How Chlamydia’s Passed On
Chlamydia is usually passed from one person to another through sexual contact.
You can get the infection if you come into contact with the semen or vaginal fluids of someone who has chlamydia.
Chlamydia is most commonly spread through:
- vaginal or anal sex without a condom
- sharing sex toys that arent washed or covered with a new condom each time theyre used.
It can be spread by giving or receiving oral sex with someone who has chlamydia. The risk can be lowered by using a condom or a dam to cover the genitals.
If infected semen or vaginal fluid comes into contact with the eye it can cause conjunctivitis (infection or irritation of the eye.
If youre pregnant its possible to pass chlamydia to the baby .
Its not clear if chlamydia can be spread by transferring infected semen or vaginal fluid to another persons genitals on the fingers or through rubbing vulvas together.
You cant get chlamydia from kissing, hugging, sharing baths or towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or from sharing cups, plates or cutlery.
What Happens If Chlamydia Goes Untreated
If a person is not treated for chlamydia, complications may occur. Women frequently develop pelvic inflammatory disease . PID can cause infertility , chronic pelvic pain, tubal pregnancies, and the continued spread of the disease. In men, untreated chlamydia can cause urethral infection and complications such as swollen and tender testicles. Chlamydia infection during pregnancy may result in premature rupture of membranes, preterm delivery and possible tubal pregnancy in a small percent of women. In addition, chlamydia can cause conjunctival and pneumonic infection in the newborn. Persons with a chlamydia infection have an increased chance of getting other infections such as gonorrhea or HIV.
Letting Partners Know You Have Chlamydia
Sexual partners may be infected too. If you have chlamydia, anyone you have had sex with from the last 6 months needs to be informed, tested and treated.
If they dont know, they could reinfect you or infect someone else if they are not treated. dont receive treatment.
Most people will appreciate being told they may have an infection and it is an important step in preventing further infection in the community.
Your local GP and sexual health centre can help you inform your partners and let them know that they need a test. This process is called partner notification. It can be done anonymously, and your confidentiality is always respected.
You can also anonymously notify your sexual partners of the need to get tested and treated for chlamydia via the Let Them Know website if you feel unable to speak to them personally.
There are also nurses who can help you anonymously notify your partners. They can be contacted on .
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Home Remedies To Cure Chlamydia
Chlamydia in women, as well as men, can create trouble if left untreated hence on the slightest symptom, you must get it diagnosed. While there are medical treatments for it,you can also opt for home remedies that are quite effective in treating the infection. Further, these have no adverse effects on your body. Here are simple home remedies for Chlamydia.
Can A Uti Be Mistaken For Chlamydia
The symptoms The main symptom that chlamydia does not share with UTIs is penile or vaginal discharge. A chlamydial infection can cause a yellowish, strong-smelling vaginal discharge or a watery, milky penile discharge. Urinary tract infections are not known to cause any sort of abnormal genital discharge.
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Parents Have A Role In Chlamydia Prevention
Parents can do two main things to help their kids avoid getting chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections , says Dombrowski. These two things are:
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What Does A Chlamydia Test Involve
- If you have a vulva, you may be asked to take a swab around the inside of your vagina yourself.
- A doctor or nurse may take a swab during an internal examination of your vagina and cervix .
- You may be asked to provide a urine sample. Before having this test, youre advised not to pass urine for 12 hours.
- A doctor or nurse may take a swab from the entrance of the urethra .
- If youve had anal or oral sex, a doctor or nurse may swab your rectum or throat . These swabs arent done routinely on everyone.
- If you have symptoms of conjunctivitis swabs will be used to collect a sample of discharge from your eye.
A swab looks a bit like a cotton bud but is smaller and rounded. It sometimes has a small plastic loop on the end rather than a cotton tip. Its wiped over the parts of the body that could be infected. This only takes a few seconds and isnt painful, though it may be uncomfortable for a moment.
Cervical screening and routine blood tests dont detect chlamydia.
If youre not sure whether youve been tested for chlamydia, just ask.
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What Can Happen If Chlamydia Isnt Treated
Untreated chlamydia can put your health at risk. Make an appointment with your provider immediately if you notice any symptoms of chlamydia, and get regular STI screenings to avoid complications later.
Complications of chlamydia for people with vaginas
Untreated chlamydia can cause:
- Pelvic inflammatory disease . PID is a serious condition that requires hospitalization. It can occur when an untreated STI, like chlamydia, damages your reproductive organs. PID can lead to infertility and chronic pelvic pain. It can also cause an ectopic pregnancy,which is life-threatening for the fetus and potentially deadly for the mother or gestational parent, too.
