How To Get Gonorrhea And Chlamydia

Who Is At Risk

Any sexually active person who has unprotected sex is at risk of contracting gonorrhea.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises sexually active men who are gay or bisexual should get tested for gonorrhea at least once per year.

Sexually active women should get tested every year if they are:

• Younger than 25
• 25 and older but have risk factors like a sex partner who has an STI, a new partner, or multiple partners

Oral gonorrhea can be spread through oral sex.

This includes oral sex to the penis , the vagina , and the anus .

Is There A Cure For Chlamydia And Gonorrhea

Yes. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can both be cured with the right treatment. If these STDs arent treated, they can cause serious health problems, like making it difficult or impossible for a woman to get pregnant.

If you have an STD, its important to get treatment right away. Its also important to tell anyone youve had sex with that you have an STD so they can get treated, too. This can help protect you from getting infected again.

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How Can You Tell If You Have Chlamydia

You can have chlamydia without experiencing any symptoms. In fact, many womenâapproximately 70% of those who are infectedâare completely asymptomatic, which means that they are also unaware that they are carrying Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria.

The lack of symptoms can cause health problems over time because an untreated chlamydia infection can lead to complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease . Also, if you become pregnant and have chlamydia, you may develop an ectopic pregnancy . Some people with untreated chlamydia may develop reactive arthritis, a form of joint inflammation thatâs caused by the chlamydia bacterium . Untreated chlamydia can also damage your reproductive organs, which could potentially lead to infertility.

Thankfully, effective treatments exist for chlamydial infections. But to get treatment, you first need to determine if you have chlamydia in the first place. As mentioned above, you could have chlamydia without any symptoms. But there are certain telltale symptoms you may experience that can help identify it.

Chlamydia symptoms look very different in men and women. If your male partner experiences urethritis , or has discharge from his penis, he may have chlamydia. If thatâs the case, you should both test for sexually transmitted infections.

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Does Gonorrhea Smell Fishy

STDs and Fishy Odors Several common STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause discharge from the genitals. Occasionally, this discharge may have a pungent smell associated with it, but more often than not, this isn’t the case. Rather, trichomoniasis is the STD that most often produces foul-smelling discharge.

How The Heck Does This Happen

A mucus membrane is a mucus membrane. STIs, like all infections, are caused by viral, bacterial, or fungal microbes. While many of these infections have particular parts of the body theyve evolved to thrive in, most of them arent too picky. The risks vary between diseasesa 2016 article from the San Francisco AIDS Foundationreally hammers home the message that the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae will take any opportunity to hop off your skin and onto someone elses, but not all STIs are this industrious.

This doesnt mean you should spend your next date in a hazmat suit. The solution is actually really simple.

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Complications From Chlamydia And Gonorrhea

Ruiz explained that for young women with asymptomatic infection, the effects of chlamydia and gonorrhea could be devastating.

They can cause a lot of damage to fallopian tubes. Years later, women who were asymptomatic and not treated show up with pelvic pain, and you find lots of scar tissue in the pelvis, said Ruiz.

Complications can also include:

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How Is Gonorrhea Testing Done

For gonorrhea testing, you only need to provide a urine sample. The method used is the nucleic acid amplification test . The aim of this investigation is to detect the presence of bacteria that triggers gonorrhea. If the bacteria are detected in the sample, you would test positive and have an option of discussing treatment with the doctor in the clinic.

With gonorrhea, its important to start treatment fast.

If you allow yourself to go too long undiagnosed, treating the disease becomes far more complicated.

Simply walk in to STD Express Clinic and get tested. Same day treatment option also available at an additional cost of $50.

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How To Collect A Urethral Sample

The urethra is a tube that drains urine from the bladder. This is the preferred culture site in men, or in women with no cervix. Specimens should be taken no earlier than two hours after the patient has last voided his or her bladder.

How Can Chlamydia Be Prevented

Latex male condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of getting or giving chlamydia.53 The surest way to avoid chlamydia is to abstain from vaginal, anal, and oral sex, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.

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Treatment For Gonorrhea Is Quick And Easy Too

The CDC currently recommends a shot of the antibiotic Rocephin and an oral dose of the antibiotic azithromycin, given at the same time, to treat gonorrhea.

