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Can You Have Chlamydia For Years Without Knowing

How Do I Know If I Have An Sti Get Tested Once A Year And Between Every Partner

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As these infections often dont cause symptoms, the only way to know for sure if you have an STI is to get tested regularly if youre having sex. Regularly means at least once a year and between every new partner. Its much better to know than not to know so that if you do have an STI, you can get it treated as soon as possible.

The best way to get tested regularly is with a GP. If you dont want to do this, you could visit a sexual health clinic, True Relationships and Reproductive Health clinic, Aboriginal Medical Services or other community testing sites. If you think you have any STI symptoms, a GP or nearest sexual health clinic are the best options to get tested and treated quickly.

What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia

Whilst Chlamydia often lays dormant in many people, the disease may flare up and cause symptoms due to a change in the immune system such as a cold or flu. Symptoms include:

  • Unusual discharge from bottom, vagina or penis
  • Testicle pain and swelling
  • Bleeding after sex or spotting between periods for women
  • Pain in the tummy

However, STDs such as Chlamydia can often be asymptomatic. It is reported that nearly 75% of women and 50% of men are asymptomatic when infected with Chlamydia. To reduce the risk of transmission, it is important to regularly test for STDs, particularly if you have multiple sexual partners. Your Sexual Health offers a wide variety of tests that can be conducted in the privacy of your own home.

You Can Get Chlamydia More Than Once

With some diseases, having one infection makes you immune to future infections. That’s not the case with chlamydia. If you engage in sexual activity with a person who has a chlamydia infection, you can get it again, even if you’ve just completed treatment for it.

“Both partners should be treated before reinitiating sexual intercourse to prevent relapse,” Schaffir says.

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How Is Chlamydia Treated

Chlamydia is treated with antibiotic medication, which are medications taken by mouth. Since both you and your sex partner have been infected, both of you must be treated.

With treatment, the infection should clear up in about 7 days. Continue to take your medication, even if the symptoms go away.

Also, never take someone else’s medication to treat your illness. By doing so, you may make the infection more difficult to treat.

You should also:

  • Tell anyone with whom you have had sex in the last 3 months that you are infected. This step is especially important because chlamydia may have no symptoms. Women, especially, may not have symptoms and may not seek testing or treatment unless alerted by their sex partners. Abstain from sex until you have taken all of your medication.
  • Get checked for HIV/AIDS and other STIs .

Its Possible To Get Chlamydia Through Oral Or Anal Sex

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You may have heard that its not possible to get chlamydia through oral or anal sex, but this is just a myth. If you have unprotected vaginal, oral, or anal sex, you could get chlamydia.

While its possible to get chlamydia through any of these sex acts, the risk varies depending on the type of sex youre having. Chlamydia isnt commonly passed through cunnilingus, but its possible. The infection is commonly passed through fellatio and anal sex.

No matter what type of sex youre having, its a good idea to use protection. This may include dental dams or condoms, depending on the sex act. Other types of contraception, like birth control pills and IUDs, dont provide any protection against chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections.

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Chlamydia Signs And Symptoms

Many people with chlamydia have few or no symptoms. In fact, 75% of women and 50% of men do not experience symptoms. If symptoms do show up, itâs 1-3 weeks after infection.

In men, the following symptoms can indicate a chlamydia infection:* Pain and/or swelling in your testes* Pain or burning whenever you pee* Increased amount of clear or cloudy discharge from the penis* Itching in or around your urethra

In women, the following chlamydia symptoms may appear:* Pain or burning when you pee* A change in color, odor, or consistency of your discharge from your normal* Pain or discomfort during sex or after sex* Bleeding after sex or outside of your normal menstrual cycle* Lower abdominal pain or discomfort

The most common and serious complications occur in women. Chlamydia in women can lead to serious consequences like pelvic inflammatory disease , ectopic pregnancy, tubal factor infertility, and chronic pelvic pain.

Symptoms of chlamydia in the throat are caused by having oral sex with someone with the infection. Chlamydia in the throat is considered a mouth infection and may look a lot like pharyngitis.and swallowing can be painful.

Throat symptoms donât show up very often, but if they do, youâll notice them a week or several months after the initial infection.

If you think you contracted the virus through oral sex, let your provider know so they can do a throat swab and test for the infection that way.

How Do I Know If I Have Chlamydia

Most people who have chlamydia have no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with an infected partner. Even when chlamydia causes no symptoms, it can damage your reproductive system.

Women with symptoms may notice

  • An abnormal vaginal discharge
  • A burning sensation when urinating.

Symptoms in men can include

  • A discharge from their penis
  • A burning sensation when urinating
  • Pain and swelling in one or both testicles .

Men and women can also get infected with chlamydia in their rectum. This happens either by having receptive anal sex, or by spread from another infected site . While these infections often cause no symptoms, they can cause

  • Rectal pain
  • Discharge
  • Bleeding.

You should be examined by your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms or if your partner has an STD or symptoms of an STD. STD symptoms can include an unusual sore, a smelly discharge, burning when urinating, or bleeding between periods.

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Can You Tell How Long Youve Had Chlamydia

Is it possible to tell how long I ve had chlamydia? Not usually, because chlamydia often doesnt cause any symptoms. This means you can have the infection without knowing you could have had it for months or even years. Depending on how many people you ve had sex with, it can be hard to trace it to one person.

How Does The Chlamydia Test Kit Work

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The test kit provides you with the equipment needed to get your sample along with instructions.

Once your sample had been collected pack it back in the box provided and have it returned back to the specialist lab for testing.

Ensure the top part of the form is kept safely. You will need it if you want to track your sample online.

Your sample will then be analyzed and tested for any trace of Chlamydia at an ISO accredited lab.

Rest assured, the results are pin point accurate. If the smallest possible trace of Chlamydia resides in your body, it will be detected.

As soon as your sample has completed the Chlamydia testing process you will be notified via text message or email.

If you get a positive result, then your local NHS Chlamydia screening office will be in touch with you to arrange confidential, safe and free treatment.

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Chlamydia Is Caused By Sexually Transmitted Bacteria

The bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis causes chlamydia infection, which usually occurs in the genital tract, so the cervix in women and the penis in men. In both women and men, the bacteria may also infect the rectum and the throat.

“Infections are spread during any kind of sexual activity: vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse,” says Jonathan Schaffir, MD, an ob-gyn at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.

Chlamydia trachomatis can also cause conjunctivitis if the bacteria come into contact with the eyelids or the clear membrane covering the white of the eye.

Because chlamydia infections often cause no symptoms, individuals who have one may not seek medical attention or get treated for it. However, anyone who is infected with chlamydia can pass it to other people, who can, in turn, pass it to others.

How Common Is It To Have Chlamydia Without Symptoms

Chlamydia is caused by bacteria. It is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S. This infection is easily spread because it often causes no symptoms. That means you can pass chlamydia to sexual partners without knowing it. In fact, about 75% of infections in women and 50% in men have no symptoms.

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Symptoms In The Throat

Chlamydia symptoms can sometimes appear in the throat, although this is uncommon. When it does occur, the time frame is likely to be similar to that of chlamydia infections of the genitals.

In people who experience symptoms, the main one is a persistent sore throat. A doctor may refer to a chlamydia infection in the throat as pharyngeal chlamydia.

Testing for chlamydia in the throat is not a common practice in STI testing, as it does not have approval from the Food and Drug Administration . However, if a person suspects that they have pharyngeal chlamydia, a doctor may take a swab from the throat.

A person can undergo testing for chlamydia at their:

  • doctors office
  • local health department
  • local planned parenthood center

A person can also order a chlamydia test online, take it at home, and then send it off for testing.

If people are at high risk of chlamydia, they may need screening for all types of chlamydia every 36 months.

At risk groups include people who have:

  • multiple or unknown sexual partners
  • sex in combination with illegal drug use
  • sexual partners who use illegal drugs or have multiple partners

7 days .

People should avoid having sex until their treatment is complete. If a person is experiencing symptoms even after the treatment, they should see a doctor.

People who menstruate should notice that their periods return to normal or that bleeding between periods stops by their next period.

How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Without Knowing

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If youve had intercourse with an infected man or woman, chlamydia symptoms may appear between 1 3 weeks after contact.

However, you may still be asymptomatic after a chlamydia infection. This is because chlamydia can be silent or dormant for months and years without showing symptoms.

In men, about 50 70 percent will show symptoms of chlamydia while only 30 50 percent of women will be symptomatic. Absent symptoms of chlamydia do not mean absent infection. You should take chlamydia test to confirm if you have the infection or not.

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How Long Can Chlamydia Lay Dormant

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Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the UK. In 2018 alone, 49% of all new diagnoses of STDs were Chlamydia. A possible reason for this is that the Chlamydia can lay dormant for many years without the carrier knowing. In this blog, we will look at how Chlamydia is transmitted, and how to prevent and treat it.

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How Is Chlamydia Diagnosed And Treated

If you have chlamydia symptoms or had intercourse with someone without protection, you should inform your doctor about testing or take a home chlamydia test.

Chlamydia can be detected at home. You should get a chlamydia test kit and use urine for your test.

However, if you have oral chlamydia symptoms, you may need to see your doctor for throat swab culture. The culture of chlamydia takes about 3 7 days.

If diagnosed with chlamydia, you can easily be treated and cured with azithromycin or doxycycline tablets.

During pregnancy, chlamydia infection can be treated safely with azithromycin.

What Problems Can Happen

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If it’s not treated, chlamydia can lead to:

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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.

Home Remedies For Chlamydia Symptoms

You may still experience painful or uncomfortable symptoms while youre taking chlamydia antibiotics.

Here are some home remedies for reducing your pain and other symptoms while youre waiting for the antibiotics to work:

  • pain medications, such as ibuprofen to reduce pain
  • cold pack to help limit swelling and inflammation
  • goldenseal to reduce inflammation and potentially make symptoms less severe
  • echinacea to bolster your immune system against the infection and reduce your symptoms
  • turmeric containing an ingredient called curcumin to reduce inflammation and make symptoms less severe

No studies support the effectiveness of these supplements specifically for chlamydia, so take them with caution.

And theres no substitute for antibiotics when treating chlamydia. Only try these remedies if youre already taking antibiotics or if you plan to go to the doctor.

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You Can Catch Chlamydia If Youve Only Had Sex Once

You may have heard that its not possible to get chlamydia from a single sex act. If youve had sex with someone who has the infection, you could get it, too. One encounter is all it takes to pass on the bacteria, so get tested.

In up to 15 percent of women with untreated chlamydia, the infection spreads to the uterus and uterine tubes, leading to symptomatic pelvic inflammatory disease.

If youve had unprotected sex and are worried that you might have chlamydia, get tested. The test is easy and painless. Your doctor could take a sample of your cells with a cotton swab or ask you to pee in a cup. The sample is tested for chlamydia bacteria. If your doctor says you have chlamydia, dont worry. Its treatable.

Chlamydia Is Only Contagious From Person To Person

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You can only get chlamydia by having intimate sexual contact with an infected person, not from casual contact, touching another persons clothing, or consuming contaminated food or water.

The chlamydia organism lives only in human cells and cannot be transmitted by external contact, such as towels or toilet seats, Schaffir says.

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When To See A Healthcare Provider

It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider if you have any signs or symptoms of chlamydia, any other symptoms that concern you, or if you know or think you’ve been exposed to the infection.

According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, women 25 and under and those who are sexually active should be screened for chlamydia every year, as should older women who have an increased risk of infection.

Screening for other STIs/STDs is important as well, as the risk factors for chlamydia also increase the likelihood of contracting these other infections. If you are treated for chlamydia, be sure to tell your healthcare provider if any symptoms persist.

How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Without Knowing Years Or Months

How long can you have chlamydia without knowing is a common question after an unprotected sexual contact.

What is chlamydia infection?

Chlamydia infection, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, is a common sexually transmitted infection that affects both men and women. In the united stated, more than 1.4 million new cases of chlamydia are detected yearly.

Chlamydia can affect the eyes , the joints, the vagina, anus and the penis. It may sometimes cause infertility if left untreated in men and women.

In women, chlamydia infection can ascend up the genital tracts resulting to pelvic inflammatory disease with symptoms like fever, abdomen pain and difficulty conceiving.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection is transmitted through

  • Unprotected anal intercourse
  • Heavy period
  • Ectopic pregnancy
  • If youve had intercourse with these symptoms, then its likely you have chlamydia. You should inform your doctor ASAP or get a chlamydia test kit to detect chlamydia.

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