- Pregnancy complications. An untreated infection can lead to pre-term delivery. Also, if youre pregnant and have chlamydia, you can pass the infection on to your newborn. Babies born with chlamydia may have pneumonia or conjunctivitis that could lead to blindness if not treated.
Complications of chlamydia for people with penises
Untreated chlamydia can cause:
- Epididymitis. Infection can spread to the testicles and the tube that carries sperm to your testicles , causing symptoms like pain, swelling and tenderness in your testicles.
- Reduced fertility. Chlamydia can harm your sperm, negatively impacting your ability to conceive.
Complications of chlamydia that can affect all genders
Untreated chlamydia can:
How Long Until Chlamydia Causes Damage
Symptoms usually appear within one to three weeks after being infected and may be very mild. If not treated, chlamydia can lead to damage to the reproductive system. In women, chlamydial infection can spread to the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease , according to the CDC.
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How To Clear Chlamydia Without Antibiotics
Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. While we are unable to recommend any treatment not recommended by the CDC in the treatment of chlamydia there are some who have utilized alternative treatment to reduce infection but does not cure it. These remedies include garlic, turmeric, or dieting.
Final Thoughts On Chlamydia Symptoms
Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in virtually all populations and age groups. Particularly concerning are the statistics that show that two-thirds of the cases involve young women and men, just beginning their sexual prime. As symptoms of chlamydia in men and women dont always appear, there is a significant risk in spreading this bacterial infection even when using typical safe-sex practices.
Young women, left untreated, can develop infertility, experience an ectopic pregnancy, and suffer painful inflammatory responses until chlamydia is cured. For long-term health and wellness, it is imperative that chlamydia is treated quickly and that proven safe-sex practices are employed moving forward.
Young men, left untreated can experience painful conditions that affect sexual performance and overall wellness. It is imperative that, like women with chlamydia, they are treated and cured prior to engaging in sexual acts.
Chlamydia is not just a problem in younger demographics older sexually active adults are contracting STDs, including chlamydia, in astounding numbers. For all age groups, it is imperative to practice safe sex, get tested annually, and to have open and honest discussions with all sexual partners about any chlamydia symptoms or other STDs.
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Chlamydia Pneumoniae In Infants
Chlamydia Pneumoniae may occur in infants and school going children. While some may have moderate to mild symptoms, there are some who might have severe complications with the condition.
The pediatrician might do a physical examination of the infant and might also need blood tests or urine samples to detect antibodies to the bacterium. These might show up in the blood samples only after a week. Nose swab or throat swab can also be taken to detect the disease. Recovery may take time and the doctor might prescribe antibiotics such as tetracycline or erythromycin to treat the condition or clear up the infection.
The adult or other children in the house should always wash their hands before lifting or carrying the infant. One should refrain from coming close to the infant if they are infected and avoid kissing on the lips of the infant.
Chlamydia Trachomatis is also sometimes transmitted to the newborn due to exposure to infected genitals of the mother during normal vaginal birth.
How Common Is Mouth Chlamydia
It is difficult to be sure how commonly chlamydia is found in the throat, as study results are varied. In fact, most people with oral chlamydia do not have a sore throat and are unaware of the infection unless they test positive.
Its not always tested for the throat is not routinely sampled for chlamydia when you go for an STI screen. This is because current chlamydia tests may produce false positive results and cause anxiety. In addition, the chance of having oral chlamydia is extremely low .
When are people at risk? in a clinic, you may be offered a throat swab for chlamydia if there are other risk factors such as:
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How Long Does Treatment Take
Treatment time for chlamydia can vary from one to seven days. Azithromycin requires only one dose for one day, while you must take other antibiotics multiple times a day for seven days.
To cure a chlamydia infection, take the antibiotics exactly as prescribed by your doctor and for the full length of the prescription, being sure to take every dose. There should be no medication left at the end of the treatment period. You cannot save medication in case you acquire chlamydia again.
Contact your doctor if you still have symptoms but have taken all your antibiotics. You will need a follow-up test with your doctor
How To Get Rid Of Chlamydia In Males
Chlamydia in males is caused by a bacterial infection. This infection is mostly treated with oral antibiotics. The most effective and recommended treatment for chlamydia is the prescribing of Azithromycin or Doxycycline. After treatment, usually the infection will clear in 7 to 14 days. The recommended dosage should be finished for infection to be completely cleared. For treatment to be most effective, it is recommended that both partner complete treatment and abstain from any sexual contact for at least 7 days after completing their treatment.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Chlamydia:
As per the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 75% of women and 50% of men dont recognize the symptoms of chlamydia. So, here we are explaining you the signs and symptoms of chlamydia which helps you to recognize the problem early.
