Chlamydia In Men: Signs Symptoms Diagnosis And Effects
Chlamydia in men is a sexually transmitted disease that is caused by a bacteria infection called Chlamydia trachomatis.
- The bacteria is commonly transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse.
- The disease can also be transmitted via a perinatal transmission. This is when infection spreads from the mother to the baby during pregnancy.
Chlamydia Symptoms In Men
If there are signs of Chlamydia in men, symptoms can include:
- Pain or burning sensations when urinating
- Watery, cloudy or white discharge from penis
- Pain in the testicles
Signs of Chlamydia in women can consist of:
- Unusual discharge from the vagina
- Pain when urinating
- Nausea
- Fever
Chlamydia can also affect your rectum or throat as a result of unprotected anal or oral sex. You may experience discomfort or discharge from your rectum, or a sore throat. If you come into contact with infected semen or vaginal fluid in your eyes, this can also result in a Chlamydia infection. If this happens, you might experience from eye redness or conjunctivitis.
How Is Chlamydia Prevented
You already know chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection. Therefore, the safest and easiest way to prevent chlamydia is sexual abstinence. Other ways chlamydia can be prevented in men and women are
- Use condoms for intercourse
- Get your male or female sexual partners tested for the infection
- Recheck for chlamydia infection after 5 weeks of treatment
- Avoid intercourse while on chlamydia treatment
- Use adult toys with condoms
Now its your turn. Do you have any chlamydia symptoms? Let us know if we can help.
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Male Complications Of Untreated Chlamydia
Men can also experience complications when chlamydia is left untreated. The epididymis the tube that holds the testicles in place may become inflamed, causing pain. This is known as epididymitis.
The infection can also spread to the prostate gland, causing a fever, painful intercourse, and discomfort in the lower back. Another possible complication is male chlamydial urethritis.
These are just some of the most common complications of untreated chlamydia, which is why its important to get medical attention right away. Most people who get treatment quickly have no long-term medical problems.
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.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Chlamydia In Men
One reason could be contributed to the fact chlamydia is often called the silent infection because the symptoms can go unnoticed for a long time until a serious health problem occurs. Another reason is that chlamydia screening has improved and is more widely available.
Men who become infected by the disease can experience have the following chlamydia symptoms:
- A fever or high temperature
- A white discharge or cloudy discharge from the penis
- Painful or burning sensation when passing urine
- The urethra becoming either very itchy or very sensitive
- Swelling may occur around the testicles in the later stages
These symptoms may not appear which means the infected man is completely unaware he has the disease. The first signs of chlamydia in men do not necessarily appear immediately after infection. In some cases this can take up to 2 or 3 weeks. Symptoms can also subside after a few days however, this means the male is still infected with chlamydia.
If the man partakes in anal intercourse there is a greater risk of contracting a chlamydial infection in and around the rectum or entrance to the anus. This can often result in a swollen rectum. Infections can also be found in the throat as a result of oral sex with an infected partner.
How Is Chlamydia Infection Treated
If you were diagnosed with the infection then you will need treatment. The good news is that chlamydia can be treated and cured. The drugs used are doxycycline, azithromycin, amoxicilin. In pregnant women with the infection, amoxicillin and azithromycin are safe.
Doxycycline is given twice daily for a week. However, it has some side effects which include vomiting, nausea, mild passage of watery stool and skin rash. If you experience any problems while taking your medications, you should inform your doctor.
In addition, you should complete your medications and take them. Also, where possible, your doctor will prescribe drugs for your partner. It is important to talk to him or her on need for treatment.
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How Do I Get Tested For Chlamydia
Testing for chlamydia is easy. Testing is usually done on a urine sample or on a swab collected either by yourself or your doctor or nurse.
Urine test
You will be asked to urinate into a jar. It is best if you have not passed urine for 20 minutes before the sample is collected.
Swab test
- men who have a discharge can have a swab taken from the opening of the penis
- men who have sex with men can have an anal and throat swab taken if there has been unprotected anal or oral sex
- women who don’t have symptoms can have either a self-collected swab taken from the vagina or a urine test. A self-collected vaginal swab is a bit more accurate than a urine test. Some women may be advised to have an anal swab taken
- women can have swabs collected during an examination by their doctor or nurse:
- if there are symptoms such as pain, discharge or abnormal bleeding
- at the same time as a cervical screening test
What Are The Complications Of Chlamydia Infection
Because chlamydia does not show symptoms in everyone that is infected, it can easily cause long term problems in both men and women. If treatment does not occur early some of this complications are possible.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease . This is an ascending infection that affects the fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus and abdomen. It can cause severe pain and infertility in women.
- Peri-hepatitis. This is due to inflammation of the covering of the liver.
- In children, chlamydia can cause red eyes and pneumonia.
- If the fallopian tubes are affected, the baby may grow outside the uterus. This will cause severe pain or fainting attack if it ruptures
- Infertility or inability to conceive
- Increased chance of contacting other sexually transmitted infections like HIV, Gonorrhea, Trichomoniasis.
- Epididymitis
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Reducing The Risk Of Chlamydia Infection
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection which is spread in genital fluids . Its important to bear this in mind, and to remember that chlamydia can be transmitted via various forms of sexual activity.
As a man you can be vulnerable to chlamydia if you are engaging in the following sexual acts:
- Vaginal sex
- Non-penetrative sexual contact
- Sharing sex toys
If infected semen or vaginal fluid comes into contact with your genitals, rectum or eyes you are at risk of contracting chlamydia and potentially developing symptoms described above.
