by Mandi Kane
Daily Lobo
Five cases of chlamydia - the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States - have been reported to the Student Health Center this month.
Connie Rossignol, a nurse practitioner at the center, said 578 people were tested for chlamydia at UNM last year. About 3 percent tested positive, she said.
College-age students are at the highest risk of contracting the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"(Young adults) are the most sexually active," Rossignol said. "They are trying to find out who they are and exploring sexuality is part of the growth process."
Unfortunately, that exploration often comes with consequences.
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Chlamydia is dangerous because it can be a "very silent infection" Rossignol said. "You can have it and not know and it can still be doing damage."
Rossignol said only a small percentage of people have symptoms that can include pain during urination and unusual discharge from the vagina or penis. Without treatment, chlamydia can affect fertility in men and women and can eventually cause pelvic inflammatory disease, symptoms of which include swelling and scarring of the organs in the pelvis.
Women with chlamydia are also at risk for ectopic pregnancies, a condition in which the baby will grow in the fallopian tubes, instead of in the uterus, according to the Contraceptive Technology Update, a monthly newsletter for health professionals.
Because most people have no symptoms, it is important to get tested to prevent passing the disease onto others, Rossignol said. Confidential tests are administered at the Student Health Center for $35. The test is more expensive than for other sexually transmitted diseases because chlamydia is more difficult to screen for than other bacteria.
While both sexes can develop the disease, it is easier for women to contract chlamydia. "Biology is sexist," Rossignol said. "Women are the receptive partner."
For this reason, the Centers for Disease Control's sexually transmitted disease treatment guidelines recommend that women between 20 and 45 years of age be screened annually, but it is just as important for men to get tested.
"It's sad, the rate that it is spreading because of the number of people having unprotected sex," said Deanna Dietz, a UNM junior. "I am abstinent because it worries me. You never know what someone else has."
The good news is that chlamydia is easy to treat, Rossignol said. Through oral antibiotics, the disease can be under control in little more than a week.
"Use condoms religiously and correctly," Rossignol said. "Limit the number of sexual partners you have over your lifetime. You are playing a numbers game."
The Student Health Center can be reached at 277-3136. Chlamydia tests require an office visit.
