How Does A Boy Know He Has Chlamydia

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 .

How Does A Girl Know She Has It

It can be difficult for a girl to know whether she has chlamydia because most girls dont have any symptoms. Because of this, its very important to see a doctor at least once a year if you are sexually active. Your doctor can tell you about how to test for chlamydia, even if you dont have any symptoms.

Much less often, symptoms are present and may cause an unusual vaginal discharge or pain during urination. Some girls with chlamydia also have pain in their lower abdomens, pain during sexual intercourse, or bleeding between menstrual periods. Sometimes a chlamydia infection can cause a mild fever, muscle aches, or headache.

How Is Chlamydia Spread

You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has chlamydia.

If your sex partner is male you can still get chlamydia even if he does not ejaculate .

If youve had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can still get infected again. This can happen if you have unprotected sex with someone who has chlamydia.

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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.

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.

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Does Discharge In Men Mean They Are Infected

Thepresence of watery, cloudy, or white discharge is the main concern for many menand is often the primary sign of chlamydia. However, if a man has a discharge,it doesnt mean he is infected with chlamydia. There are other infections thatcause the same symptoms as:

• genitalherpes
• urinarytract infection
• ureaplasma

Becauseof how misleading discharge can be, its important to get tested to make surethe sign is not caused by anything else other than chlamydia.

How Do You Treat Chlamydia In Men

If you test positive, the chlamydia treatment youll be prescribed is an antibiotic called doxycycline, or an alternative one if youre allergic to this. Its very important that you contact all previous partners and make them aware that they, too, may have contracted chlamydia. If youve been diagnosed with chlamydia, you can order your treatment online from our discreet service and have it delivered.

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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

When To Seek Medical Advice

If you have any symptoms of chlamydia, visit your GP, community contraceptive service or local genitourinary medicine clinic as soon as possible.

Find a sexual health clinic.

You should also get tested if you don’t have any symptoms but are concerned you could have a sexually transmitted infection .

If you’re a woman, sexually active and under 25 in England, it’s recommended that you have a chlamydia test once a year, and when you have sex with new or casual partners.

If you’re a man, sexually active and under 25 in England, it’s recommended that you have a chlamydia test once a year if you are not using condoms with new or casual partners.

Read more about chlamydia diagnosis.

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What Are The Symptoms

Often people with chlamydia will have no symptoms and will not know that they have the infection.

A chlamydia infection in the rectum may cause discharge from the anus, rectal pain, mucous with stools, painful bowel movements and redness in the anal area.

For men, symptoms can include:

• Clear or mucous-like fluid from the penis
• Pain or a burning feeling when urinating
• Itching or irritation in the urethra the tube that urine passes through

For women, symptoms can include:

• Change in amount and/or colour of fluid from the vagina
• Pain or a burning feeling when urinating
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding or spotting between periods or after sexual intercourse
• Pain in the lower abdomen
• Pain during vaginal sex

Chlamydia infection may occur in the throat but does not usually cause symptoms.

Symptoms may appear 2 to 3 weeks after exposure to the bacteria. Sometimes it can take as long as 6 weeks for the symptoms to appear, if at all.

How Can I Prevent Spreading Chlamydia

If you think you have chlamydia, the first thing you need to do is stop having sexual intercourse and get tested and treated. Ask your health care provider if you can get a prescription for your partner , or find out if your partner can be seen by a health care provider to get treated. Youll need to let all current and past sexual partners know that you have chlamydia . You may find this hard to do, but its very important so that those infected can get treated before more serious health problems occur.

You can let your sexual partner know in a couple of different ways:

• You can tell them face to face, over the phone, or via a text message.
• You can use an anonymous notification application, such as: an email from a reliable website such as bedsider.org. This website will send a confidential email card to your partner for free. Another website, inspot.org will send an anonymous text to your partner.

Research has shown that notifying your partner in real time or face to face is the best way to get your partner treated.

