected and render you unable to have children,. Many families want this at some point in their lives. Be prepared to safeguard you ability to child rear.

Getting yourself to a certified STD clinic for testing will also help diagnose other STDs that may slip under the radar. Most people have a medical practitioner for their general health needs, yet if you are a sexually active individual, you need a regular sexual health checkup in addition to your traditional physical. Make it annual, pencil it in on your new calendars, and forget about it till the date arrives.