Treatment recommendations for gonorrhea have changed over the years as the bacteria that causes gonorrhea, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, has become resistant to a growing number of antibiotics.

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Wait I Can Get Gonorrhea In My Throat

Yes, and also in your butt. You can also get chlamydia in your throat and butt, but throat chlamydia just doesnt have the same ring to it. The CDC has a helpful list of all the places on your body you might get an initial infection of various STIs, but the big takeaway is simple: Even people who always use condoms can get STIs, pretty much every STI can be transmitted by unprotected oral sex, and STIs can show symptoms on parts of your body you wouldnt expect.

Why is this important? Well, a lot of people assume STIs are grossthanks, societyand part of that stigma is a misconception that all STIs produce gnarly and horrific symptoms. In reality, this is pretty rare! Herpes, for instance, is asymptomatic in almost everyone who has it, and gonorrhea and chlamydia can also infiltrate your bodys defenses without making much fuss. They can even go away on their own, but the problem is that they dont always do so.

That means that you should not wait for an outbreak of oozing sores before getting tested for STIs. If youre sexually activeand were talking about any kind of sexyou need to get tested two to three times a year.

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What If My Chlamydia And Gonorrhea Test Result Is Not Normal

Test results are only one part of a larger picture that takes into account your medical history and current health. Sometimes a GC Chlamydia STD test needs to be repeated to check the first result. Talk to your health care provider about your result and ask questions.

If your test result is positive, ask your health care provider:

• If you need additional tests
• Any questions you have about your treatment
• When you need to be tested again
• When it is safe to have sex again
• How to protect yourself against reinfection

If you have a positive urine chlamydia and gonorrhea lab test result, you should tell your sexual partner. Follow your health care providers advice about when it is safe to start having sex again. Use latex or polyurethane condoms every time you have sex to prevent another infection.

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Where Can I Get A Test

There are a number of services you can go to. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with.

A chlamydia test can be done at:

• a genitourinary medicine or sexual health clinic
• your general practice
• contraception and young peoples clinics
• some pharmacies.

Abortion clinics, antenatal services and some gynaecology services may also offer a chlamydia test.

In England, if youre a woman aged under 25 years old, you may be offered a chlamydia test as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme when you visit some service for other reasons, for example at a pharmacy or your GP.

The NCSP aims to identify people without symptoms to reduce the complications of untreated infection. If chlamydia is not treated, it can cause health complications, especially in women. Untreated chlamydia in women can cause pain in the pelvis, ectopic pregnancy and infertility .

If you are a woman aged under 25 years old and you are offered a chlamydia test as part of the NCSP you should consider taking it.

In many areas, free home self-sampling tests for chlamydia are available to order online. This is where you take your own sample and send it to be tested. See www.nhs.uk

Its also possible to buy a chlamydia test to do at home. The accuracy of these tests varies. Some types are very accurate when carried out according to the instructions, others can be less reliable. If you buy a testing kit make sure you get advice from a pharmacist or your doctor.

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About The Chlamydia & Gonorrhoea Test For Men

• Test accuracy

  Please note, no test is 100% accurate but it should pick up these STIs if it is done at the correct time. If you are in any doubt, we advise that you go to you nearest sexual health clinic, or visit your GP.

• What are the chlamydia symptoms in men?

  The main symptoms of chlamydia in men include:

• Pain when peeing
• White, watery or cloudy discharge from the penis
• Itchy or burning sensation in urethra
• Swollen or painful testicles

Chlamydia Vs Gonorrhea: Best Courses Of Treatment For Each

If you have it, youll want to know how to get rid of chlamydia and fast. The good news is that both chlamydia and gonorrhea can be knocked out with a course of strong oral antibiotics. Your first step as mentioned earlier is to see a physician as soon as possible and be very forthcoming about your condition and symptoms. He or she will then prescribe medication for you, and the most common ones for treating chlamydia and gonorrhea are:

• Doxycycline
• Cefixime
• Azithromycin

One of the most important reminders regarding taking medication to treat the clap or chlamydia is that you must finish the entirety of the medication prescribed every last pill! Even if your symptoms have disappeared, taking all of the medication ensure that bacteria causing the infection are wiped out entirely and theres no chance of them re-establishing themselves.

