How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Getting Chlamydia
The only way to avoid STDs is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
If you are sexually active, you can do the following things to lower your chances of getting chlamydia:
- Be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and has negative STD test results
- Use latex condoms the right way every time you have sex.
How To Tell If Its An Emergency
Throat chlamydia as a medical emergency there is always the possibility that throat chlamydia may become a medical emergency. If you are having difficulty breathing or your throat or tongue begin to swell you should seek medical attention immediately or dial 999.
Unprotected sex can have some serious consequences having unprotected sex dramatically increases the risk of human immunodeficiency virus . The virus causes damage to your immune cells, the ones which fight infection and leaves your body weak and prone to infection. When the body has been caused extreme damage by HIV, it can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome . There is no cure for HIV, but there are treatments available which can help patients to lead a normal, healthy life.
You may also be at risk of other STIs you should go to your GP for a check-up if you have had unprotected sex. You may also have symptoms such as:
- Itching/burning in the genital area
- Painful urination
- Sores
- bleeding
Risk of pregnancy if you have unprotected sex you are also at a greater risk of pregnancy. Pregnancy can occur despite the sexual position, time of the month or even if it is your first time. If you have had unprotected sex, you should consider emergency contraception:
- The emergency contraceptive pill can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex or 120 hours depending on the type
- The intrauterine device can be inserted up to 5 days after unprotected sex
How Do You Prevent Chlamydia
Using a new male or female condom or dental dam every time you have sex is the best way to protect against chlamydia.
Chlamydia can be passed on by sharing sex toys. Always cover sex toys with a new condom and wash them after use to reduce your risk of getting chlamydia and other STIs.
Its important to regularly test for chlamydia, even if you dont have any symptoms, especially if youve had multiple sexual partners.
The contraceptive pill and other types of contraception wont prevent you getting chlamydia, and neither will PrEP.
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How Can I Know If I Have Chlamydia
If you think you have chlamydia, or any STI, contact your healthcare provider. He or she will examine you and perform tests, if necessary, to determine if you have an STI.
To check for chlamydia, a woman is given a pelvic exam. A sample of fluid is taken from the vagina. In men, a sample of fluid may be taken from the penis. The fluid is sent to a laboratory for testing. The cultures can also be taken from a urine test. Your provider will discuss which way is the best way to check for an infection in your particular situation.
How Is Pharyngeal Chlamydia Diagnosed
Your healthcare provider takes a throat swab to check for pharyngeal chlamydia. However, checking throat swabs is not necessarily part of a routine chlamydia test. If your healthcare provider has only collected a urine sample or a vaginal swab, let them know that you would like to be checked for oral chlamydia as well. A urine sample or vaginal swab can come back negative for chlamydia even if you have a pharyngeal infection.
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Burning Sensation When Urinating
Chlamydia can cause a burning sensation when you urinate. Its easy to mistake this for a symptom of a urinary tract infection.
You might also feel like you have the urge to urinate more often than usual. And when you do go to urinate, only a little bit comes out. Your urine might also smell unusual or look cloudy.
If you have chalmydia, you might also feel some pain during sex, especially intercourse.
You may also some bleeding and lingering irritation after any type of sexual activity involving penetration.
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How Do You Know If You Have Chlamydia In Your Throat
Many people with chlamydia in the throat have no symptoms. The only way to know for certain if you have this sexually transmitted infection in the throat is to get tested by a healthcare provider. Possible signs that you may have oral chlamydia include a sore throat that doesnât go away, along with a low-grade fever swollen lymph nodes oral canker sores or white spots in the back of the throat.
In some cases, one might confuse these chlamydia symptoms with strep throat or some other kind of throat infection. That’s why testing for STDs is so important, so consult with your healthcare provider if you suspect you may have been infected with an oral sexually transmitted disease.
