Contracting Chlamydiaand Transmitting It To Othersthrough Oral Sex
You need to understand several things about chlamydia to determine how likely it is that you will get chlamydia from oral sex:
- How chlamydia is passed from one person to another
- After contracting chlamydia, when will a person become infectious
- Who is at higher risk for chlamydia
- How giving versus receiving oral sex affects your risk
Let discuss each portion in more details!
How Common Is Pharyngeal Chlamydia
You may think about cold sores on the mouth caused by the herpes simplex virus , but for the most part, you probably associate other STIs with genital infections. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause burning while urinating and discharge syphilis can cause ulcers HSV can cause blisters human papillomavirus can cause warts, and so on. However, many of these STIs can also cause symptoms in other parts of the body, called extragenital infections.
Common parts of the body that are susceptible to extragenital infections are the rectum and mouth or throat since these parts of the body may also be involved in sexual contact. Being aware of infections outside the genital area is important for your sexual health, especially if you want to be screened for STIs. To truly make sure you dont have certain STIs, you cant just rely on a urine sample or vaginal swab. Instead, you need to check everywhere that may be at risk for infection.
Chlamydia is one of the STIs that can cause an extragenital infection and is sometimes found in the throat. This is sometimes called oral chlamydia or pharyngeal chlamydia. Chlamydia is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, so when you say you have pharyngeal chlamydia, it means you have an infection with the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis in the throat.
A review of the medical literature shows the rates of oral chlamydia in women, men who have sex with women , and men who have sex with men are as follows :
How Can You Get Rid Of Chlamydia
If your chlamydia test comes back positive, you may be wondering how to get chlamydia treated. Itâs important to discuss treatment options with your healthcare provider. Most likely, you will be treated for chlamydia with oral antibiotics. With treatment, infections often clear up in one to two weeks.
Even if your symptoms resolve sooner, however, itâs very important to complete your healthcare providerâs entire course of prescribed antibiotics. Otherwise, the infection may not be completely eliminated and you could be at risk for reinfection. You could also still pass chlamydia to a partner if you donât complete the recommended course of antibiotics.
Finally, as part of your treatment for chlamydia, connect with any sexual partners you may have unintentionally exposed to this infection. Your healthcare provider may also recommend antibiotics for your partner. This is a key part of chlamydia treatment, since it can help prevent reinfection when you resume sexual intercourse.
Chlamydia is a potentially harmful infection, but fortunately, itâs easy to test for. Itâs also simple to treat when you have a confirmed diagnosis. The important thing is stay informed and know your statusâsomething you can do from the privacy and comfort of home with our STD Test for women.
References
1. Overview: Chlamydia. National Health Service. URL. Accessed March 27, 2020.
2. Chlamydia CDC Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. URL. Accessed March 27, 2020.
Recommended Reading: If I Take Antibiotics Will It Cure Chlamydia
How To Treat Oral Chlamydia
Oral chlamydia is treated in the same way as other chlamydia infections: with antibiotics. The CDC recommends:
- Doxycycline two times a day for seven days
Alternative treatments include:
- Azithromycin in a single dose
- Levofloxacin once a day for seven days
A single dose of azithromycin may be the simplest way to treat chlamydia. However, people have developed resistance to this antibiotic, whereas doxycycline has a nearly 100% cure rate.
After being diagnosed with a chlamydia infection, all sexual partners need to be told and treated as well. You should also refrain from having any sex for seven days after completing treatment.
Chlamydia is easily treated and cured, but you can get chlamydia again. If you are sexually active, it is essential to test for sexually transmitted infections regularly.
Skin To Skin Or Hair To Hair Contact
Herpes simplex can cause cold sores on the mouth and blisters on the genitals, and syphilis can cause open sores or a skin rash. If these touch a partners mouth, genitals or anus the infection may be passed on. Sometimes the infection can be passed on through skin to skin contact without there being any symptoms.
It is rare for genital warts to be passed to the mouth and lips through oral sex.
Pubic lice can be passed between pubic hair and any coarse facial hair, such as a beard.
You May Like: Buy Gonorrhea And Chlamydia Treatment Online
Tuesday 13 February 2018
So you know about using condoms to prevent pregnancy and contracting STIs during sexual intercourse, but what about using protection during oral sex?
Oral sex is any type of sexual activity where a persons mouth, lips or tongue comes into contact with another persons genitals or anus. Unlike sexual intercourse, pregnancy cant result from having oral sex, but you should still use protection. Why? Some of the most common STIs in Queensland can be passed on through oral sex, and contracting them can have nasty consequences for you, an unborn child if youre pregnant and your sexual partners, if you dont get treated.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Pharyngeal Chlamydia
In the majority of cases, pharyngeal chlamydia is asymptomatic. If it does cause symptoms, they usually include sore throat or an uncomfortable feeling in the throat. However, the CDC does not consider pharyngeal chlamydia to be an important cause of pharyngitis . More likely causes include viral infections, strep throat, allergies, reflux, and others .
