Practicing safe sex includes several things. First of all, use latex condoms from start to finish, every time you have oral, vaginal or anal sex. Condoms are made for both men and women, and should be put on before beginning any sexual contact. Using condoms greatly decreases the risk of passing on chlamydia during sex. Even if you are using another form of birth control, you may choose to use condoms to reduce your risk of getting chlamydia or any other sexually transmitted infections. Another part of having safe sex is to limit your number of sex partners, because your risk for chlamydia or other infection increases with the number of partners. You should also talk to your sex partner and find out whether he or she might be at risk for infection. Do not have oral, vaginal or anal sex if you or your partner have symptoms of, or are being treated for a sexually transmitted infection.

You should know the symptoms of chlamydia. In women, vaginal discharge and painful sexual intercourse may occur. In men, there may discharge from the penis or testicular pain. In both men and women, you may have painful urination or lower abdominal pain. If you or your sex partner have any of these symptoms, you should stop having sex and both of you should contact your doctor or healthcare provider for a screening for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infection. If your doctor is treating you for chlamydia, you should finish all medication even if you feel better before it is all gone, and you should not have oral, vaginal or anal sex until all partners have been treated.

If you are sexually active it is important to have regular checkups, because sometimes there are no symptoms with chlamydia, which if left untreated may bring about further complications. Having oral sex with a partner who has chlamydia may transfer the chlamydia bacteria to the throat. If you have chlamydia, you may also be at risk for other sexually transmitted infections such as human papillomavirus (hpv). Another complication of untreated chlamydia is pelvic inflammatory disease (pid) which can damage the fallopian tubes, uterus, ovaries and cervix, and cause infertility. In men, the chlamydia bacterium can cause infection around the testicles and prostate gland, both of which can cause permanent damage. Women should avoid douching, because it lowers the amount of good bacteria in the vagina, which increases the risk of infection.