se many long tirm side effects.The long term side effects of untreated chlamydia vary in men and women. The long term side effects that occur in men include epididymitis, which is an inflammation of the testicles that can cause sterility. Prostatitis is another side effect that is caused by untreated chlamydia. Prostatitis is an infection of the prostate gland. Reiter's syndrome is an autoimmune, arthritis-like condition that is also caused by untreated chlamydia. Infertility is another side effect that affects both men and women. In women the most severe side effect is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. This is an ascending infection that spreads from the vagina and cervix to the uterus and fallopian tubes. This disease leads to sterility. PID has symptoms including abdominal pain, lower back pain, pain with intercourse, bleeding between periods, and fever. Each year up to one million women in the United States develop PID, and as many as half of those are due to untreated chlamydial infections. PID can cause scarring of the fallopian tubes which can block the tubes and prevent fertilization from taking place. It is estimated that over one hundred thousand women a year become infertile because of this disease. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease can also increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. Scarring may interfere with the passage of a fertilized egg to the fallopian tube, this causes the egg to attach itself to the fallopian tube. This is an ectopic pregnancy. Women who have chlamydia that is untreated pass it on to their children, and can cause their children to have long term eye damage. Conjunctivitis usually develops within the first ten days of life in a newborn that has a mother with untreated chlamydia. Conjunctivitis is an eye infection that includes discharge and swollen eyelids. Pneumonia is another side effect that the mother passes on to the baby. This often develops within three to six weeks of birth. Due to thes...