To stay protected, talk to your sexual partner about their STI status if you arent certain that they are free from infection refrain from sex or use condoms or dental dams until either of you are tested.
Condoms should be used for anal sex, vaginal sex and male oral sex . Dental dams should be used for female oral sex.
Sex toys should not be shared – they should be washed in between use and protected with a condom if possible.
What Happens If A Man Doesnt Treat His Chlamydia
If chlamydia is left untreated, it can become a more severe infection. Its also possible for it to have long term effects, including on fertility.
Chlamydia can affect the whole of the male reproductive system, causing inflammation in the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles, as well as the testicles themselves and the prostate gland. If this inflammation isnt treated, it may lead to scarring, which can have an effect on fertility.
There have also been some studies that suggest the infection itself can affect sperm being produced properly, but the evidence around this isnt conclusive at the moment.
Chlamydia can also cause a condition called reactive arthritis. This is when there is inflammation that affects the eyes, joints, and the urethra . The knees, feet, toes, hips, and ankles are also commonly affected. Its unclear exactly why this happens, but it may be related to the body overreacting to the infection. The symptoms can take months to recover, and you should treat this with anti-inflammatory medicines.
Treating chlamydia is also very important because it can easily be passed on to other partners, even if you dont have symptoms.
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Chlamydia Symptoms Men Detailed Guide
Chlamydia Symptoms Men result in pain and very unpleasant feelings. Chlamydia is one the wide-spread sexual infection. The Chlamydia trachomatous bacteria is the cause the disease. Huge number of infected-people make it becomes one of the widest known STI. Recent studies show that over a million of men are infected without showing any symptoms.
Chlamydia is not difficult to be cured but it is difficult to be known without medical test. Some signs will not be shown on men. Women often do not show the symptoms of the disease. It eases the spread of the STI. The hidden symptoms take the STI to be transmitted massively fast.
Some cases show that men also hide their Chlamydia symptoms. Some men show modified symptom that make them to have another disease than the Chlamydia. The modification is caused by untreated symptoms and the immunity of the men.
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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:
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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.
How Chlamydia Diagnosis Process Is Carried On In Men
Early treatment of Chlamydia is essential to have a healthy life ahead. In case if you had unprotected sex with your recent partner then you must get tested for STIs as soon as possible. This test can be carried out at any local GUM clinic or GP. With improved facilities of digital world, patients can also order Chlamydia test kits to their home from online sources.
Once this test is carried out then depending upon its results further treatment will be carried out. Note that, Chlamydia disease is very common between age groups of 16 to 25 so most of the clinics these days are offering free tests to identify this disease on time. In case if you had oral or anal sex with your new partner who is suspected to be infected then it is good to undergo an oral swab test pr rectal swab test.
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How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Before It Causes Damage
Symptoms usually appear within one to three weeks after being infected and may be very mild. If not treated, chlamydia can lead to damage to the reproductive system. In women, chlamydial infection can spread to the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease , according to the CDC.
Effects Of The Disease
Chlamydia can cause infertility if it is not treated. It damages sperm and scars the reproductive tract. It also damages your sperm in ways that can make birth defects prevalent.
Chlamydia can also affect you in non-sexual ways. You can get recurring pink eye, reactive arthritis and rheumatological conditions.
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Who Should Be Tested For Chlamydia
You should go to your health provider for a test if you have symptoms of chlamydia, or if you have a partner who has a sexually transmitted disease. Pregnant women should get a test when they go to their first prenatal visit.
People at higher risk should get checked for chlamydia every year:
- Sexually active women 25 and younger
- Older women who have new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted disease
- Men who have sex with men
How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Without Knowing
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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Why Is Azithromycin Not A Chlamydia Treatment Anymore
The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV recently released guidelines explaining that Azithromycin is no longer an effective treatment for chlamydia. This is because of increasing levels of bacterial resistance to azithromycin. Instead, the recommended first-line treatment is now only doxycycline.
Can Chlamydia Be Cured
Yes, chlamydia can be cured with the right treatment. It is important that you take all of the medication your doctor prescribes to cure your infection. When taken properly it will stop the infection and could decrease your chances of having complications later on. You should not share medication for chlamydia with anyone.
Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. You should be tested again about three months after you are treated, even if your sex partner was treated.
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How Do People Get Chlamydia
People get chlamydia by having sex with someone who has the infection. Chlamydia can still be transmitted even if a man does not ejaculate. People who have had chlamydia and have been treated can get infected again if they have sex with an infected person.
Chlamydia can be spread from an infected woman to her baby during childbirth.
How Does Chlamydia Affect A Pregnant Woman And Her Baby
In pregnant women, untreated chlamydia has been associated with pre-term delivery, and can spread to the newborn, causing an eye infection or pneumonia. Screening and treatment of chlamydia during pregnancy is the best way to prevent these complications. All pregnant women should be screened for chlamydia at their first prenatal visit.
How is chlamydia diagnosed?
There are laboratory tests to diagnose chlamydia. Specimens commonly used for testing include a cotton swab of the vagina or a urine sample.
How is chlamydia treated?
Penicillin is not effective against chlamydia.
Chlamydia can be easily treated and 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 having sex for seven days after single dose antibiotics, or until completion of a seven-day course of antibiotics, to prevent spreading the infection to partners.
Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. Persons whose sex partners have not been appropriately treated are at high risk for re-infection. Having multiple chlamydial infections increases a woman’s risk of serious reproductive health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. 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.
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