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.
Shady Symptoms Of A Sexually Transmitted Disease
The below symptoms do not always mean that someone has a Sexually Transmitted Disease, but sometimes they can be a sign of an STD that has moved to the next stage. Many of the symptoms experienced point towards a viral infection or the ones that are associated with Gonorrhea and Chlamydia.
These types of Sexually Transmitted Diseases might not show any symptoms initially, but when they do, it is better to get yourself checked immediately. No matter how insignificant the symptoms might look like it is always a better idea to get yourself tested for any possible serious issues as it is much easier to cure and manage the disease if it is caught earlier.
Preventing The Spread Of Infection
It is absolutely necessary to inform the partner if you get a positive test for Chlamydia. The sooner the partner is told the more effective and simple the treatment can be. Make sure your partner gets tested and receives the treatment as well and abstain from the intercourse until the treatment of both you and the partner is finished.
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Does The Treatment Work
Usually, yes. You can infect another sex partner as soon as you get chlamydia. Most women and some men do not have early signs of the disease.
A pregnant women can also pass on the infection to her baby as it is being born. This can lead to infection of the eyes and lungs in the infant. It is important to inform people you have had sex with during the past 3 months because they may have the disease and not know they need treatment. Your public health nurse will contact your partner if you prefer. Your name will be kept confidential.
Discharge Or Bleeding Between Periods
If youre experiencing discharge from your penis, vagina, or anus, this could be a sign of an STD. Discharge is one of the most common symptoms of gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, bacterial vaginosis, and vaginal thrush.
Bleeding between periods can be a sign that youre suffering from a late-stage chlamydia or a late-stage gonorrhea infection. If left untreated, both of them can infect the uterus causing inflammation and PID.
Basically, if anything is dripping and it shouldnt be dripping, you need to get it checked out.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia
Chlamydia doesn’t usually cause any symptoms. So you may not realize that you have it. People with chlamydia who have no symptoms can still pass the disease to others. If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with an infected partner.
Symptoms in women include
If the infection spreads, you might get lower abdominal pain, pain during sex, nausea, or fever.
Symptoms in men include
- A burning sensation when urinating
- Burning or itching around the opening of your penis
- Pain and swelling in one or both testicles
If the chlamydia infects the rectum , it can cause rectal pain, discharge, and/or bleeding.
Some Very Common Symptoms Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases That You Should Not Ignore:
Below are some of the symptoms that are almost always immediately associated with having a Sexually Transmitted Disease. If anyone is experiencing any one or a combination of these symptoms along with the less common ones, they should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
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Bleeding Between Periods and Unusual Discharge
Sexually transmitted diseases like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, when they progress to a later stage, cause women to experience bleeding or spotting in between their periods. If this is ignored, it can cause infections of the uterus along with developing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or PID.
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Noticing Unusual Discharge
If you notice an abnormal and unusual discharge coming from your vagina, rectum, or the penis, you should get yourself checked as it can be a sign of a Sexually Transmitted Disease. Having an unusual discharge can be a sign of Trichomoniasis, Bacterial Vaginosis, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhea.
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The appearance of Bumps, Warts, Sores, and Lesions
If you are experiencing the appearance of warts, lesions, sores, and bumps in and around your private parts, you should see a doctor without any delay. Bumps, warts, and lesions can be a symptom of a lot of Sexually transmitted diseases like HPV, HIV, Syphilis, and Herpes. Whether they cause pain or not, you should not brush these under the rug and should immediately get checked.
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Pain During Urination and Frequent Urination
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Itching
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Pain during sex
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Lesions Sores Bumps Or Warts
If you have any lesions, sores, bumps, or warts on your genitalia, you need to be tested immediately. These are the early signs of a myriad of STDs, including syphilis, herpes, HPV, and HIV. Even if they are painless or only there for a short amount of time, dont brush them off sores can be the only sign of an STD in some cases!
How Is Chlamydia Treated
Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. The same antibiotics a doctor prescribes to treat chlamydia in the groin may also be prescribed to treat chlamydia in the throat.
Avoid oral sex or intercourse for at least 7 days if youre taking a one-time antibiotic dose. If you take a longer course, you should wait until youve taken all your medication before having sex again.
If youve been treated for chlamydia before, you can get it again. Treatments also can stop complications you may have already experienced due to chlamydia.
After treatment, its a good idea to always have protected sex to avoid contracting a new infection.