Don’t Miss: How To Get Prescription For Chlamydia
What Complications Can Result From Chlamydial Infection
The initial damage that chlamydia causes often goes unnoticed. However, chlamydial infections can lead to serious health problems with both short- and long-term consequences.
In women, untreated chlamydia can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease . Symptomatic PID occurs in about 10 to 15 percent of women with untreated chlamydia.30,31 However, chlamydia can also cause subclinical inflammation of the upper genital tract . Both acute and subclinical PID can cause permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and surrounding tissues. The damage can lead to chronic pelvic pain, tubal factor infertility, and potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy.32,33
Some patients with chlamydial PID develop perihepatitis, or Fitz-Hugh-Curtis Syndrome, an inflammation of the liver capsule and surrounding peritoneum, which is associated with right upper quadrant pain.
In pregnant women, untreated chlamydia has been associated with pre-term delivery,34 as well as ophthalmia neonatorum and pneumonia in the newborn.
Reactive arthritis can occur in men and women following symptomatic or asymptomatic chlamydial infection, sometimes as part of a triad of symptoms formerly referred to as Reiters Syndrome.35
Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Chlamydia Naturally
Signs And Symptoms Of Chlamydia
Chlamydia is known as one of the silent diseases which can produce no symptoms for a long period of time. Approximately 7095 percent of women and 50 percent of men with chlamydia do not observe chlamydia symptoms at all. The symptoms can also be mild and almost unnoticeable.
Another reason why symptoms are not the best way to determine the infection is that it is often confused with gonorrhea as the symptoms are very much alike. Asymptomatic nature of chlamydia makes it difficult to estimate how long a person remains infectious and this period is commonly believed to last until full recovery.
Chlamydia symptoms show up between 1 and 3 weeks after the contraction.
Recommended Reading: Can You Detect Chlamydia Right Away
What Is The Treatment For Chlamydia
Chlamydia can be easily cured with antibiotics. HIV-positive persons with chlamydia should receive the same treatment as those who are HIV-negative.
Persons with chlamydia should abstain from sexual activity for 7 days after single dose antibiotics or until completion of a 7-day course of antibiotics, to prevent spreading the infection to partners. It is important to take all of the medication prescribed to cure chlamydia. Medication for chlamydia should not be shared with anyone. Although medication will cure the infection, it will not repair any permanent damage done by the disease. If a persons symptoms continue for more than a few days after receiving treatment, he or she should return to a health care provider to be reevaluated.
Repeat infection with chlamydia is common.49 Women whose sex partners have not been appropriately treated are at high risk for re-infection. Having multiple chlamydial infections increases a womans risk of serious reproductive health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy.50,51 Women and men with chlamydia should be retested about three months after treatment of an initial infection, regardless of whether they believe that their sex partners were successfully treated.40
Infants infected with chlamydia may develop ophthalmia neonatorum and/or pneumonia.10 Chlamydial infection in infants can be treated with antibiotics.
How To Get Tested For An Oral Sti
Your healthcare provider can test you for orally transmitted STIs. If cost is a concern, there are many free or low-cost testing options through health clinics.
The exact tests a healthcare professional does will depend on what STIs they suspect. Many STIs require a swab of the mouth or throat for testing. If you have lesions or sores, your healthcare provider will swab those. If you have genital sores or systemic symptoms such as fever or joint pain, your healthcare provider may also choose to do additional testing .
Some STIs, such as HIV and syphilis, are diagnosed using a blood test . They may decide to start you on treatment before your results are available if they are confident in your diagnosis, and they may adjust that treatment once the results are available.
Read Also: Can Chlamydia Cause Kidney Infection
Getting And Passing Herpes Via Oral Sex
To understand your individual chance of getting HIV infection via oral sex you need to understand:
- Chance of herpes transmission with symptomatic vs asymptomatic partner protected vs unprotected oral sex
- HSV 1 vs HSV-2 difference and chance of having it orally
Let discuss each portion in more details!
Tips For Safe Kissing
Follow these tips to practice safe kissing and prevent transmission of other conditions:
- Avoid kissing someone if either of you has open sores.
- Avoid kissing someone if either of you has cuts in or around the mouth.
- Avoid kissing someone when youre sick or if theyre sick.
- Dont bite during kissing.
- Find other parts of the body to kiss instead of the lips, such as the cheek or hand.
Kissing doesnt have to be off-limits to prevent the transmission of disease. If you temporarily avoid kissing or change the way you kiss during a bout of illness, you could lower your chances for getting the condition.
You May Like: I Used A Condom And Got Chlamydia
When A Person Infected With Chlamydia Is Contagious
- Chlamydia can be transmitted by an infected person immediately after they become infected.
- Chlamydia infection can be passed regardless of whether the infected person has symptoms.
- The infected person will continue to be contagious until seven days after they finish treatment âit doesnât matter whether they have any signs or symptoms of the disease.
How Did I Get Chlamydia If I Didn’t Cheat
17 Nov 2021
- Written by Hannah Kingston
- Medically reviewed by Dr. Andrea Pinto on 18 November 2021
Most people dont expect to experience symptoms of a new sexually transmitted disease when theyre in a committed, monogamous relationship. If this does happen, your first instinct could be to think that your partner has cheated on you. But although rare, its actually possible to have new symptoms of an STD, such as chlamydia, even if no one has cheated. How can this happen?
