Chlamydia is an infectious disease of the reproductive system. Very often, the disease affects other important parts of the body - blood vessels, heart, mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and bone system. Therefore, you need to know the treatment methods and symptoms of chlamydia in women in order to prevent the introduction of the disease in time.
Definition
This is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, which very often provokes the development of infertility. This disease can be asymptomatic for years. The causative agent is the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. You can get infected at the time of unprotected sex (without using a condom). Chlamydia is transmitted by vaginal, oral and anal sex. In the event of pregnancy, a woman can transmit the disease to her baby.
There is a risk of infection through the household by using bedding, a toilet bowl or a towel at the same time as an infected person, but this is not documented.
Classification
Depending on the duration of infection and the severity of the course, specialists distinguish the following types of chlamydia in women:
- Fresh - the lesion occurred no later than a few months ago, and mainly the lower parts of the urogenital tract (vagina, cervical canal and urethra) are infected.
- Chronic - the problem has been present for more than two months, is characterized mainly by a relapsing or asymptomatic course, due to which the inflammation passes to the pelvic organs.
The danger of chlamydia
In the fair sex, the ailment settles in the genitourinary system, and then spreads sexually. Among the modern generation, the problem is very common. This is associated with the absence of pronounced symptoms, and therefore timely treatment. The chlamydia virus can actively multiply and not show itself, and a person is often considered a carrier without suspecting it. Bacteria are parasites and live off the hostâs energy and resources. Infection is introduced into the cell nucleus, multiplies and feeds on its contents. After the destruction of the cell to freedom, a greater number of microorganisms are released, which begin to search for themselves new sources for survival. In the area of ââdead specimens, coarse connective tissue forms, because of this the diseased organ no longer has the ability to function properly, and malfunctions appear in the body.
At risk are: the digestive system, eyes and genitals. A similar pathological process occurs constantly, often without symptoms. The person does not feel the danger, and he does not take any protective measures, and the problem, meanwhile, spreads further.
Causes
Chlamydia in women is often associated with ailments of the reproductive system. Among the main signs of the development of the problem, doctors call the absence of one sexual partner and promiscuous sexual relations. It should be noted that the ailment contributes to:
- the presence of chronic diseases in the urogenital tract;
- violation of hygiene rules;
- decrease in local immunity.
Transmission Methods
Very often, after making a diagnosis, patients are interested in a doctor about the options for infection of the disease. The main route of transmission of chlamydia in women is sexual. At the time of contact, the carrier infects its partner with a disease. In this case, the localization of the problem - oral, genital, will depend on the transmission method. And also other transmission routes are highlighted:
- Vertical, in terms of distribution it is in second place. In this case, the pathogen is transferred from mother to baby. This can happen in the birth process at the time of passage of the child through the genital tract. As a result, conjunctivitis begins to form in the baby, affecting the mucous membranes of the lungs. Doctors do not exclude the possibility of infection while the baby is still in the womb, but this has not been confirmed by practice.
- Contact household has no documentary basis. However, due to the active contagiousness of the virus, doctors do not discard the likelihood of transmission through public utilities. It has been proven that chlamydia is very viable and can last up to 2 days on underwear.
- Airborne - describe such a form of pathology as chlamydial pneumonia.
Risk group
An increased risk of chlamydia in women appears if:
- There were several sexual partners with whom unprotected sex was practiced.
- Sex life began early (girls who have lost their virginity before 19 years old have an increased risk of failure).
- Previously, there was chlamydia or other sexually transmitted diseases.
- Unprotected sex was practiced with a man who already has a malaise.
Symptoms of chlamydia in women
This disease rarely causes various symptoms in the fair sex. According to statistics, in 80% of women the problem is asymptomatic, gradually and imperceptibly leading to the formation of complications.
If they are still present, then you can notice the following signs of the disease:
- discharges that have an unpleasant odor, they can be transparent, green or yellow;
- pain at the time of urination (signs of cystitis or urethritis);
- unpleasant feelings during sex;
- spotting after sexual intercourse or without obvious reasons for it;
- another symptom of chlamydia in women is an increase in body temperature;
- pain in the lower abdomen, on the sides and in the center.
The first signs of the disease may appear at the end of the week after infection.