CDC , having chlamydia in the throat might increase the risk for getting HIV.
Having chlamydia in the throat can make you more vulnerable to other infections. Your body is so busy fighting off the chlamydia bacteria, it doesnt fend off other infections as effectively. This can cause problems such as mouth infections, tooth loss, gum disease, and dental pain.
Risks of untreated chlamydia infections
- increased risks for ectopic pregnancy
- increased risks for preterm delivery in pregnant women
- inflammation of the upper genital tract
- pelvic inflammatory disease, a condition that affects fertility pelvic pain
- perihepatitis, an inflammation in the capsule that surrounds the liver
- reactive arthritis, a form of inflammatory arthritis
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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.
Chlamydia Cdc Fact Sheet
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease that can be easily cured. If left untreated, chlamydia can make it difficult for a woman to get pregnant.
Basic Fact Sheet | Detailed Version
Basic fact sheets are presented in plain language for individuals with general questions about sexually transmitted diseases. The content here can be syndicated .
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When Can I Have Sex Again
If you had doxycycline, you shouldn’t have sex including vaginal, oral or anal sex, even with a condom until both you and your partner have completed treatment.
If you had azithromycin, you should wait 7 days after treatment before having sex .
This will help ensure you don’t pass on the infection or catch it again straight away.
Can Chlamydia Be Prevented
The only sure way to prevent chlamydia is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading chlamydia. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Abdomen Lower Back Or Joint Pain
Pain in your abdomen may be a sign of a chlamydial or gonorrheal infection that has progressed. Late-stage chlamydia and gonorrhea can infect the pelvis and cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease . If left untreated, PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, infertility, tubo-ovarian abscess, and/or ectopic pregnancy.
Pain in your lower back may be a sign of chlamydia, gonorrhea, or herpes prodrome. Herpes prodrome is a physical pain that typically means a herpes breakout is about to occur. The pain can be located in your lower back, thighs, butt knees, or feet. Herpes prodrome also indicates a time when youre most susceptible to spreading the virus. But even though you may not be exhibiting herpes lesions, youre still at risk of spreading the virus.
Joint Pain can mean that Hepatitis B, syphilis, or HIV have infiltrated your body and have gone untreated or may be, a symptom of gonorrhea or chlamydia. When gonorrhea or chlamydia begin to cause joint pain, its called Gonococcal Arthritis or Venereal Arthritis. This reactive arthritis occurs when gonorrhea or chlamydia go undetected and the bacteria infects one or multiple joints. If left untreated, this arthritis can lead to chronic joint pain, chronic joint inflammation, permanent joint damage, and/or deformity.
Im Pregnant How Does Chlamydia Affect My Baby
If you are pregnant and have chlamydia, you can pass the infection to your baby during delivery. This could cause an eye infection or pneumonia in your newborn. Having chlamydia may also make it more likely to deliver your baby too early.
If you are pregnant, you should get tested for chlamydia at your first prenatal visit. Testing and treatment are the best ways to prevent health problems.
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What Are Some Common Chlamydia Symptoms
Chlamydia often shows little or no symptoms. In fact, 75% of women and 50% of men with chlamydia exhibit no symptoms. The key chlamydia symptoms can appear within one week or up to three weeks after having sex with a partner with chlamydia. Even with no chlamydia symptoms, it is still possible to transmit the disease and damage the reproductive system.
There are some differences in how chlamydia presents in men vs. women. In general, the most common chlamydia symptoms in both men and women are:
- Chlamydia discharge For women, this includes abnormal discharge from the vagina that may have a strong odor and be yellowish. Men may see a cloudy or clear discharge around the tip of the penis.
- Burning sensation while urinating Also called dysuria, this symptom is common with other STDs and is a vital sign to get tested.
- Burning or itching around the vagina or penis For women, this burning or itching may also be inside the vagina, and for men, this is usually around the penial opening.
Women with chlamydia can also have painful periods, bleeding between periods, pain during sex, abdominal pain, or a fever. Men can also experience swelling or pain in either or both testicles. Chlamydia can also spread or infect the anus, causing:
- Discharge
While rare, chlamydia can infect your eyes and throat as well.
How Is Chlamydia Infection Diagnosed
Doctors have several tests they can use to screen for chlamydia. Note that screening for chlamydia in the throat isnt a part of usual STI testing.
