When To See A Healthcare Professional
If you suspect you have chlamydia, see a healthcare professional as soon as possible. Abstain from allsexual activity until your appointment.
If you arent comfortable getting tested for STIs with your usual provider, you can find a clinic in your area.
There are many free or low-cost clinics. Heres how to find one near you.
You can also visit GetTested or call CDC Info at 800-232-4636 to find local clinics.
How To Prevent Chlamydia
Below are some ways to prevent chlamydia
- Use condoms every time you have sex
- Discuss testing for sexually transmitted infections with your doctor or nurse
- Ask if you are due for your annual chlamydia screening
- See your doctor or nurse if you have any symptoms of chlamydia or another infection
- Do not have sex if you or your sexual partner has abnormal discharge, burning with urination, or a genital rash or sore
How To Get Tested For Chlamydia
This article was medically reviewed by . Dr. Ziats is an Internal Medicine Physician, Researcher, and Entrepreneur in biotechnology. He received his PhD in Genetics from the University of Cambridge in 2014, and completed his MD shortly thereafter, at Baylor College of Medicine in 2015.There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 15,300 times.
Chlamydia is a relatively common sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis.XResearch source In 2012, there were 1.4 million reported cases of chlamydia.XResearch sourceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2012. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services December 2013. Both genders can contract chlamydia , although it’s difficult to know if you’re infected because it doesn’t often cause obvious symptoms. As such, it’s important to get tested for chlamydia on a regular basis if you’re at high risk for getting infected because it’s easy to treat, but potentially devastating to your health if left untreated.
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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 .
Can Women Who Have Sex With Women Get Chlamydia
Yes. It is possible to get chlamydia, or any other STI, if you are a woman who has sex only with women. Chlamydia lives in the reproductive tract of an infected woman and can pass to a sex partner, whether male or female.
Talk to your partner about her sexual history before having sex, and ask your doctor or nurse for an STI test if you are at risk.6
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Get Chlamydia Treatment Online
The board certified doctors at PlushCare commonly prescribe antibiotics to treat chlamydia. If you have chlamydia dont delay your treatment, you can get a prescription sent to your local pharmacy today.
The doctor will work with you to determine the best medication for you to take and will check on you to ensure the care plan is working.
You can book an appointment here, or download the free PlushCare mobile app. The average appointment lasts just 15 minutes and 97% of conditions are successfully treated on the first visit.
Read on to learn more about chlamydia.
Are Free Chlamydia Tests As Reliable As Paid Ones
Yes, if they’re done correctly free tests are a safe and reliable method of testing as long as they are carried out properly. In fact, the free test kits in clinics and the paid home test kits are exactly the same. If you get tested for chlamydia in a GP or sexual health clinic, they will either do the test for you or give you clear instructions on how to do it yourself.
The tests are quite accurate but, its not 100% guaranteed. False test results are usually caused by a mistake when taking the sample or even in the lab. This risk can be lowered if you follow either instructions given by your doctor or on the home test kits.
What’s makes them less accurate? factors such as drugs or alcohol should not make the result of your chlamydia test less accurate. Being on your period also should not make the result of the test less accurate.
If you are worried about a false result you can do the chlamydia test twice. If you get two results that are the same, then the result is almost guaranteed to be accurate. If you get tested for chlamydia at a GP or sexual health clinic, however, you are normally only offered one test.
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What Happens If Chlamydia Isnt Treated
Only some people who have chlamydia will have complications. If chlamydia is treated early, its unlikely to cause any long-term problems. But, without proper treatment, the infection can spread to other parts of the body. The more times you have chlamydia the more likely you are to get complications.
- If you have a vulva, chlamydia can spread to other reproductive organs causing pelvic inflammatory disease . This can lead to long-term pelvic pain, blocked fallopian tubes, infertility and ectopic pregnancy .
- In people with a vulva, chlamydia can also cause pain and inflammation around the liver, though this is rare. This usually gets better with the correct antibiotic treatment.
What Is A Chlamydia Carrier
Whenever we talk about a carrier in medical terms, we are effectively talking about someone who can infect others with an infectious condition. Anyone with chlamydia is carrying the Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria in their body. This bacteria is easily passed on through unprotected sex whether the person has physical symptoms or not.