Chlamydia symptoms in women include lower abdominal pain, painful urination, painful sexual intercourse, vaginal discharge, bleeding after sex and between periods, inflammation or infection in the eyes, rectal pain and discharge, persistent sore throat, fever, nausea, lower back pain, etc.
Chlamydia symptoms in men include painful urination, testicular tenderness, and swelling, rectal pain and discharge, cloudy or thick discharge from the penis, sore throat, redness or itching along with swelling at the opening of the urethra, etc.
The most common risk factors for chlamydia include improper usage of condoms, multiple sexual partners, having unprotected sex, being sexually active or having a partner who is considered at high risk, etc. However, the study brings to light new information about the potential risk factor is that the exact reason behind this disease is unclear till now. In general, if youre diagnosed with chlamydia then your doctor will prescribe an oral antibiotic for a period of 5 10 days .
How Is Chlamydia Treated
Chlamydia can be cleared up with antibiotics in about a week or two. But dont stop taking your medication just because your symptoms improve. Ask your provider about what follow-up is needed to be sure your infection is gone after youve finished taking your medicine.
Part of your treatment should also include avoiding sexual activities that could cause you to get re-infected and ensuring that any sexual partners who may be infected also get treatment. You should:
- Abstain from sex until your infection has cleared up. Starting treatment doesnt mean that youre in the clear. Take all your medication as your provider directs, and avoid all sexual contact in the meantime.
- Contact all sexual partners. Tell any sexual partners from the last 3 months that youre infected so that they can get tested, too.
- Get tested for other STIs . Its common to have multiple STIs, and its important to receive treatment thats tailored to each infection.
Antibiotics can get rid of your infection, but they cant reverse any harm the bacteria may have caused to your body before treatment. This is why its so important to get screened regularly for chlamydia, to see your provider at the first sign of symptoms, and get treatment immediately if youre infected.
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Nonantibiotic Treatment For Chlamydia Shows Promise
In an effort to get ahead of growing antibiotic resistance, researchers test gene therapy for the common STD.
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Chlamydia, an extremely common sexually transmitted infection affecting an estimated 131 million people worldwide, is currently easily treated by antibiotics in most cases.
But according to the World Health Organization, growing antibiotic resistance is making the treatment of a number of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases more challenging.
The problem is most pronounced for gonorrhea, strains of which do not respond to any available antibiotics. But antibiotic resistance also exists for chlamydia and syphilis, making prevention and prompt treatment of these diseases critical.
But what if there were a therapy for STDs that didnt involve antibiotics?
Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario are working on developing just that.
As described in the February 4 issue of the journal Scientific Reports, the research team has developed a gene therapy for preventing and treating chlamydia. The hope is that once this therapy is perfected, it can be adapted for use in treating other sexually transmitted bacterial infections such as gonorrhea and syphilis.
Can Your Body Fight Off Chlamydia Naturally
Chlamydia being the most commonly sexually transmitted disease plays with the lives of many and harming the people up to certain extent. It creates the dreadful and harmful effects on the sexual lives of many individuals. This transferring ability of this disease is so problematic that it creates an environment of fear around all the people, at least those people are more under certain problems or issues that keep themselves engaged in several sexual activities with several different entities.
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Does Chlamydia Go Away
The dangers of sexually transmitted viruses are increasing day by day and people these days are more in fear about how they can stay safe. Chlamydia is one of the common names in the list of sexually transmitted infections and most of its cases are reported in North America.
It can affect males as well as females still the cases for female Chlamydia are reported more in number. It demands immediate attention because if left untreated then it leads to painful troubles or may cause severe health issues like pelvic pain, testicles or women can even face infertility.
Most of people throughout this world are not familiar with the disease and its symptoms and when they hear its name for the first time they often get into worry about does Chlamydia go away on its own.
The fact is, it can go away but only if you follow right guidelines and medications as suggested by professionals. But first of all it is important to educate yourself about the disease so that you can understand its symptoms and make efforts to keep yourself safe for longer run.
What Happens If I Dont Get Treated
The initial damage that chlamydia causes often goes unnoticed. However, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems.
If you are a woman, untreated chlamydia can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes . This can cause pelvic inflammatory disease . PID often has no symptoms, however some women may have abdominal and pelvic pain. Even if it doesnt cause symptoms initially, PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive system. PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, inability to get pregnant, and potentially deadly ectopic pregnancy .
Men rarely have health problems linked to chlamydia. Infection sometimes spreads to the tube that carries sperm from the testicles, causing pain and fever. Rarely, chlamydia can prevent a man from being able to have children.
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