How Can One Person Have Chlamydia And The Other Not

How Did I Get Chlamydia If I Didnt Cheat

A note from Cleveland Clinic

It can be embarrassing to talk about anything sex-related with your healthcare provider, including STI prevention. But your sex life is an important part of your health that your provider needs to know about to care for you. Not getting the treatment you need for chlamydia can pose serious risks to your health. Speak with your provider about getting regularly screened for chlamydia and other STIs to reduce your risks of complications. Practice safer sex to prevent the spread of chlamydia.

How Often Should I Get Checked For Chlamydia

Sexual health check-ups are recommended for anyone who is sexually active. Frequency of testing also depends on your STI risk:

• An annual sexual health check-up is highly recommended if you are sexually active especially if you are under 25.
• Get checked more often during the year if you frequently change sexual partners.
• Remember, you are at greater risk if you have sex without a condom with 1 or multiple sexual partners.

Can You Have Chlamydia And Not Show Symptoms

Its not uncommon for the chlamydia bacteria to lie dormant for years and produce a low-grade infection. During that time, you may not have any symptoms for months, or they can be absent forever.

Around 75% of women and 50% of men with chlamydia report having no symptoms. For that reason, its best not to assume that if you or your partner has chlamydia that it means one of you was unfaithful. You could be in a loving, mutually monogamous relationship and be unaware that you have chlamydia.

Read Also: How Long Does It Take For Chlamydia To Develop

How Chlamydia Is Treated

Chlamydia can usually be treated easily with antibiotics.

You may be given a course of doxycycline to take for a week or azithromycin to take once a day for 3 days.

If you have doxycycline, you should not have sex until you and your current sexual partner have finished treatment.

If you have azithromycin, you should wait 7 days after treatment before having sex .

It’s important that your current sexual partner and any other recent sexual partners you have had are also tested and treated to help stop the spread of the infection.

Under-25s who have chlamydia should be offered another test 3 to 6 months after being treated.

This is because young adults who test positive for chlamydia are at increased risk of catching it again.

Sexual health or genitourinary medicine clinics can help you contact your sexual partners.

Either you or the clinic can speak to them, or they can be sent a note advising them to get tested.

The note will not have your name on it, so your confidentiality will be protected.

Why Did My Partner Test Negative For Chlamydia

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.

Also Check: What Is The Main Cause Of Chlamydia

How To Talk About It With A Partner

Its best to have this conversation before sex has happened, or is right about to happen, says Duran.

Why? Because it gives everyone involved time to get tested and get their results back, and time to process any information they may have just learned about a partners STI status.

That said, an STI conversation at some point is better than no STI conversation at all.

Its best to talk to a partner about STI status while also talking about your own status, he says.

If youre just asking your partner a ton of questions about their status without bringing up your own, it can feel accusatory. Fair point.

Here are some ways you might bring it up:

• Hey, I know that weve been having sex without barriers, but until we both get STI tested to learn about our current STI status, Id like to start using barriers. Are you open to getting tested?
• Before we meet up later, I want to be transparent about the fact that I havent been tested since my last partner. Do you know your current STI status?
• I just wanted to let you know that I made an appointment for next week to get my annual STI exam. Id love to ask you to get tested, too. Is that something youd be open to?

Duran adds that if you havent yet had sex with someone but youre planning to, another option is to ask them what their preferred dental dam brand or condom is.

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:

• 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 .

Read Also: How Can You Check For Chlamydia

Hiv Prevention : : Test Positive First Then Negative Confusing

Im still freaked out and stressed even had a sleepless night,yesterday I went for an hiv test,1st test came back positive,they ran another test thats called 1st respond to hiv it came back negative,the nurse said we should re-do the tests again,they where done both of them again and they came back negative,Im on separation for almost 7months now and breast feeding my partner came to visit me for a night a month ago,we had an unprotected sex,he even told me not to worry about anything,what you think I should do, Stressed and confused

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Will I Have To Pay For The Test Out Of Pocket

Youll have to check with your insurance network to see whether at-home STI tests are covered.

Insurance does typically cover them, but sites like Everlywell recommend verifying the purchase with your insurance.

Additionally, some networks may reimburse you for your purchase.

However, most at-home testing sites arent currently partnered with any insurance companies, which means youll have to reach out yourself.

If you dont have insurance, youll likely have to pay for the test out of pocket. Some sites like Priority STD dont accept insurance, so its a flat rate of $99 regardless of your coverage.

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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.

When And How To Test Again

Gersh recommends that people get tested once a year, or after every new partner whichever comes first!

Its also good practice to get site-specific STI tests before engaging in sex acts that incorporate a new part of the body.

To get tested, find an STI clinic that tests for all the STIs youre interested in getting tested for.

If you dont know which STIs you want to get tested for and are looking for a doctor to breakdown what STIs youre most at risk for given what sex acts are part of your sex life, its best to go to a clinic that *doesnt* specify one or two or three STIs in their online marketing.

Some clinics, for example, only test for HIV or only test for gonorrhea and chlamydia.

Also Check: Chlamydia Gonorrhea Home Test Kit

How To Know If You Have Chlamydia

Chlamydia is incredibly difficult to diagnose due to its symptomless nature for 70% of women and 50% of men. The only certain way to know that you have chlamydia is to get tested. If you do have symptoms then you will still need to be tested to effectively diagnose that the symptoms are caused by chlamydia. If youre sexually active, you should get tested regularly whether you have symptoms or not.