How Does Chlamydia In Your Throat Affect Your Body
Having chlamydia in the throat can make you more vulnerable to other infections. Your body is so busy fighting off the chlamydia bacteria, it doesnt fend off other infections as effectively. This can cause problems such as mouth infections, tooth loss, gum disease, and dental pain. Risks of untreated chlamydia infections
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Chlamydia In The Rectum Throat Or Eyes
Chlamydia can also infect:
- the rectum if you have unprotected anal sex this can cause discomfort and discharge from your rectum
- the throat if you have unprotected oral sex this is uncommon and usually causes no symptoms
- the eyes if they come into contact with infected semen or vaginal fluid this can cause eye redness, pain and discharge
What Are The Symptoms Of Throat Chlamydia
Possible symptoms chlamydia can present with no symptoms. Throat chlamydia usually occurs when you have unprotected oral sex and usually has no symptoms. However, some potential signs may include:
- A sore throat
- A cough
- A fever
Are there differences for men and women no. Only the symptoms of the STI ‘chlamydia’ are different in men and women. They may also differ depending on the location of the infection. Examples of gender-specific chlamydia symptoms include:
- In men pain in the testicles
- In women chlamydia can cause a condition known as pelvic inflammatory disease . This is where the infection spreads to the uterus and/or fallopian tubes. Symptoms include:
- Nausea
- Bad pelvic pain
- Vaginal bleeding between periods
Anal chlamydia is also similar for both genders you can also get chlamydia in the anus, particularly if you have had unprotected anal sex or have touched the area with infected genitals or hands. Anal symptoms may include:
- Pain in the area
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What Increases Your Risk
Risk factors for getting chlamydia include:
- Having unprotected sex .
- Having more than one sex partner.
- Having a high-risk partner or partners. This includes people who have more than one sex partner or sex partners who have chlamydia.
- Starting sexual activity before age 18.
Any child with chlamydia needs to be seen by a doctor to determine the cause and to assess for possible sexual abuse. For more information, see the topic Child Abuse and Neglect.
How Does Someone Get Chlamydia
Chlamydia is passed through oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Chlamydia can be passed from one person to another even if the penis or tongue does not go all the way into the vagina or anus.Eye infections can occur when discharge caries the disease into the eye during sex or hand-to-eye contact.
Chlamydia can also be passed from mother to newborn as the baby passes through the infected birth canal. This can result in eye infections, pneumonia or other complications.
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Wait I Can Get Gonorrhea In My Throat
Yes, and also in your butt. You can also get chlamydia in your throat and butt, but throat chlamydia just doesnt have the same ring to it. The CDC has a helpful list of all the places on your body you might get an initial infection of various STIs, but the big takeaway is simple: Even people who always use condoms can get STIs, pretty much every STI can be transmitted by unprotected oral sex, and STIs can show symptoms on parts of your body you wouldnt expect.
Why is this important? Well, a lot of people assume STIs are grossthanks, societyand part of that stigma is a misconception that all STIs produce gnarly and horrific symptoms. In reality, this is pretty rare! Herpes, for instance, is asymptomatic in almost everyone who has it, and gonorrhea and chlamydia can also infiltrate your bodys defenses without making much fuss. They can even go away on their own, but the problem is that they dont always do so.
That means that you should not wait for an outbreak of oozing sores before getting tested for STIs. If youre sexually activeand were talking about any kind of sexyou need to get tested two to three times a year.
How Do I Test For Chlamydia
You can get tested for chlamydia even if you dont have any symptoms.
Getting tested for chlamydia is easy and doesnt hurt. A healthcare professional will ask for a urine sample and/or take a swab from the area that might be infected. This is usually the lower part of the womb or the vagina for women, and the tip of the penis for men. If youve had anal or oral sex, you may have a swab taken from your anus or throat.
In some countries you can get a self-testing kit to do at home.
If you test positive for chlamydia, its important to tell any recent sexual partner/s so they can also get tested, and treated if necessary. If you need advice about how to do this, speak to your healthcare professional. You should also test for other STIs.
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What Causes Chlamydia In Women
Chlamydia is a bacterium that causes an infection that is very similar to gonorrhea in the way that it is spread and the symptoms it produces. Like gonorrhea, the chlamydia bacterium is found in the cervix and urethra and can live in the throat or rectum. Both infected men and infected women frequently lack symptoms of chlamydia infection. Thus, these individuals can unknowingly spread the infection to others. Another strain of Chlamydia trachomatis, which can be distinguished in specialized laboratories, causes the STD known as lymphogranuloma venereum, which affects the lymph glands.
Chlamydia can be detected on material collected by swabbing the cervix during a traditional examination using a speculum, but noninvasive screening tests done on urine or on self-collected vaginal swabs are less expensive and sometimes more acceptable to patients. While culturing of the organism can confirm the diagnosis, this method is limited to research laboratories and forensic investigations. For routine diagnostic use, newer and inexpensive diagnostic tests that depend upon identification and amplification of the genetic material of the organism have replaced the older, time-consuming culture methods.
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Chlamydia Can Harm Your Pregnancy Or Reproductive Health
Can chlamydia harm your unborn baby or your future reproductive health? Many people will say no, but thats not true. The infection can cause complications for both pregnancy and fertility.
