How Do You Catch Chlamydia
- Through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex with someone who has the infection
- Infected semen or vaginal fluids getting into your eyes
- Sharing sex toys that have not been washed or covered with a new condom every time they are used
- Your genitals touching someone elses genitals even if there is no penetration, orgasm or ejaculation
Pregnant women can also pass the infection to their baby during childbirth, which means that their baby could develop an eye infection such as conjunctivitis or a lung infection like pneumonia.
Recommended Reading: I Got Treated For Chlamydia
Condoms And Dental Dams
Most STI can be prevented by using a condom or dental dam during vaginal, anal or oral sex. You can buy condoms or dental dams at drug stores or health clinics without a prescription. The use of pre-lubricated condoms or added personal lubricants can help prevent the risk of a condom breaking.
Other things to think about:
- Check the expiry date on a condom before using one and make sure the packaging and the condom itself don’t have any holes or tears.
- Never use a condom more than once, and don’t use 2 condoms at the same time as that can cause breakage.
- It’s recommended to use lubricants with condoms, but be sure to use the right type. Vaseline and other oil-based lubricants destroy latex.
How Does A Doctor Treat Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis is easily curable with antibiotics, such as metronidazole or tinidazole. These antibiotics usually come in a pill form that you can swallow in a single dose.
During antibiotic treatment
- Take all the medicine prescribed even if your symptoms go away. You need to finish all the antibiotics to avoid antimicrobial resistance.
- Sexual partners must also be treated.
- Only initiate sexual activity at least seven days after completing the course of antibiotics.
You May Like: What Cures Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
Recommended Reading: How To Tell If You Have A Uti Or Chlamydia
When Should I See My Healthcare Provider
When it comes to chlamydia, its a good idea to be proactive. Speak with your healthcare provider about your risks of infection. Make a plan to get screened regularly for STIs based on your providers recommendations for how often you should be tested. Make an appointment with your healthcare provider if your partner tests positive for chlamydia or if you notice any signs or symptoms that you may be infected.
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
Recommended Reading: How To Get Prescription For 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.
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.
You May Like: How Long Does It Take For Chlamydia To Appear
What Are Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sexually transmitted diseases , or sexually transmitted infections , are infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. The contact is usually vaginal, oral, or anal sex. But sometimes they can spread through other intimate physical contact. This is because some STDs, like herpes and HPV, are spread by skin-to-skin contact.
There are more than 20 types of STDs, including:
STDs can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
What Should I Think About And Do Before I Have Sex
- Talk about safer sex and STI testing with your partner.
- If you or your partner could get pregnant but aren’t ready to be parents:
- talk about contraception with your partner
- use a tool like It’s a plan to find out the best contraception for you and make an appointment with your health care provider
Text box 6
Hepatitis B and HPV can be prevented by a vaccine.
Also Check: Can You Buy A Chlamydia Test Over The Counter
What Should You Do If Your Partner Has Chlamydia
Like other STIs, untreated chlamydia can result in complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. For this reason, early detection and prompt treatment of chlamydia are paramount to ensuring sexual health. And while infidelity is an understandable concern, a chlamydia infection does not necessarily guarantee that your partner cheated.
If your partner should have a positive chlamydia test, youll want to consider chlamydia testing and treatment as well. Until treatment is completed, the CDC stresses the importance of abstaining from sexual activity. This will ensure that both of you are thoroughly treated for the bacterial infection, eliminating the risk of re-infection.
At the end of the day, the relationship between chlamydia and cheating is largely due to STIs stigma. While chlamydia is only spread through sexual contact, other factors such as lack of symptoms and incubation time, suggest that you can get chlamydia without cheating.
Read Also: Prescription For Chlamydia And Gonorrhea
Who To Test For Chlamydia
Anyone with the following genital symptoms should not have sex until they see a healthcare provider:
- A discharge
- A burning sensation when peeing
- Unusual sores, or a rash
Anyone having oral, anal, or vaginal sex with a partner recently diagnosed with an STD should see a healthcare provider.
Because chlamydia usually has no symptoms, screening is necessary to identify most infections. Screening programs can reduce rates of adverse sequelae in women.31,41 CDC recommends yearly chlamydia screening of all sexually active women younger than 25. CDC also recommends screening for older women with risk factors, such as new or multiple partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted infection.40 Screen and treat those who are pregnant as noted in How does chlamydia affect a pregnant person and their baby? Women who are sexually active should discuss their risk factors with a healthcare provider to determine if more frequent screening is necessary.