Also Check: How Do They Test Men For Chlamydia

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.

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Letting Partners Know You Have Chlamydia

Sexual partners may be infected too. If you have chlamydia, anyone you have had sex with from the last 6 months needs to be informed, tested and treated.

If they dont know, they could reinfect you or infect someone else if they are not treated. dont receive treatment.

Most people will appreciate being told they may have an infection and it is an important step in preventing further infection in the community.

Your local GP and sexual health centre can help you inform your partners and let them know that they need a test. This process is called partner notification. It can be done anonymously, and your confidentiality is always respected.

You can also anonymously notify your sexual partners of the need to get tested and treated for chlamydia via the Let Them Know website if you feel unable to speak to them personally.

There are also nurses who can help you anonymously notify your partners. They can be contacted on .

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Chlamydia Is Only Contagious From Person To Person

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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How Can You Protect Yourself From Hiv And Stds

• Avoid or put off having sex. If you do have sex, use a male latex or female condom every time.
• Latex male condoms and female condoms, when used the right way every time, are very effective in preventing HIV and many other STDs. Condoms may prevent the spread of other STDs like HPV or genital herpes, only when the condom covers the infected areas or sores.
• Talk with your partner about HIV and STDs.
• Dont share drug works
• Get STD and HIV counseling and testing.

To find out if you might have an STD, visit your doctor or clinic as soon as you can.

Ways You Can Catch An Sti Without Having Sex

All STIs and STDs are passed sexually, right? Wrong. In addition to transmission through sexual intercourse, there are other ways in which infections can be passed which you should be aware of. Whether an STI is passed sexually or non-sexually, it will have the same consequences if left untreated.

Maybe youre aware that sexually transmitted infections can be passed in varying ways, or maybe this is new to you. Either way, its worth reading up on other ways in which STIs can be transmitted. The more clued up you are about how infections can be contracted, the easier it is to know how to take care of your sexual health and keep yourself safe.

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What Other Problems Can Chlamydia Cause

In women, an untreated infection can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease . PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive system. This can lead to long-term pelvic pain, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. Women who have had chlamydia infections more than once are at higher risk of serious reproductive health complications.

Men often dont have health problems from chlamydia. Sometimes it can infect the epididymis . This can cause pain, fever, and, rarely, infertility.

Both men and women can develop reactive arthritis because of a chlamydia infection. Reactive arthritis is a type of arthritis that happens as a reaction to an infection in the body.

Babies born to infected mothers can get eye infections and pneumonia from chlamydia. It may also make it more likely for your baby to be born too early.

Untreated chlamydia may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV/AIDS.

Recommended Reading: How Does One Contract Chlamydia

How Do I Know If I Have Chlamydia

Chlamydia often has no symptoms, but it can cause serious health problems, even without symptoms. If symptoms occur, they may not appear until several weeks after having sex with a partner who has chlamydia.

Even when chlamydia has no symptoms, it can damage a womans reproductive system. Women with symptoms may notice

• An abnormal vaginal discharge and
• A burning sensation when peeing.

Symptoms in men can include

• A burning sensation when peeing and
• Pain and swelling in one or both testicles .

See a healthcare provider if you notice any of these symptoms. You should also see a provider if your partner has an STD or symptoms of one. Symptoms can include

• An unusual sore

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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?

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.

Infants infected with chlamydia may develop conjunctivitis and/or pneumonia. Chlamydial infection in infants can be treated with antibiotics.

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What Puts You At Risk For Stds And Hiv

Youre at risk if you:

• Have sex without using a condom, with someone who is infected.
• Have had an STD.
• Have more than one sex partner.
• Are under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

• Many women have STDs without having symptoms. This means that unless she gets tested, she may have an STD and not know it.

If you are a woman, take charge of your sexual health. Be sure to schedule pelvic exams and pap smears every year. Get tested and learn how to protect yourself from STDs and HIV.

How Can One Partner Get Chlamydia And The Other Partner Does Not Can Chlamydia Lay Dormant In The Body

Actually there are two explanation for this.

One is that the person with the Positive chlamydia test had a false paositive test

and the other reason is that the person with a negative test – their test was done possibly incorrectly

And, if a true chlamydia – then you were just re-infected with chlamydia –

these are really the only reasons

the DNA NAAT test used for chlamydia and gonorrhea is actually very accurate

so usually a Positive test with this DNA testing is very accurate – but you can MISS collecting chlamydia too if the test swab was not done correctly

how would someone know if they recieved a false positive without re-testing?

thee is no way other than re-testing

but if a NAAT DNA test was used, then honestly it was a positive test – these tests are extremely accurate

and usually a negative test is because the test swab was not done correctly

how would anyone know/why would anyone doubt there results when most doctors tell you that the test is acurate?

what is the acurracy for NAAT DNA testing? what type of test is this?

Well you can ask which test was done – that is why I talked about the NAAT DNA test – if this was the test that was done – this test is accurate 99.99% of the time

what are the percentages in regards ***** ***** and urine?

can chlamydia lay dormant?

A woman’s results are more accurate because they get the swab result directly from the cervix.

what are the percentages in regards ***** ***** and urine?

and honestly too many to account for.

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