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What Are The Potential Complications

If treated in time, chlamydia causes no lasting concerns. Untreated chlamydia can lead to complications as the infection spreads to other areas of the body.

Untreated chlamydia may cause sexually-acquired reactive arthritis, which includes skin, eye and joint problems. It is also associated with a higher chance of getting HIV.

In women, complications may include difficulty getting pregnant, ectopic or tubal pregnancy or pelvic inflammatory disease . See HealthLinkBC File #08c Pelvic Inflammatory Disease for more information.

In men, complications may include an infection in the testicles, which can lead to infertility.

How Long Does It Take Zithromax To Cure Chlamydia

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It is very important to get your partner tested to make sure they dont have anything to past it back to you. Then you will have to start treatment all over again.

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How Can I Find Out If My Boyfriend Has An Std Before We Have Sex

My boyfriend has already had sex and oral sex with multiple partners. I think we’re ready to have sex, but I’m nervous that I will get pregnant or get an STD. How can I prevent these? Also how can I tell if he has an STD without asking him? Sophie*

You’re right to consider these possibilities. Having sex is a huge decision, and an STD or unplanned pregnancy can change your life.

Condoms are the best way to prevent pregnancy and STDs, so be sure to use a condom every time you have sex . Like most things in life, though, condoms aren’t 100% guaranteed. That’s why you need to talk to your boyfriend about your concerns before you have sex.

Your boyfriend has been honest about his past sexual partners, and that’s a sign he’ll be open to talking about STDs. Try to work up the courage to talk. You can start by asking your boyfriend if he’s ever worried about STDs and if he’s been tested.

Its important for people to get checked anytime they have a new partner. Lots of people have this conversation with their partners. Still, it’s normal to be nervous when you first start talking. If your boyfriend cares, he’ll want to help you feel comfortable in your relationship. Most people admire partners who respect themselves enough to protect their own health, even if it means asking tough questions.

*Names have been changed to protect user privacy.

Who Should Get Tested For Chlamydia

Pregnant women should be screened for chlamydia according to the above guidelines, with a second test during the third trimester of pregnancy. If a pregnant woman tests positive for chlamydia, she should be tested again three to four weeks after treatment to ensure that it was effective, plus once more within three months.

Men who have sex with men should also get screened for chlamydia yearly, with any potential areas of contact urethra, rectum, or throat included in these tests, regardless of whether condoms were used. Men in this group with multiple sex partners, or whose partner has multiple partners, should get tested every three to six months instead.

The CDC recommends screening all men for chlamydia at certain high-risk facilities, such as prisons and jails and STD clinics.

People with HIV should be tested for chlamydia at their first HIV evaluation, and at least once a year after that if theyre sexually active, depending on their sexual practices.

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How Can I Know If I Have Chlamydia

If you think you have chlamydia, or any STI, contact your healthcare provider. He or she will examine you and perform tests, if necessary, to determine if you have an STI.

To check for chlamydia, a woman is given a pelvic exam. A sample of fluid is taken from the vagina. In men, a sample of fluid may be taken from the penis. The fluid is sent to a laboratory for testing. The cultures can also be taken from a urine test. Your provider will discuss which way is the best way to check for an infection in your particular situation.

Chlamydia Symptoms In Women

In cases of chlamydia where symptoms occur, women may have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Pain or a burning sensation while urinating
• Abnormal vaginal discharge that may be watery or milky
• Painful discharge or bleeding from the anus
• Inflamed eyelids

Advanced chlamydia may cause additional symptoms in women. The following symptoms indicate that chlamydia infection has spread to the fallopian tubes:

• Pain during sex
• Nausea or fever

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Chlamydia Symptoms All Women Should Know

Chlamydia, an STI caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, is most prevalent in women under 25, but any sexually active person is at risk. Its actually really common in both men and women, and can be spread via vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Unfortunately, chlamydia symptoms can be easy to miss.