Complications
The unrecognized symptoms of chlamydia in women (photos of ladies who have encountered this trouble are presented in the article) can lead to the following consequences:
- ectopic and frozen pregnancy;
- infertility;
- cervical cancer;
- joint inflammation;
- problems with the pelvic organs (salpingitis and chronic endometritis).
In case of pregnancy, bacteria can provoke premature birth, lead to miscarriage and pneumonia in a newborn baby.
Associated diseases caused by chlamydia
Despite the fact that the virus already causes many serious problems, it can cause other pathologies in the body:
- Colpitis often develops during menopause due to a lack of estrogen in the body. At risk are girls, pregnant and mature women. In this case, there is a symptom of chlamydial colpitis in the glands nearby with the vagina. The patient feels itching, burning, pain during urination and in the lower abdomen.
- Cervicitis shows a large-scale problem in the cervix and forms as erosion. In this case, the body becomes significant, swollen and inflamed.
- Salpingoophoritis, endometritis, and salpingitis are serious diseases that require ultrasound (ultrasound). They arise due to constant stress, a weak immune system and poor sleep.
Diagnostics
Symptoms of chlamydia in women are not always pronounced, therefore, the diagnosis of the disease is not an easy task.
There are several methods for detecting a disease, each of which has its own disadvantages and advantages:
- Microscopic examination is the simplest method of detection, with it the smear is very closely examined under a microscope. It is possible to identify a problem with this option in 10% of cases, since chlamydia in women most often occurs in a chronic course, which means that microbes penetrate far into the mucous membrane, and there is no way to take a smear from there.
- Sowing bacteria on cultures of living cells - this rather sensitive method helps to immediately get answers to 2 questions, namely, to identify or refute the presence of chlamydia and select the required selective antibiotic. This method is very demanding and time consuming.
- RIF (immunofluorescence reaction) - at the time of its use, the biological material of the patient is treated with immune serum, in which antichlamydia antibodies are present, and then exposed to the fluorescent reagent. Next, the resulting sample is carefully examined under a microscope. If the disease is, then the chlamydia present in it will be pronounced among the rest of the contents. In terms of sensitivity, the presented method is not inferior to the previous one. However, with RIF it is not possible to separate dead bacteria from living ones, which very often prompts the doctor to prescribe drugs for the treatment of chlamydia in women again to a healthy microflora. Therefore, this method only helps with the initial diagnosis, and for the future, the previous method is suitable.
- PCR (polymerase chain reaction) - thanks to the method, you can get almost one hundred percent result, but the option is very capricious. If there is even the smallest admixture of extraneous components in the material used, an exact result can not be expected.
Chlamydia in pregnant women
If possible, all tests should be done by both partners before conception begins. In case of infection after fertilization, therapy should be comprehensive and urgent, since complications are possible:
- the likelihood of a miscarriage;
- premature birth;
- early amniotic fluid withdrawal.
If the birth took place, then the infection of the fetus remains high and is 75%. It should be noted that in a childâs body the virus develops very quickly. With its mild manifestations, it leads to obstruction of the respiratory tract, pneumonia, conjunctivitis, pharyngitis and otitis media. There are still complications in the form of Fitz-Hugh-Kurtis syndrome or encephalopathy with seizures. In other cases, the virus with which the baby is infected has a fatal outcome for him.
Chlamydia in women who are about to become mothers is treated with drugs that are harmless to the fetus. These include antibiotics, in which the molecular weight is more than the throughput capacity of the capillaries of the placenta. The intake regimen consists of 7-14 days with fairly long breaks to restore proper metabolism. In the early stages, one course is sufficient to remove the infection.
For a better result, girls are prescribed immunomodulators, enzymes and vitamins. In some cases, a single administration of a highly sensitive chlamydia antibiotic is used. At the same time, the sexual partner receives treatment to prevent re-infection.
For the treatment of chlamydia in pregnant women, only safe drugs are used, they include: Ofloxacin, Amoxicillin, Viferon, as well as their analogues. Macrolides are prescribed in case of complete intolerance to tetracyclines.
"Erythromycin" is required to take 10-14 days, 1 tablet 4 times a day. "Vilprafen" and "Josamycin" is used 1 time for 2 tablets with a course of 10 days.