Routine screening is not necessary for men. However, consider screening sexually active young men in clinical settings with a high prevalence of chlamydia. This can include adolescent clinics, correctional facilities, and STD clinics. Consider this when resources permit and do not hinder screening efforts in women.40
You May Like: What Are Symptoms Of Chlamydia In Males
How Long Does It Take To Show Up In The Throat
Symptoms of chlamydia in your throat are typically caused by having oral sex with someone whos contracted the infection.
Its much less common to notice throat symptoms, but they may still appear after a week or so, up to a few months or longer.
STI tests that look for chlamydia arent always done on the throat since its an area that does not carry the infection often. Ask your doctor for a throat swab or other chlamydia test if you think youve been exposed through oral sex.
Here are the most common symptoms of chlamydia in both people with penises and people with vulvas.
How Is Chlamydia Diagnosed
Diagnose chlamydia with nucleic acid amplification tests , cell culture, and other types of tests. NAATs are the most sensitive tests to use on easy-to-obtain specimens. This includes vaginal swabs or urine.43
To diagnose genital chlamydia in women using a NAAT, vaginal swabs are the optimal specimen. Urine is the specimen of choice for men. Urine is an effective alternative specimen type for women.43 Self-collected vaginal swab specimens perform as well as other approved specimens using NAATs.44 Patients may prefer self-collected vaginal swabs or urine-based screening to more invasive specimen collection.45 Adolescent girls may be good candidates for self-collected vaginal swab- or urine-based screening.
Diagnose rectal or pharyngeal infection by testing at the anatomic exposure site. While useful for these specimens, culture is not widely available. Additionally, NAATs have better sensitivity and specificity compared with culture for detecting C. trachomatis at non-genital sites.46-48 Most tests, including NAATs, are not FDA-cleared for use with rectal or pharyngeal swab specimens. NAATs have better sensitivity and specificity compared with culture for the detection of C. trachomatis at rectal sites.46-48 However, some laboratories have met set requirements and have validated NAAT testing on rectal and pharyngeal swab specimens.
Recommended Reading: How Can You Tell If Someone Has Chlamydia
Does One Sti Increase The Risk Of Getting Others
Strictly speaking, the only STI which increases the risk of getting others is HIV. This is because HIV can affect the bodys ability to fight infection through the development of AIDS. AIDS affects the immune system and reduces the bodys defence against a variety of infections, including those which are sexually transmitted.
Also, risky sexual behaviour such as frequently changing partners or having sex without a condom, can expose you to several different STIs. So people who require testing are usually screened for several different STIs, in case they have picked up more than one.
Recommended Reading: How Do Men Know If They Have Chlamydia
Am I At Risk For Chlamydia
Sexually active people can get chlamydia through vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom with a partner who has chlamydia.
Sexually active young people are at a higher risk of getting chlamydia. This is due to behaviors and biological factors common among young people. Gay and bisexual men are also at risk since chlamydia can spread through oral and anal sex.
If you are sexually active, have an honest and open talk with your healthcare provider. Ask them if you should get tested for chlamydia or other STDs. Gay or bisexual men and pregnant people should also get tested for chlamydia. If you are a sexually active woman, you should get tested for chlamydia every year if you are:
- Younger than 25 years old.
- 25 years and older with risk factors, such as new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted infection.
Recommended Reading: Will 1000mg Of Azithromycin Cure Chlamydia
Im In A Monogamous Relationship Am I Protected From Stis
No. A monogamous relationship wonât automatically protect you from STIs . Anyone can get a sexually transmitted infection, sometimes even without noticeable symptoms. Although some STIs produce discharge or other visible signs, itâs not always possible to tell by looking at someone if they have an STI. To be protected from STIs, get yourself and your partner screened for STIs before engaging in any sexual contact, and practice safer sex by always using condoms, dams or gloves.
Oral Transmission Of Chlamydia
Oral chlamydia is relatively rare, but it can occur if the bacteria come into contact with the mucous membranes in the mouth. This can happen through kissing, sharing sex toys, or contact with infected body fluids. The oral transmission of chlamydia was further evaluated in a case-control study conducted on men attending an STD clinic between 2011 to 2013. The study aimed to assess the ratio of cases of Urethritis that were developed after oral sex. The collected data showed 27.5% of the men to have gonococcal Urethritis, 31.4 % to have Chlamydial Urethritis, and 36.9% to have non-chlamydia Urethritis after urethral exposure to their oropharynx. The study concluded by stating the oral route, including the pharynx, to be an important transmission route for chlamydia and other pathogens.
Although it was previously proposed that oral activities like dry kissing, wet kissing, and oral penile sex without ejaculation may also lead to the transmission of chlamydia, recent studies have found this to be untrue. This was seen in a study conducted on HIV-negative homosexual men living in Sydney, Australia. The results showed a higher proportion of the reported infections to be caused by oral sex involving ejaculation while finding no association of infection transmission with practices like kissing and oral sex without ejaculation.