Chlamydia can cause many complications for pregnant women and their babies. When the infection is left untreated, it can cause preterm delivery. Babies who are born prematurely can have problems with their lungs, hearts, or brains. The infection can spread to the baby, resulting in pneumonia, eye infections, and other complications. Due to these risks, pregnant women are routinely screened for chlamydia.
Chlamydia can cause many complications for pregnant women and their babies. When the infection is left untreated, it can cause preterm delivery.
Chlamydia can also cause complications for women who want to get pregnant. If untreated chlamydia spreads to other parts of the reproductive system, like the uterus, those tissues can be damaged. This can cause infertility. Damage to the uterine tubes could also result in an ectopic pregnancy. This means a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus, usually inside the uterine tube. These pregnancies arent sustainable and may put the mothers life at risk.
There are many myths that are circulating about this common sexually transmitted infection. If youre concerned about chlamydia, see your doctor to get tested.
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How Often Should I Get Checked For Chlamydia
Sexual health check-ups are recommended for anyone who is sexually active. Frequency of testing also depends on your STI risk:
- An annual sexual health check-up is highly recommended if you are sexually active especially if you are under 25.
- Get checked more often during the year if you frequently change sexual partners.
- Remember, you are at greater risk if you have sex without a condom with 1 or multiple sexual partners.
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What It Looks Like
Symptoms of oral chlamydia look very similar to tonsillitis or strep throat. The throat will be red, and the tonsils will be swollen. White spots might appear on the back of the throat. In addition, a person might feel swollen lymph nodes on the sides of the neck.
The most accurate way to know whether you have oral chlamydia is through swab testing. Testing for chlamydia outside of the genital area is not a routine part of STD screening, which means that throat infections can go undiagnosed and untreated.
Untreated chlamydia of the throat could be a reason for the ongoing spread of the disease.
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The Different Ways Chlamydia Can Be Transmitted
Oral sex on the penis
Giving oral sex to a partner with a penile chlamydia infection can transmit the infection to your mouth/throat.
Receiving oral sex on the penis from a partner with a chlamydia infection in their throat can result in a chlamydia infection of the penis.
Oral sex on the vagina
Giving oral sex to a partner with a chlamydia infection in the vagina or urinary tract can result in a chlamydia infection of your throat/mouth.
Receiving oral sex on the vagina from a partner with a chlamydia infection of the throat can result in getting a chlamydia infection of the rectum and vagina.
Oral sex on the anus
Giving oral sex to a partner with a chlamydia infection in the rectum can result in getting chlamydia in your throat/mouth.
Receiving oral sex on the anus from a partner with a chlamydia infection of the throat can result in getting a chlamydia infection of the rectum.
Vaginal sex
Having penis-to-vagina penetrative sex with a partner who has a chlamydia infection of the vagina or urinary tract can result in getting chlamydia of the penis.
Receiving penetrative vaginal sex from a partner with a chlamydia infection of the urethra can result in getting a chlamydia infection of the vagina.
Fingering the vagina may transmit chlamydia if the recipient has a chlamydia infection of the vagina. When infected bodily fluids come into contact with the hand, this can then transmit the chlamydia to mucous membranes the hand comes into contact with .
Anal sex
Sex toys
Can You Get Chlamydia From Oral Sex
Chlamydia trachomatisthe bacteria that causes a chlamydia infectionspreads through contact with another persons mucus membranes .
Unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex can transmit chlamydia.
Chlamydia from oral sex is called a pharyngeal chlamydia infection. In this instance, most commonly, chlamydia bacteria are transmitted from the penis to the mouth and throat.
But chlamydia can also spread through oral contact with another persons anus or vagina.
Someone with chlamydia in the throat could also transmit the infection to another persons genitals by giving oral sex, but chlamydia doesnt spread through kissing.
People also dont get chlamydia from contact with toilet seats, sharing clothes or towels, or hugging.
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Chlamydia In The Throat: Causes Symptoms And More
Medically reviewed by Rosanna Sutherby, PharmD on January 31, 2020. Written by Karen Eisenbraun. To give you technically accurate, evidence-based information, content published on the Everlywell blog is reviewed by credentialed professionals with expertise in medical and bioscience fields.
Can you get chlamydia in the throat? The answer to that question is âyesâ: although chlamydiaâone of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the United Statesâoften affects parts of the body like the genitals or rectum, it can also infect oneâs throat .
Read on for key information about the chlamydia bacterium in the throatâincluding causes, possible symptoms, and more.
If you think you may have contracted chlamydia from unprotected sex with an infected partner, consider taking our at-home Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Test. Our testing kit is discreet and easy to use, making it a convenient way to check for these STDs from the privacy of home.