Private MD News

Expert recommends STD testing for high-risk women

Category: Chlamydia

While chlamydia may seem like a relatively mild infection - particularly when compared to HIV and AIDS - experts say it can lead to serious consequences if left untreated. For this reason medical professionals recommend regular STD testing, particularly for those in high-risk groups.

Karen Hoover, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Department of Health and Human Services' HealthBeat that women should be tested every year up to age 25. Additionally, women who have previously been diagnosed with the condition or have symptoms of chlamydia should seek testing.

The infection may produce relatively few outward symptoms, but if it is left untreated it may cause chronic pelvic inflammation or impair fertility. This is why testing and prompt treatment are important.

"Treatment protects infected individuals from major health consequences and prevents the spread of disease to others," Hoover told the news source. "Anyone who has been diagnosed and treated for chlamydia should be retested three months after chlamydia treatment."

Individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 are four times more likely to be infected with chlamydia than the general population, according to the CDC.