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Treatment For Chlamydia Without Seeing A Doctor
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How Long Does It Take For Chlamydia Symptoms To Clear
When taking antibiotics , symptoms usually settle quickly. Pain on passing urine and discharge go within a week, pelvic or testicular pain can take two weeks and menstrual irregularities should improve by the next cycle. Always complete the full course of antibiotic.
Chlamydia is unlikely to go away without treatment. Although symptoms may subside temporarily, infection may persist in the body without treatment. It is important to seek diagnosis and treatment to get rid of the infection.
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What Chlamydia Treatment Is Available
Fortunately treating chlamydia is quick and easy. It involves a short course of antibiotics.
The two most commonly prescribed chlamydia treatments are Azithromycin and Doxycycline. They are an effective treatment for chlamydia, and if taken correctly cure more than 95 out of every 100 cases of chlamydia.
Just Diagnosed Next Steps After Testing Positive For Gonorrhea Or Chlamydia
If youve just found out that you have gonorrhea or chlamydia, you may be trying to figure out what to do next. Here are the three most important steps that you can take:
WHY?Many people with gonorrhea and chlamydia dont have symptoms. Why does this matter? Because an untreated infection can lead to serious and permanent health problems, even if you never have symptoms. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can be cured with the right medicine from your doctor. Just make sure you take all of your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you to.
WHERE?Your regular doctor can prescribe antibiotics to cure the STD. But if you dont have insurance or want to see someone else for treatment, there are other low-cost or free options. You can get tested and treated at your local health departments STD clinic, a family planning clinic, a student health center, or an urgent care clinic. You can also find a clinic using GetTested and ask if they offer treatment for gonorrhea and chlamydia.
- In women, untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to health problems like ectopic pregnancy or infertility .
- In men, chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause a painful condition in the tubes attached to the testicles. In rare cases, this may prevent him from being able to have children.
- Untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV the virus that causes AIDS.
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What Treats Chlamydia
If you or a partner have been exposed to chlamydia, it is important to get treated immediately. Most persons with chlamydia may have no symptoms. To treat chlamydia, there are two antibiotics most recommended by the CDC, azithromycin, and doxycycline. While both medications are equally effective, azithromycin is administered in a single dose while doxycycline is offered as a 7-day treatment. Most common side effects of either treatment is nausea, upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Additionally, some may have an adverse effect such as rash or hives with doxycycline.
How Long Does It Take
It takes about one week for azithromycin to completely cure a chlamydial infection, and in some cases it can take up to two weeks for the infection to clear.
If you are sexually active during this time, you can pass the infection to your partner, even if you have no symptoms. For these reasons, you should avoid having sex of any kind during treatment.
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What Is Chlamydia Like
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection . Most people who have confirmed cases of chlamydia are recorded to have no symptoms. When symptoms do appear, it occurs in the form of a pus-like yellow discharge, frequent or painful urination. Additionally, some women experience spotting between periods or after sex. Also, rectal pain irritation, bleeding or discharge can occur. Some patients may experience lower abdominal pain, swollen or tender testicles. If left untreated, chlamydia may lead to infertility or irreversible reproductive issues.
How Does Chlamydia Affect Pregnancy
For pregnant women, chlamydia may lead to premature birth, or babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Premature birth is the most common cause of infant death and can lead to long-term health and development problems in children.5
Babies born to mothers who have chlamydia can get:
- Infections in their eyes, called conjunctivitis or pinkeye. Signs include discharge from the eyes and swollen eyelids. The signs most often show up within two weeks after birth.
- Pneumonia. Signs include congestion, cough, and rapid or labored breathing, although these are not always present. Signs most often show up one to three months after birth.
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How Can You Be Sure Youre Experiencing A New Bout
Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics, usually azithromycin or doxycycline.
In order to make sure chlamydia is cured, you need to take the full course of antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor. You need to take every single dose dont stop taking the antibiotics until there are none left.
If youve taken all your antibiotics but you still have symptoms, contact your doctor or another healthcare professional.
According to the Center for Disease Control , youll need a follow-up test three months after treatment to ensure that the infection is cured.
There are a few reasons why you might contract chlamydia a second time:
- The initial infection wasnt cured because the course of antibiotics wasnt completed as directed.
- A sexual partner transmitted chlamydia to you.