Recommended Reading: How To Treat Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
Can You Get Hiv From A Tattoo Or Body Piercing
Yes. There can be a risk for HIV or another blood-borne infection if the instruments used for piercing or tattooing either are not sterilized or disinfected between clients. Any instrument used to pierce or cut the skin should be used once and then disposed of safely. If youâre thinking to get tattooed or pierced, ask the staff to show you the precautions that they use. If youâve have any doubts about the cleanliness of their tools, go elsewhere.
Read Also: Cpt Code For Chlamydia Urine Test
What Other Sexual Activities Can Transmit An Sti
To be very clear, STIs arent weeds: They dont simply sprout up out of nowhere.
For an STI to be transmitted, someone must be doing the transmitting. And for someone to do the transmitting, they must be STI-positive.
According to Gersh, depending on what the STI is and where its located, an STI could be transmitted during any sexual activity that involves the following:
- the mouth, lips, throat, or saliva
- blood or breast milk
- vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculation , semen, or anal secretions
- the internal anal canal, anal entrance, or perineum
- the vaginal canal, vulva, penis, or testicles
That means that, in theory, an STI can be transmitted during any of the following sex acts:
However, most of the fearmongering around nonsexual STI transmissions for instance, that you can get an STI from a toilet seat, hot tub, or public pool is *not* based in science under most conditions.
STIs generally cannot exist outside the homeyness of the bodys mucosal membranes for very long. And all the chemicals in pools and hot tubs kill off any infectious agents.
Also Check: Someone I Slept With Has Chlamydia
Testing Before The Incubation Period
Every STD test has an advised date from which a test becomes accurate. This is because the bacteria needs enough time to multiply within your body in order for it to reach a detectable level when taking a chlamydia test. For chlamydia this is often 14 days. If you test before that 14 days is over, you may test negative, but you could still pass the bacteria on following your test.
How Did I Get Chlamydia If I Didnt 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: How Do They Do Chlamydia Tests
How To Help Partners Get Treatment
If you are not sure whether your sexual partner will seek treatment, ask your doctor for extra chlamydia medication . You can give it to them so they can be treated as soon as possible.
This is known as patient delivered partner therapy for chlamydia. Talk to your doctor to see if PDPT is right for you and your sexual partner.
Are There Complications Of Chlamydia
Chlamydia can cause serious complications if it isnt treated promptly and properly.
Untreated chlamydia can trigger arthritis, skin rashes, and inflammation in the eye or rectum.
For women, chlamydia can spread into the uterus and the fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease . This can cause problems with pregnancy, such as ectopic pregnancy. Women with untreated chlamydia have up to a 1 in 12 chance of becoming infertile. In men, chlamydia can spread to the testicles and the tubes that carry sperm, causing pain and fertility problems.
Pregnant women who are infected with chlamydia have a higher chance of miscarriage or premature birth. Their babies may also get an eye or lung infection. You can read more about chlamydia and pregnancy here.
Also Check: Store Bought Antibiotics For Chlamydia
Take The Downtown Express
Many people dont consider oral sex to be real sex because it doesnt involve nether-region-to-nether-region contact or penetration. However you classify it, oral sex can transmit diseases if the penis, vagina, or anus involved are infected. The secretions, sores, and broken skin that are common to genital herpes, most commonly caused by herpes simplex virus 2, are all very likely to spread the disease during oral sex. Chlamydia, in rare cases, can infect your throat during oral sex. Diseases like herpes and HPV cant be prevented by condoms.
What Is Consent And What Is Sexual Assault
Consent is when you and your partner feel informed and freely agree to participate in any sexual activity. Your body is yours alone and only you can give your consent.
If one of you is drunk, on drugs, or feels forced, consent has not actually been given. And even if you originally said “yes”, you can still change your mind. Saying “no” at any time still means “no.” Any type of sexual activity without your consent or your partner’s consent is sexual assault.
You may feel pressured to have sex
Pressure to engage in sexual activity can come from many sources, including someone you know well, such as a classmate, friend or partner, someone who has been bullying you , or someone you have chatted with or ‘met’ on a dating site or hookup app.
Sexting is considered a risky sexual activity, even though it isn’t physical and won’t cause an STI. Sexting usually involves sending sexually explicit pictures and/or texts online. Once those images or words are sent, you have no control over whether or not they will be shared with other people.
Text box 5
Visit Sex & U for more information on consent, sexual assault and online safety.
If you think you’ve been sexually assaulted, it’s not your fault. Don’t hesitate to seek help. Find a sexual assault crisis centre near you.
Don’t Miss: What Is Used To Treat Gonorrhea And Chlamydia