If youve had a sore throat that doesnt seem to go away or have a partner that youve had oral sex with who tested positive for chlamydia, you might want to ask your doctor about pharyngeal chlamydia screening.
Doctors can use urine samples to diagnose chlamydia, but that doesnt help them diagnose chlamydia in the throat.
As a result, a doctor may swab your throat to test for chlamydia there. They send this swab to a laboratory, which tests the specimen for the presence of DNA from the bacteria that cause chlamydia.
This test is a little tricky because the Food and Drug Administration hasnt approved a swab test for pharyngeal chlamydia. Your throat contains a lot of bacteria, and this can make it hard to pinpoint chlamydia bacteria.
When a doctor uses a swab to test for chlamydia in the throat, its possible theyre doing so in an off-label fashion. This means the FDA hasnt specifically given the OK to use the test for pharyngeal chlamydia, but some doctors think swabs can help in detection.
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Rules For Successful Treatment
The patient should make sure that the doctor is informed if the patient is pregnant or has any allergies. These conditions influence the choice of the medicine prescribed. No matter which antibiotic the patient takes treating chlamydia the following points should be remembered:
- The treatment of all partners on the infected person is obligatory
- Abstain from sex contacts during the treatment and until the negative result on chlamydia test is received
- It is unadvisable to interrupt the course of antibiotics treatment as it will result in the necessity to start again from the beginning. Although the symptoms may disappear, the infection may still remain in the body
- It is necessary to get tested after 34 months after the end of the treatment to make sure the infection is no longer in the body.
In Men Untreated Chlamydia Can Lead To:
- Epididymitis painful inflammation of the inner structures of the testicles, which may cause reduced fertility or sterility. A rare complication of Epididymitisis reactive arthritis, which causes pain in the inflamed joints that can be disabling
- Prostatitis
- Occasionally, Reiters syndrome
- Urethritis inflammation of the urethra with a yellow discharge appearing at the tip of the penis. Untreated urethritis results in narrowing of the urethra which leads to painful urinating and can cause kidney problems
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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.
How Is Each Condition Transmitted
Both STIs are caused by bacterial infections that are transmitted through unprotected sexual contact, meaning sex without using a condom, dental dam, or another protective barrier between you and your partner during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
Its also possible to contract the infection through sexual contact that doesnt involve penetration. For example, if your genitals come into contact with the genitals of someone whos contracted the infection, its possible to develop the condition.
Both STIs can also be contracted through protected sex with a condom or other barrier if you dont use protection properly, or if the barrier breaks.
Either STI can be contracted even if you arent showing visible symptoms. Both STIs can also be transmitted to a child at birth if the mother has either condition.
Youre at increased risk for developing these and other STIs if you:
- have multiple sexual partners at one time
- dont properly use protection, such as condoms, female condoms, or dental dams
- regularly use douches which can irritate your vagina, killing healthy vaginal bacteria
- have contracted an STI before
Sexual assault can also increase your risk of both chlamydia or gonorrhea.
Both STIs can be diagnosed using similar diagnostic methods. Your doctor may use one or more of these tests to ensure that the diagnosis is accurate and that the right treatment is given:
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I Was Treated For Chlamydia When Can I Have Sex Again
You should not have sex again until you and your sex partner have completed treatment. If your doctor prescribes a single dose of medication, you should wait seven days after taking the medicine before having sex. If your doctor prescribes a medicine for you to take for seven days, you should wait until you have taken all of the doses before having sex.
How Is It Contracted
Chlamydia is transmitted primarily through sexual activity. The following are the most common ways:
- unprotected intercourse with an infected partner
- oral sex, although a less common cause of infection as bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis targets the genital area rather than the throat. Although it is possible theoretically, the cases of infestation from mouth-to-penis and penis-to-mouth contact are rare
- vagina, cervix, anus, penis or mouth contacting infected secretions or fluids which means that contraction can occur even if the penis or tongue does not enter the vagina or anus
- bacteria can travel from the vaginal area to the anus or rectum of women while wiping with toilet paper
- sharing sex toys
- from mother to the newborn during vaginal childbirth through the infected birth channel
- infection can be transferred on fingers from the genitals to other parts of the body
Chlamydia is not contracted through simple kissing, handshaking, any casual contacts, sharing baths, towels and cups as well as from toilet seats.
Chlamydia trachomatis, an obligate intracellular human pathogen, is one of four bacterial species in the genus Chlamydia. 3D illustration
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