If you guessed chlamydia, you are among the few in the know. Unfortunately, a whole lot more will eventually find out. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that 4 million people become infected with chlamydia each year. Most of them have no immediate symptoms and may not even know they have been infected. When chlamydia does produce symptoms, it's easy to mistake them for those caused by other problems.
Women typically have discharge and burning when urinating, easily mistaken for a vaginal infection.
Approximately half of the 1 million cases of PID each year are caused by chlamydia. Once the bacteria reach a woman's Fallopian tubes, they are likely to scar the walls, preventing eggs from getting through. But the problems don't necessarily end with simple infertility. If an egg sticks in a Fallopian tube and becomes fertilized, a dangerous condition called ectopic pregnancy can develop. Emergency surgery and an end to child bearing often result.