Fresh Chlamydia Treatment
In the early stages, drugs for local therapy (vaginal tampons, suppositories and suppositories) together with proteolytic agents, enzymes, adaptogens and vitamins help to cope with the disease. Physiotherapy also helps a lot.
The bacterial development cycle is 48â72 hours, so the treatment of the first symptoms of chlamydia in women, regardless of which substances will be used, should compensate for 4-6 development cycles.
Antibiotics work best if administered intravenously or intramuscularly.
The scheme is determined only by the timing of infection. At an early stage, the bacterium stays in the patientâs body for no more than 2 months, then the infection becomes acute or chronic.
Therapy is initially performed on an outpatient basis. After using antibiotics, antifungal drugs, immunomodulators and systemic enzymes are prescribed.
To suppress chlamydial infection, the following are used:
- tetracyclines - Oxytetracycline and Doxycycline, as well as this group also includes new drugs - Vibra-Tab, Vibramycin;
- macrolides - âAzithromycinâ, âErythromycinâ.
- fluoroquinolones - âLomefloxacinâ, âCiprofloxacinâ, âLevofloxacinâ, âOfloxacinâ, âPefloxacinâ, as well as other drugs in the name of which the active substance is present.
With a fresh infection, a single dose of Azithromycin (1 g) is very effective.
Chronic treatment
To combat chronic chlamydia in women, several stages are required, the substances and treatment regimens for each of them are different.
At the preparatory stage, the doctor prescribes 7 intramuscular injections of Neovir every other day. This drug is also used during lactation and pregnancy. The tool interacts well with other drugs, due to this it has a complex antiviral and antimicrobial effect.
As an additional fight against candidiasis, which very often develops against the background of chlamydia, "Rovamycin" is prescribed. On the 7th and 14th day after the use of this drug, "Diflucan" is prescribed orally. Together with them, Supradin is recommended for use, as well as its analogues to restore the balance of minerals and vitamins.
After this follows the recovery phase, which is the rehabilitation of the vaginal biocenosis. Discharges with chlamydia in women are significant, therefore, Lactobacterin is used for therapy. The tool perfectly stabilizes the immune system and forms a hostile environment for opportunistic and pathogenic microorganisms.
To maintain immunity, especially in cases of relapse, injections of "Interlok" or "Reaferon" are prescribed. In parallel, Wobenzym or Flogenzim tablets are prescribed.
To eliminate the symptoms of chlamydia in women, Clindamycin is also prescribed. It copes with a wide range of microbes, is effective even in the case of the penetration of the virus into the respiratory tract and bone tissue. If everything is running, then this same drug is used as an injection. At the end of the course, it is recommended to switch to tablets.
The sooner the disease is detected, the less harm it can bring to the body as a whole. When the first symptoms of chlamydia in women appear, you need to see a doctor and get tested.
Recommendations
For a quick recovery, doctors advise using not only antibiotics, but also other therapeutic procedures:
- Multivitamins, as they fully strengthen the body.
- Diet - during this period, it is required to abandon milk, flour and spicy foods, since their use slows down the treatment process, it is also recommended to exclude smoking and alcohol.
- For the duration of therapy, you need to refrain from sexual intercourse, as you can provoke re-infection.
Despite the complexity of therapy, the prognosis for life in the presence of infection is quite favorable, but it is still recommended to consult a doctor on time so that he provides qualified assistance.
How to avoid the spread of infection
How to treat chlamydia in women is already known, but it is always better to prevent the disease and know the possible ways to implement this.
At the time of the chronic course of chlamydia, whole colonies form on the internal organs. Vivid symptoms in which it will be clear that there is a danger should not be expected, and few take malaise seriously. But such a pathological condition is very dangerous with unprotected sexual contact. With external health, such a person is considered contagious.
Timely treatment of the symptoms of chlamydia in women will bring positive results if both stages of treatment are completed by both partners at the same time. The use of personal hygiene is not taken seriously by everyone. And this is the most important way to block the access of microorganisms to the human body. Chlamydia remain stable in the external environment for 2 days, but infection requires a large amount of these microorganisms. In the case when there is no way to defeat them completely, then you need to at least constantly lower their concentration. For them, boiling and processing with various antiseptics is dangerous. Wet cleaning of the apartment and regular cleaning of clothes helps a lot.