How Long Do You Take Chlamydia Antibiotics

How Long Does Azithromycin Take To Cure Chlamydia

confusedgirl1over a year ago

A poster calling themselves confused girl was diagnosed with the sexually-transmitted infection Chlamydia and subsequently prescribed the antibiotic Azithromycin. She reported that her symptoms itching and pain while urinating had subsided but not entirely disappeared since she started taking the antibiotic, and she wanted to know how long it would take for her infection to clear up. Interestingly, she didnt mention whether she had completed her course of antibiotics, nor whether she had been back to see her doctor for a follow-up appointment.

Chlamydia being among the most common sexually-transmitted diseases, this poster wasnt alone by any stretch of the imagination. It is notable, however, that she reported symptoms, since the infection usually doesnt have any unless it is left untreated.

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What Happens If You Leave Chlamydia Untreated For 6 Months

Chronic pain and infertility can be caused by pelvic inflammatory disease, which can be caused by chlamydia. Men can experience pain and swelling in their testicles if they are not treated for chlamydia. There is a single dose of antibiotics that can be used to treat chlamydia if it is detected early.

Why Do You Have To Wait 3 Months To Retest For Chlamydia

In fact, women who become reinfected with chlamydia have an even higher risk for PID and ectopic pregnancy than those with a first infection. Due to these risks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that any person who tests positive for chlamydia be retested three months after treatment.

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Home Remedies For Chlamydia Symptoms

You may still experience painful or uncomfortable symptoms while youre taking chlamydia antibiotics.

Here are some home remedies for reducing your pain and other symptoms while youre waiting for the antibiotics to work:

• pain medications, such as ibuprofen to reduce pain
• cold pack to help limit swelling and inflammation
• goldenseal to reduce inflammation and potentially make symptoms less severe
• echinacea to bolster your immune system against the infection and reduce your symptoms
• turmeric containing an ingredient called curcumin to reduce inflammation and make symptoms less severe

No studies support the effectiveness of these supplements specifically for chlamydia, so take them with caution.

And theres no substitute for antibiotics when treating chlamydia. Only try these remedies if youre already taking antibiotics or if you plan to go to the doctor.

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This article is not medical advice. It is intended for general informational purposes and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your physician or dial 911.

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How Accurate Are The Tests

The accuracy of a chlamydia test depends on the kind of test used and the type of sample thats collected. The recommended tests are over 95% accurate in picking up chlamydia. As no test is 100% accurate theres a small chance that the test will give a negative result when you do have chlamydia. This is known as a false negative result. This can sometimes explain why you might get a different result from another test or why you and a partner might get a different test result.

Its possible for the test to be positive if you havent got chlamydia, but this is rare.

What Does A Chlamydia Test Involve

• If you have a vulva, you may be asked to take a swab around the inside of your vagina yourself.
• A doctor or nurse may take a swab during an internal examination of your vagina and cervix .
• You may be asked to provide a urine sample. Before having this test, youre advised not to pass urine for 12 hours.
• A doctor or nurse may take a swab from the entrance of the urethra .
• If youve had anal or oral sex, a doctor or nurse may swab your rectum or throat . These swabs arent done routinely on everyone.
• If you have symptoms of conjunctivitis swabs will be used to collect a sample of discharge from your eye.

A swab looks a bit like a cotton bud but is smaller and rounded. It sometimes has a small plastic loop on the end rather than a cotton tip. Its wiped over the parts of the body that could be infected. This only takes a few seconds and isnt painful, though it may be uncomfortable for a moment.

Cervical screening and routine blood tests dont detect chlamydia.

If youre not sure whether youve been tested for chlamydia, just ask.

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Does Chlamydia Go Away On Its Own

It is highly unlikely that Chlamydia will go away on its own without treatment, which is why it is so important to be tested regularly and be treated swiftly if positive. Whilst it has been known for some infected with Chlamydia to recover without treatment, this is uncommon and very risky as untreated Chlamydia may lead to more severe health problems.

How Long After Chlamydia Exposure Are You Contagious

As contagious as Chlamydia is, the average person might not feel the symptoms until much later when the infection has taken place. Some of the symptoms a person having Chlamydia might face can include an increase in the vaginal discharge from normal days, they can also experience pain or a burning sensation during sex, it can also come off as a burning sensation while peeing, or heavier periods.

For men, symptoms of Chlamydia may include pain in testicles or swelling in testicles, burning sensation while peeing, etc. Chlamydia is common in women and men below the age of 25.

However, the infection caused by Chlamydia can be cured by antibiotics, and easily so. Chlamydia, however, can also be transmitted from the pregnant mother to her child.

The symptoms of Chlamydia usually appear after three weeks of the infection and are generally more easily seen in men rather than women.

Any sexually active person can experience Chlamydia as it is a fairly common STI and usually seen within younger people. The infected person can transmit the bacteria up to 7 days after getting it, and hence there is a high risk of exposure.

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What Happens If I Get Chlamydia When I’m Pregnant

• Chlamydia during pregnancy has been associated in very rare cases with problems such as premature birth, and infection of the uterus lining after the birth.
• It can be passed to the baby during the birth and before the baby is born. This can cause inflammation and discharge in the babys eye and/or pneumonia.
• You may be offered a chlamydia test as part of your antenatal care.
• Chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics when youre pregnant and when youre breastfeeding. The antibiotics wont harm the baby, but do tell the doctor or nurse that youre pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Youll be advised to have another test after you complete your treatment.

