A study by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that less than half of women are being screened for a type of sexually transmitted disease called Chlamydia.
For the study, CDC researchers looked at public and private health records representing up to 40 percent of the entire population.
“Chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States, with more than 2.8 million new cases estimated to occur each year,” the researchers wrote.
They found that the percentage of sexually active women ages 16 to 25 screened for Chlamydia trachomatis was 41.6% in 2007, according to Kazi Ahmed, Ph.D., of the National Committee for Quality Assurance in Washington, and colleagues.
“The findings demonstrate that despite increases in the first half of the decade, chlamydia screening rates remain substantially lower than other critical women's health services, such as Pap tests,” the researchers said. They also noted that that 73.9 percent of young women had a Pap test in 2007.
Chlamydia has no symptoms sometimes but can lead to infertility in women. Some women though may experience pain in their lower abdomen or notice a burning sensation or a pus-like discharge when they urinate. Left untreated, Chlamydia can cause inflammatory disease in women, infertility and can increase the risk of transmitting and developing HIV. On the other hand, it is easily treated if caught earlier.
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