The STI is sometimes called a silent infection, meaning that most people dont experience symptoms, according to the CDC. This is especially problematic for women. If chlamydia is left untreated, it can spread to the uterus and fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease. Both PID and untreated chlamydia can cause permanent scarring in the reproductive organs, blocking sperm and eggs from meeting and leading to infertility. In fact, about 25 percent of infertility cases are due to obstructed fallopian tubes, Meike L. Uhler, M.D., a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist at the Fertility Centers of Illinois, tells SELF. In some cases, this can be fixed surgically. In others, it cannot be reversed.

Pregnant women with chlamydia are more likely to deliver prematurely, and can pass the infection to their babies, causing eye infection or pneumonia.

Lots of things can change how your discharge looks, smells, and feels. A smelly, yellow-green color can be an indication of an infection like chlamydia.

Especially if the infection has been left untreated for a while and has caused PID, you may experience lower abdominal pain.

The Health Risks Of Chlamydia

For up to 40 percent of infected women, untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease . PID effects include abdominal pain, fever, internal abscesses and long-lasting pelvic pain effects also include scarring of the fallopian tubes, which can cause infertility and increase the chance of potentially life-threatening ectopic or tubal pregnancies.

Men can develop scarring of the urethra, making urination difficult and occasionally causing infertility. Although rare, both sexes are at risk of a type of arthritis known as Reiter’s Syndrome that causes inflammation and swelling of the joints.

If a pregnant woman has chlamydia, her baby may be born prematurely, have eye infections or develop pneumonia.

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Will My Birth Control Work If I Am Taking Antibiotics

There is very little evidence to show that antibiotics make hormonal forms of birth control not work very well. Examples of hormonal birth control include the pill, the patch, the ring or the shot. If you are being treated with antibiotics, it is important to keep using your birth control as you normally would. If you have concerns, use condoms until your next period comes after completing the antibiotics, or speak to your health care provider for more information.

Do I Need To Get Tested For Chlamydia

• If you are 24 or younger and have sex, you need to get tested for chlamydia. Chlamydia is most common in women between 15 and 24 years old. You need to get tested if you have had any symptoms of chlamydia since your last negative test result or if your sex partner has chlamydia.
• If you are older than 24, you need to get tested if, in the past year or since your last test, you:
• Had a new sex partner
• Had your sex partner tell you they have chlamydia
• Traded sex for money or drugs
• Have had chlamydia or another STI in the past
• Did not use condoms during sex and are in a relationship that is not monogamous, meaning you or your partner has sex with other people

You also need to be tested if you are pregnant or if you have any symptoms of chlamydia.

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He’s Always Available For You

It’s important to notice if he always makes himself available for you and tends to jump at the chance to spend more time with you. For example, he’ll choose hanging out with you over other happenings in his life and will always offer to help you out if you need anything. While he may not directly ask you out since that’s too obvious, he’ll still find ways to come meet up with you, see you, and spend time with you on your terms.

He Finds Reasons To Talk To You

When a guy likes you but is hiding it, he’ll find reasons and excuses to talk to you. That way, he can use these instances as opportunities to get to know you better, but they’re under the guise of him trying to get other information about a different topic. For example, he may seek you out to answer questions for him about directions, movie recommendations, and even the time, just because he wants to be able to break the ice and talk to you and see where the conversation may lead.

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Is There A Cure For Chlamydia

Yes. Chlamydia is easy to treat and cure, but remember that just because youve had it once doesnt mean you cant get infected again. Its important that you get treated early so that more serious health problems dont occur.

Your health care provider will either give you a single dose of medicine to take in the office before you leave or a prescription to fill that you will need to take 2 times a day, for 7 days. Your health care provider will decide which medicine is right for you. Remember to take ALL of the medicine as prescribed, even if the symptoms go away.

Its important for your sexual contact to be treated as well. This can help prevent you from re-infecting one another.

You should be re-tested for chlamydia in 3 months.