Chlamydia - Women in United States

United States

Chlamydia, a bacterial infection that can infect both men and women, is a commonly reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the U.S. The vast majority of reported chlamydia cases in the United States occur in women, particularly women of reproductive age. In 2023, more than half of all reported chlamydia cases occurred in adolescents and young adults ages 15-24. 

While a chlamydial infection usually has no noticeable symptoms, it can cause permanent damage to reproductive organs if left untreated. Among women, untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus) and chronic pelvic pain. Further, chlamydial infection in pregnant women can result in negative health outcomes for the baby, including premature birth and conjunctivitis (pink eye).

Social conditions such as poverty, low educational attainment and unemployment can present barriers to accessing quality sexual health care and contribute to higher rates of chlamydia.

Reported chlamydia cases in women are higher among:

• Black women, who have a rate more than 12 times higher than Asian women. American Indian/Alaska Native and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women also have higher rates, while white, multiracial and Hispanic women have lower rates.
• Women ages 15-24 compared with women age 25 and older.

While abstinence is the only completely effective prevention strategy, having a single sex partner, or reducing the number of sex partners, and using condoms or dental dams properly can reduce transmission. Screening for and discussing STI status with sexual partners are critical to stopping the spread of chlamydia, and screening may prevent complications of chlamydial infection among women at high risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual chlamydia screening for:

• Sexually active and/or pregnant women younger than age 25.
• Sexually active and/or pregnant women age 25 and older who have a new partner, multiple partners or a partner with a positive STI screening.
• Pregnant women at their first prenatal visit and during the third trimester.

If diagnosed, chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics combined with a short period of abstinence from sex. Expedited partner therapy is available in some states and allows providers to prescribe antibiotics for sexual partners of individuals diagnosed with chlamydia, which has prevented reinfection. The CDC also recommends doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (doxy PEP) to prevent chlamydia among high-risk populations.

Healthy People 2030 has an objective to increase the proportion of sexually active female adolescents and young women who get screened for chlamydia.

Bachmann, Laura H., Lindley A. Barbee, Philip Chan, Hilary Reno, Kimberly A. Workowski, Karen Hoover, Jonathan Mermin, and Leandro Mena. “CDC Clinical Guidelines on the Use of Doxycycline Postexposure Prophylaxis for Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention, United States, 2024.” MMWR. Recommendations and Reports 73, no. 2 (June 6, 2024): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr7302a1.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance 2023. Report. National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of STD Prevention, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/sti-statistics/media/pdfs/2025/09/2023_STI_Surveillance_Report_FINAL_508.pdf.

Committee on Gynecologic Practice and Committee on Adolescent Health Care. “ACOG Committee Opinion No. 737: Expedited Partner Therapy.” Obstetrics & Gynecology 131, no. 6 (June 2018). https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2018/06/expedited-partner-therapy.

Gable, Jennifer, Jennifer Eder, and Cynthia Mollen. Preventing Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Reinfection through Increased Use of Expedited Partner Therapy. Evidence to Action Brief. Philadelphia: PolicyLab at CHOP Research Institute, December 2016. https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/Preventing_Chlamydia_Gonorrhea_Reinfection_through_Increased_Use_of_EPT.pdf.

Gao, Rui, Buyun Liu, Wenhan Yang, Yuxiao Wu, Bo Wang, Mark K. Santillan, Kelli Ryckman, Donna A. Santillan, and Wei Bao. “Association of Maternal Sexually Transmitted Infections With Risk of Preterm Birth in the United States.” JAMA Network Open 4, no. 11 (November 29, 2021): e2133413. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.33413.