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All our publications are available in other formats 2 We offer a chlamydia test to women who have bleeding in early pregnancy.
What is chlamydia? Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection, which infects the genitals of both women and men. It can cause bleeding from the neck of the womb (cervix) in pregnant women. However, it is not the only possible cause of bleeding in pregnancy.
Is it common? Chlamydia is very common and the number of cases is on the increase. It is more common in people under 25 years of age.
Where does chlamydia come from? Chlamydia can be passed on through vaginal, anal and oral sex. It cannot be caught from toilet seats, sharing towels or cups. Chlamydia can be inactive in the body for years without causing any symptoms - you do not always know when you have it. This means you may not know when you caught it.
3 How can chlamydia affect me during pregnancy? Most women and men who have chlamydia feel completely well and have no symptoms. In pregnancy, there is no evidence that chlamydia causes miscarriages but it can cause bleeding. It can also cause a discharge, abdominal pains or bleeding after sex. However, it is not the only possible reason for these symptoms. During pregnancy, it is possible that chlamydia might cause your waters to break early or preterm labour - this is when labour starts more than three weeks before your due date. Chlamydia can also cause an infection of your womb and fallopian tubes. This is known as pelvic inflammatory disease, and can lead to fertility problems in the future, ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the womb) or long-term abdominal pains.
Can my baby catch chlamydia? Chlamydia can infect your baby during labour and cause an eye or chest infection (pneumonia). Babies with these infections need treatment with antibiotics. Chlamydia does not spread through the blood stream and will not affect your baby before you go into labour.
4 About half of the babies born to women with chlamydia will catch it and will get an eye or chest infection.
How is the test carried out? We test a swab from the vagina. Taking these swabs does not harm your pregnancy, and you can take the swab yourself. Your midwife will answer any questions you may have.
How will I get my test result? We will contact you, usually by telephone.
What happens if my test shows that I have chlamydia? We will ask you to attend a clinic and we will prescribe antibiotics. It is very important that you attend. In pregnancy the treatment is Azithromycin. This is perfectly safe to take when pregnant. If you feel unwell after taking this medication, contact your doctor or midwife. To make sure the infection has gone we will ask you to attend for a check-up after six weeks and after your baby is born.
5 What about my partner? It is very important that your current sexual partner is treated. This is to reduce the risk of becoming re-infected. Other sexual partners from the past six months should also be treated to stop the infection from spreading to others. Discuss what to do with your midwife. If you do not want to tell someone yourself, you can arrange to speak to a health advisor at the sexual health clinic. Your partner needs to go to their GP or to a sexual health clinic - telephone 01294 323228 Do not have sex (even using a condom), until seven days after you have both taken all your antibiotics
Further information If you need any further information or advice about chlamydia, please contact:
Sexual Health Department Telephone 01294 323228 Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm www.shayr.com
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Last reviewed: May 2019 Leaflet reference: W&C07-001-CC PIL code: PIL19-0084