- You used a sex toy that was contaminated with chlamydia.
A 2014 study suggests that chlamydia can live in the gastrointestinal tract and reinfect the genitals, causing chlamydia symptoms to reappear after the genital infection went away.
However, this study only looked at animal models of chlamydia. Research on human participants is needed.
The symptoms of chlamydia typically disappear once you finish your antibiotics. This can vary in time, as some chlamydia antibiotic courses are one dose taken on one day, while others last longer.
Will I Need To Go Back To The Clinic
If you take your antibiotics correctly, you may not need to return to the clinic.
However, you will be advised to go back for another chlamydia test if:
- you had sex before you and your partner finished treatment
- you forgot to take your medication or didn’t take it properly
- your symptoms don’t go away
- you’re pregnant
If you’re under 25 years of age, you should be offered a repeat test for chlamydia 3 to 6 months after finishing your treatment because you’re at a higher risk of catching it again.
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Nucleic Acid Amplification Test
The most common test for chlamydia, this is a simple, non-invasive test during which you collect a swab or urine sample yourself . A doctor can assist in taking a swab if you prefer.
The sample is then sent to be tested to see if there is genetic material that indicates the presence of chlamydia bacteria. Results come back quicker than the traditional culture test.
Taking The Incorrect Medication
Keep in mind that your treatment can fail if youâre taking the wrong medication. You might be prescribed the wrong drugs due to syndromatic treatment, an efficient, but sometimes inaccurate treatment method in which patients are prescribed STD treatment based on symptoms, rather than testing. This is sometimes done in STD clinics when there is a concern that the patient might not come back for their test results.
And you could be taking the wrong medication if youâve acquired it on your own and chose the wrong onessuch as taking medication that was prescribed for a past STD you had, or for your partner, or for a friend.
Not all STDs are caused by the same pathogens . Different illnesses require different treatments.
Thatâs why itâs so important for your healthcare provider to correctly identify whatâs causing your infection. Thatâs also why you canât just take any random antibiotic and hope itâs going to work.
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Treatment For Chlamydia Is Quick And Easy
Two antibiotics are most often used for treating chlamydia:
- Azithromycin The main treatment for chlamydia is one gram of azithromycin, taken one time, says , deputy director of clinical services for public health with the Seattle and King County HIV and STD Program in Washington. That one gram comes as either two pills or four pills. It is not expensive.
- Doxycycline If your doctor prescribes doxycycline, you will take two pills daily for one week. It costs somewhat more than azithromycin.
Antibiotics can also cure chlamydia in infants, who can get the infection from their mothers, and treatment is essential for them. Without treatment, infants infected with chlamydia can develop conjunctivitis, which can cause blindness, or pneumonia, which can be fatal.
What If I’m Pregnant
During delivery, the infection can spread to the newborn from the birth canal. It can cause eye infection or pneumonia. There may also be an association with preterm labour and low birth weight. Screening and treatment of chlamydia during pregnancy can prevent these complications. This is not part of the routine NHS antenatal screening. Doxycycline cannot be taken during pregnancy, but azithromycin is safe and effective.
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How Long Does It Take To Show Up On A Test
There are several tests that you doctor might use to diagnose chlamydia:
- Urine test. Youll pee in a cup thats sent off to a laboratory testing facility to see if any chlamydia bacteria are present in your urine.
- Blood test. Your doctor will use a sterile needle to draw some of your blood and send it to a lab to see if antibodies to the chlamydia bacteria are present in your bloodstream.
- Swab. Your doctor will use a cotton round or stick to take a small sample of tissue or fluid that carries the infection, which is then sent to a lab to be cultured so that lab technicians can see what bacteria grows from the sample.
How long it takes for the results to show up depends on the test and on your specific health insurance plan.
- Urine tests take about 2 to 5 days to show a positive or negative result.
- Blood tests can come back with results in a few minutes if the blood is analyzed on site. But they can take a week or more if sent to an off-site lab.
- Swab results take about 2 to 3 days to show a positive or negative.
1 to 3 weeks to show up in people with vulvas.
Symptoms may take up a few months to show up. This is because bacteria are living creatures and have an incubation period that affects how long it takes them to cluster together and become infectious.
This incubation period is dependent on a variety of factors, including: