How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Without Knowing Years Or
This is because chlamydia can be silent or dormant for months and years without showing symptoms, especially if you develop complications such as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or epididymitis , In men, Absent symptoms of chlamydia do not mean absent infection, most people infected with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and may not seek health care, In women, Chlamydia is a bacterial infection with the Chlamydia infectious agent, chlamydia usually infects the cervix , In men, Can Chlamydia lie dormant for years? Chlamydia can lie dormant in the body for many years causing a low grade infection without symptoms.Can you have chlamydia for years without knowing? Most people who have chlamydia dont know it,Can you have chlamydia for years without knowing? Most people who have chlamydia dont know it
Wednesday 25 March 2020
The clap, the clam, the pox, the gift that keeps on giving weve created so many slang terms to make sexually transmissible infections seem a little bit funnier and a little less serious. But when the long-term side effects of STIs can include chronic pelvic pain, infertility and in rare cases, cancer, it turns out they are no laughing matter.
STIs are spread from one person to another through sex and sexual body contact. And thats all types of sex anal sex, oral sex and penis in vagina sex as well as hand play and through sex toys.
You wont be able to tell for sure if you or the person youre having sex with has an STI without being tested, because these nasty infections dont always cause symptoms that you can see or feel.
That makes it kinda tricky, as people can be having sex without knowing theyre infected, which means the infection could be passed on and be causing damage to your body unnoticed. But its also simple, really simple to be sexually healthy. You see, there are a couple of easy things you can do to have a confident and healthy sex life, to look after your body and make sure you dont have an infection that could cause you harm. Weve got you covered here with a rundown of the most common STIs, what they can do to your body and simple ways you can prevent getting them.
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.
Also Check: Having Chlamydia While On Your Period
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.
What Can Be Done To Prevent The Spread Of Chlamydia
- Limit your number of sex partners
- Use a male or female condom
- If you think you are infected or have been exposed, avoid any sexual contact and visit a local sexually transmitted disease clinic, a hospital or your doctor. Either bring your sex partners with you when you are treated or notify them immediately so they can obtain examination and treatment.
Also Check: Pills For Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
How Is Chlamydia Diagnosed
Its easy to test for chlamydia. Your doctor may ask you to have a sample taken from the vagina, cervix, throat, anus or penis. Or, you may be asked to produce a urine sample. Once the sample is collected, it is sent to a laboratory for testing. STI test results usually come back within a week.
There are 2 main types of tests:
Whats Chlamydia And What Are The Symptoms
The bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis, is the organism which causes chlamydia infection. It can affect the eyes , the joints, the mouth and the genitals of males and females. Chlamydia discharge with severe discomfort while urinating may be an early sign of illness.
It can also be contacted through the sharing of infected towels. Pregnant women with poorly treated infection may transmit chlamydia to their babies during delivery.
Chlamydia can be a silent disease because you can get infected without showing any signs. About 30 70 percent of infected men and women will not have common symptoms at all.
However, this does not rule out complication of chlamydia infection in the long-term. If left for a long time without treatment, chlamydia may cause pelvic inflammatory disease, tubal pregnancy, and difficulty conceiving.
Pelvic inflammatory disease is the upward spread of chlamydia affecting the womb, abdominal area, and Fallopian tubes. PID could potentially cause permanent damage to the Fallopian tubes ultimately causing infertility and ectopic pregnancy.
Short-term adverse effects of chlamydia in men include inflammation of the epididymis, with testes that are hurtful and swollen. This occurs very early after an infection and can contribute to infertility in men.
If youve had unprotected anal, oral, vaginal intercourse or got in real contact with someone genital fluid, you can have chlamydia.
Read Also: Can You Get Chlamydia In The Mouth
What Can Happen If Chlamydia Is Not Treated
In women
Chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease . PID is a serious infection of the reproductive organs. PID can cause:
- Infertility.
- Tubal pregnancies, which can lead to death of the mother and unborn child.
- Inflammation surrounding the liver.
A mother also can pass the infection to her child during birth. Infection in newborns can lead to:
- Eye infections .
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.
Recommended Reading: How Can Chlamydia Be Cured
Does Chlamydia Go Away On Its Own
It is highly unlikely that Chlamydia will go away on its own without treatment, which is why it is so important to be tested regularly and be treated swiftly if positive. Whilst it has been known for some infected with Chlamydia to recover without treatment, this is uncommon and very risky as untreated Chlamydia may lead to more severe health problems.
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.
Don’t Miss: Penicillin For Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
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.
What Are The Treatments For Chlamydia
Antibiotics will cure the infection. You may get a one-time dose of the antibiotics, or you may need to take medicine every day for 7 days. Antibiotics cannot repair any permanent damage that the disease has caused.
To prevent spreading the disease to your partner, you should not have sex until the infection has cleared up. If you got a one-time dose of antibiotics, you should wait 7 days after taking the medicine to have sex again. If you have to take medicine every day for 7 days, you should not have sex again until you have finished taking all of the doses of your medicine.
It is common to get a repeat infection, so you should get tested again about three months after treatment.
Read Also: How Can You Cure Chlamydia
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.
When To See A Doctor
If a person has symptoms of chlamydia after testing and treatment or thinks that they have come into contact with chlamydia again, they should see their doctor.
Females are less likely than males to have symptoms of chlamydia, so testing is especially important for them.
The recommend chlamydia testing every year for the following groups of people:
- sexually active females under the age of 25 years
- females over the age of 25 years who have new or multiple sexual partners
- anyone with a sexual partner who has an STI
- sexually active gay and bisexual males
Pregnant women should have a chlamydia test early on in their pregnancy.
Also Check: Drugs Used To Treat Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
Chlamydia Can Be Prevented
The most effective way to avoid getting a sexually transmitted infection is to not have sex. However, if you wish to have sexual contact, you can reduce your risk of infection with these actions:
- Minimizing the number of partners with whom you have intimate contact
- Asking your partners to get screened for STDs before engaging in sexual activity
- Always using latex condoms when having intercourse of any kind
Additional reporting by Ingrid Strauch.
Can One Have Chlamydia For Over A Year
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that is caused by an infection by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis. Among women, this disease usually affects the cervix and the uterus. On the other hand, this disease affects men in the urethra in the penis.
Chlamydia is a treatable disease. Hence, when you are experiencing symptoms of this disease, or if you think your sexual partner was infected, you should get tested as soon as possible. Chlamydia may have the same symptoms as the other sexually transmitted diseases,which is why testing is necessary.
Recommended Reading: Early Stages Of Chlamydia Male
How Do I Know If I Have An Sti Get Tested Once A Year And Between Every Partner
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.
Chlamydia Is Common But Many People Dont Realize They Have It
About 1.7 million chlamydia infections were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017, but the real number is likely higher because chlamydia is considered an underreported infection.
“The number of reported cases is substantially lower than the true estimated incidence,” says Bradley Stoner, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and former president of the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association.
The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System relies on state and local public health departments to collect and report data on chlamydia to the CDC. Those public health departments depend on individual physicians, hospitals, and laboratories to report cases of chlamydia to them. Accurate statistics require all parties to routinely comply with disease-reporting mandates.
Also Check: Can I Get Chlamydia Twice
Your Chlamydia Was Poorly Treated Or Left Untreated
Its possible to have chlamydia infection with no symptoms of the disease. In some women and men, it could take weeks for chlamydia signs to appear. If you just started having symptoms, purchase chlamydia kit to know if its chlamydia or not.
Poorly treated chlamydia, either due to wrong antibiotics or not completing your doctors prescribed medications, may cause chlamydia to persist with resistance.
If you have chlamydia symptoms months after treatment, it is advisable to let your doctor know ASAP.
So Can You Have Chlamydia For Years
According to the experts, chlamydia was never been known to exist for years. This infection can actually fester for almost 2 months but was never been known to last for years without any visible signs and symptoms. On the other hand, if a person is infected for years, he/she is likely to have developed other problems like PID . Moreover, this disease can never stay dormant for years because it should have been diagnosed in medical tests.
You May Like: Why Do I Still Have Discharge After Chlamydia Treatment
What Is The Treatment For Chlamydia
Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. The recommended antibiotic treatment is doxycycline taken twice a day for seven days or azrithromycin taken in one single dose. Other alternative medications may be used but are not as effective as azrithromycin and doxycycline. Persons being treated for chlamydia should not have sexual intercourse for seven days after single dose therapy or until completion of all seven days of antibiotics . Patients can be re-infected if their sex partners are not treated.
Young Sexually Active Women Are Most Susceptible
Women between ages 15 and 24 are most likely to be newly infected with chlamydia, according to the CDC, but anyone who is sexually active male or female can be infected. Men who have oral or anal sex with men are also at risk, notes the CDC. The CDC recommends regular chlamydia screenings for people at an increased risk of contracting it.
You should be screened annually for chlamydia if you are:
- A sexually active woman under age 25
- A woman age 25 or older who has multiple sexual partners
- A woman whose sexual partner may have multiple sexual partners
- Pregnant and under age 25 or pregnant and age 25 or older with an increased risk
- A man who has sex with men
- At an increased risk for other health reasons
I would emphasize that young women should be screened if they engage in any sexual behavior that puts them at risk because often has no symptoms, and early treatment is important to avoid long-term damage and infertility, Dr. Schaffir says.
Screening for chlamydia is painless: It usually involves testing a urine sample or a specimen swabbed from the vagina or penis. Some lab tests for chlamydia can use specimens from the throat or rectum.
Also Check: Can Your Body Fight Chlamydia On Its Own
How Can You Treat Chlamydia
Following a positive test, the most common and effective treatment for Chlamydia is a course of antibiotics, usually over the period of one week. You should abstain for sexual activity for one week following a successful course of antibiotics and ensure that regular sexual partners, as well as previous partners, are informed and tested.
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
You May Like: 2 Day Treatment For Chlamydia
Can A Couple Get Chlamydia Without Cheating
Apart from being infected at birth you can not catch chlamydia without performing some form of sexual act. However, you dont have to have penetrative sex to get infected, it is enough if your genitals come in contact with an infected persons sexual fluids .
Telling A Current Partner About An Std
Being diagnosed with an STD while in a relationship can bring up lots of emotions. You may question your trust in your partner or feel ashamed if you cheated. But keep in mind that some STDs don’t always show up right away. It’s possible that you or your partner got the STD in a previous relationship without even knowing it.
If you find out that you have an STD while you’re in a relationship, talk to your partner as soon as possible. Be honest even if you haven’t been in the past. Your partner may be upset, even angry, and that can be hard to deal with.
The most helpful thing you can do is listen to your partner’s concerns and fears and offer information about the STD. Give your partner time to take in the information.
If you and your partner have already had sex, stop having sex until you can both get tested, even if your partner doesn’t have any symptoms. You and your partner will probably need treatment. Take any medicine exactly as your doctor prescribes. If you have an STD, like herpes or HIV, treatments can lower the chance of passing the infection to your partner.
If you or your partner have multiple sex partners, it’s important they all get tested and treated. If you think you’ve had an STD for a while, you need to let past sex partners know. They should get tested too.
You May Like: Does Chlamydia Always Have Symptoms