Read Also: Can I Get Chlamydia Without Being Sexually Active
What Are The Complications Of Oral Chlamydia
Untreated pharyngeal chlamydia could potentially infect a sexual partner. This could cause the sexual partner to experience genital symptoms, like vaginal discharge, urethral discharge, and a burning sensation while urinating. It also increases the chances of the chlamydia infection spreading back to you, infecting other parts of your body.
Untreated genital chlamydia that spreads can cause serious complications like infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease , urethritis, and epididymitis. It can also lead to an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy outside of the uterusthis condition is a medical emergency and may even cause death.
You May Like: Where Can I Buy Chlamydia Treatment
Definition Of Oral Chlamydia
Chlamydia is caused by a bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis which can result in infections of the penis, vagina, urinary tract, throat and rectum. Oral chlamydia is the type of chlamydia specifically located in the throat. According to The Centers for Disease Control, chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, with over 2 million reports every year within the United States.
Recommended Reading: What To Take For Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
Who Can Be Screened For Chlamydia
In England there is a National Chlamydia Screening Programme. This offers chlamydial screening for sexually active women and men aged under 25 years. In this age group, screening is undertaken yearly or each time these women and men have a new sexual partner. The aims of this programme are to detect chlamydia early so it can be treated promptly. This should reduce the risk of transmission and also reduce the risk of developing complications. You can find information about screening at your GP surgery or local pharmacy. It is also available through family planning clinics, genitourinary medicine clinics or online.
In countries where there is not a screening programme, testing is still offered regularly to sexually active young people. You can request testing regularly if you are in this category. You can do this through your GP or by attending a GUM clinic. It may be available in other ways depending on the area in which you live.
Certain other groups of people are also recommended to undergo screening for chlamydia. For example:
- If you have a partner with chlamydia.
- If you have another STI.
- If you are a semen or egg donor.
- If you are having an abortion .
- If you have had two or more sexual partners in the past year.
What Are The Most Common Oral Chlamydia Symptoms
Pop quiz time: whats the difference between throat chlamydia and chlamydia in the genitals? If youre not sure, dont feel bad. Many of us dont even realize that there are multiple types of this sexually transmitted infection.
To further complicate matters, both genital and throat chlamydia can be difficult to detect without proper screening. Both forms, in addition to rectal chlamydia, may never show any visible symptoms. You see, chlamydia is typically an asymptomatic infection.
If chlamydia in the throat does show easily detectable symptoms, they are often as simple as asore throat and possibly a low grade fever and/or swollen lymph nodes. All of these are easily mistaken for something else if a doctor isnt specifically looking for chlamydia.
There are two sides to this coin. Since symptoms are mild, and so many different things can cause a sore throat and fever, the infection is often dismissed and goes untreated. This may make chlamydia seem like no big deal. The truth is, neglecting regular screenings can cause the infection to get worse even if there have never been any symptoms in the first place.
Oral chlamydia symptoms in women:
- Sore throat
Oral chlamydia symptoms in men:
- Low-grade fever
- Sore throat
- Swollen lymph nodes
If you dont get screened for oral chlamydia and you have an infection, it can get worse. If left undetected and untreated, chlamydia can lead to serious consequences, including pelvic inflammatory disease , infertility and chronic pelvic pain.
Also Check: How Can Guys Get Tested For Chlamydia
Oral Sex Vs Vaginal Or Anal Sex Is It Safer
Oral sex is considered safer than genital sex but is it the true? Where is the misconception coming from? Letâs look together at what is known!
- People that have oral sex have genital sex at the same time and it is difficult to differentiate how the person get the STD.
- Not a lot of studies done to look for the chance of getting and passing different STDs orally
- Most likely the main misconception comes from studies showing a lower chance of getting HIV by giving and getting oral sex on the penis. But what is true for HIV might not be true for other conditions.
- Some STDs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea if contracted stays at the point of contact. It means the testing of one area is not excluding the presence of bacteria in another area . Mouth swabs are not as commonly done, especially on heterosexual people.
- Oral STDs not as symptomatic and can be missed for a long time.
How Do Doctors Diagnose Chlamydia
If you think you may have had contact with someone infected with Chlamydia, there is a reliable way to determine if you have it as well.
Doctors can do NAATs , which are done by getting urine samples or doing vaginal swabs. The vaginal swabs are the best way for women to test for chlamydia and urine samples work best for men.
Don’t Miss: Can A Uti Cause A False Positive Chlamydia Test
Risk Of Passing Hiv In A One
The risk of getting HIV through oral sex alone, whether giving or receiving it, is believed to be very low. However, no reliable studies exist because people having oral sex are likely to be having other types of sex during the same sexual encounters.
Giving oral sex is thought to be riskier than receiving it, and oral sex involving the mouth and penis is thought to be riskier than oral sex involving the mouth and vagina.
You May Like: Can You Cure Chlamydia With Antibiotics