Parents Have A Role In Chlamydia Prevention

Parents can do two main things to help their kids avoid getting chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections , says Dombrowski. These two things are:

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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.

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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.

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What Happens If Chlamydia Is Untreated

If youre not treated for chlamydia, you may have some serious complications.

• Chronic pelvic pain
• Infertility. Pelvic inflammatory disease can cause scar tissue to develop in your fallopian tubes. This can block your tubes and make it difficult for an egg to pass through and become fertilized.
• Ectopic pregnancy. This scarring of your fallopian tubes can stop a fertilized egg from moving into your uterus. The egg may then begin to grow in your fallopian tube. An ectopic pregnancy can be dangerous, as your fallopian tube may break and cause bleeding in your pelvis and abdomen.

A study of women admitted to hospitals found that women with pelvic inflammatory disease were:

• Ten times more likely to be admitted to hospital for abdominal pain
• Ten times more likely to be admitted for ectopic pregnancy
• Six times more likely to be admitted for endometriosis
• Eight times more likely to be admitted for a procedure to remove their womb

Some people with pelvic inflammatory disease caused by chlamydia may also develop a rare complication known as Fitz-Hugh-Curtis Syndrome or perihepatitis. This is a painful inflammation of the tissue surrounding your liver.

Pregnancy complications

If youre pregnant and your chlamydia is untreated, this increases your likelihood of problems like premature birth and a low-birth-weight baby. You may pass chlamydia on to your baby. Your baby may develop a lung infection or eye infection .

Other complications

How Quickly Do Symptoms Show

In many cases, chlamydia symptoms do not show up at all, making it possible for the infection to lie dormant in the body and cause long-term side effects when not treated.

If someone with chlamydia does experience symptoms, the time it takes for them to show up may vary.

For most people, though, it takes about 7-21 days after having unprotected sex with an infected partner. However, it can take longer.

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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 donât 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 âreactionâ 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.

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Can You Get Chlamydia More Than Once

Yes, you can get the infection even if youve successfully treated it already.

A sexual partner who has chlamydia can transmit it to you again, even if youve already had it and treated it.

You can also get chlamydia again if it wasnt fully treated the first time. This can happen if you stop taking the necessary treatment. Its important to complete the antibiotics youve been given, even if your symptoms get better.

The CDC recommends getting tested 3 months after treatment of your initial infection to ensure the infection is cleared.

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Can You Pass Chlamydia On Without Symptoms

Even if you are asymptomatic with Chlamydia, it is still possible to pass on the disease. The viral infection transmits via bodily fluids during sexual activity, therefore it is vitally important to practise safe sex and be tested regularly to ensure that you are clean of sexually transmitted infections. Visit our website to learn more about home testing.

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Why Should I Have Treatment If I Have No Symptoms

If you are infected with chlamydia, it is essential that you take treatment even if you do not have any symptoms of chlamydial infection. Reasons for this include:

• The infection may spread and cause serious complications . This can be months or years after you are first infected.
• You can still pass on the infection to your sexual partner even if you do not have symptoms.

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What Causes Chlamydia

Chlamydia infections spread through sexual contact, when vaginal fluid or semen containing the bacteria that causes chlamydia travels from one person to another. Sexual contact includes all kinds of sex, including sex that doesnt involve penetration or ejaculation. There are lots of ways that the fluids from one persons genitals can transmit the bacteria that causes chlamydia.

• Intercourse. Bacteria pass from one persons penis to their partners vagina or vice versa.
• Anal sex. Bacteria passes from one persons penis to their partners anus or vice versa.
• Oral sex. Bacteria passes from one persons mouth to their partners penis, vagina, or anus, or vice versa.
• Sex involving toys. Bacteria pass from a toy with the bacteria to a persons mouth, penis, vagina or anus.
• Manual stimulation of the genitals or anus. Less commonly, infected vaginal fluid or semen can come in contact with a persons eye, causing an infection called conjunctivitis. For example, this can happen if you touch the genitals of an infected person and then rub your eyes without washing your hands first.

How Long Does It Take

It takes about one week for azithromycin to completely cure a chlamydial infection, and in some cases it can take up to two weeks for the infection to clear.

If you are sexually active during this time, you can pass the infection to your partner, even if you have no symptoms. For these reasons, you should avoid having sex of any kind during treatment.

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How Long Does It Take For Chlamydia To Go Away After Treatment

Chlamydia normally goes away by the end of the course of antibiotics.

If you are experiencing symptoms, these can start to clear up very soon after starting your treatment. However, you need to finish the whole course to ensure that the infection has been completely treated.

If you are still experiencing symptoms at the end of your course of antibiotics, get medical advice as soon as possible. You may need to try a different type of antibiotic.

Why Cant I Repeat The Chlamydia Test After Ive Taken My Treatment To Check It Worked

You can, but it takes up to 6 weeks for the test to go back to negative after an infection. If you re-test too early a positive result can be a sign of continuing or re-infection, but its most likely to be positive from the initial infection, so its not at all helpful.

If you are under 25 years of age, it is recommended to have a repeat test 3 months after treatment as a significant number of young people get repeat infections which are linked to an increased risk of complications.

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