How to get rid of chlamydia? Taking antibiotics as directed by your physician is the only way.

Provided you do so, you can expect to be cured of either infection in one to two weeks. Lastly, preventing a recurrence of either chlamydia or gonorrhea is best assured by now choosing not to engage in casual sex with partners you dont know well, and ideally enjoying sex within a committed, monogamous relationship.

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Factors That Increase The Risk Of Stis

The likelihood of getting an STI may be higher if you have sex:

• With multiple partners
• With people you don’t know
• Without using a barrier method, such as a condom
• If you already have an STI or are currently experiencing an outbreak
• While using substances that may lower inhibitions and increase risk-taking

There are certain populations of people who may be at a higher risk for STIs. These groups include:

• Young people ages 15â24 years old account for about half of the STIs in the United States.
• Men who have sex with men have higher rates of STIs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, than other populations.

Should You Get Tested For Chlamydia And Gonorrhea

Higher-risk behavior includes engaging in sexual activity with multiple partners, drug use and practicing sexual activities with any person which havent received a negative result from a test, as being involved in previous sexual activities.

If you suspect that you may have been infected with Chlamydia, testing is the way to go.

Considering the harsh outcomes of leaving a chlamydia infection untreated, as well as the ease and price of todays testing options, theres absolutely no reason to remain in the dark.

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Just Diagnosed Next Steps After Testing Positive For Gonorrhea Or Chlamydia

If youve just found out that you have gonorrhea or chlamydia, you may be trying to figure out what to do next. Here are the three most important steps that you can take:

WHY?Many people with gonorrhea and chlamydia dont have symptoms. Why does this matter? Because an untreated infection can lead to serious and permanent health problems, even if you never have symptoms. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can be cured with the right medicine from your doctor. Just make sure you take all of your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you to.

WHERE?Your regular doctor can prescribe antibiotics to cure the STD. But if you dont have insurance or want to see someone else for treatment, there are other low-cost or free options. You can get tested and treated at your local health departments STD clinic, a family planning clinic, a student health center, or an urgent care clinic. You can also find a clinic using GetTested and ask if they offer treatment for gonorrhea and chlamydia.

• In women, untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to health problems like ectopic pregnancy or infertility .
• In men, chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause a painful condition in the tubes attached to the testicles. In rare cases, this may prevent him from being able to have children.
• Untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV the virus that causes AIDS.

Can You Get Chlamydia Without Cheating

by ShawnPublished on June 29, 2021Updated on September 16, 2021

Chlamydia is a widely common infection that can only be spread through sexual contactbut can you get chlamydia without cheating? To many peoples surprise, it is indeed possible to contract a sexually transmitted infection while remaining faithful.

The definition of cheating can vary across relationships, but sexual contact with a person other than your significant other is widely accepted as crossing the line. Sexually transmitted diseases are usually spread through sex behaviors, with a few exceptions. Due to this fact, its understandable to suspect infidelity if your partner has a positive chlamydia test.

But does this mean they cheated? Possibly, but its important to look beyond the typical stigma associated with STIs and consider the factors that make chlamydia different from other diseases. As always, if you suspect you may have contracted an STD from a partner, getting tested and treated is the best course of action in the short term.

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Each Year There Are Approximately 15 Million Cases Of Chlamydia And 350000 Cases Of Gonorrhea Reported To The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention

However this may not accurately reflect the total number of infected individuals, as most people with these infections have no symptoms and go untested. These bacterial infections are spread through sexual intercourse . This test will not be able to tell you the specific site of the infection, but will detect the infection if present.

Pregnant women with an active gonorrhea or chlamydia infection at the time of vaginal delivery can spread the infection directly to their children during birth. All sexually active women under age 25 and women over age 25 with risk factors for contracting chlamydia or gonorrhea should get tested every year: risk factors include unprotected sex, new sexual partners, or multiple sexual partners. Men at risk for chlamydia or gonorrhea should get tested each year, and more often as needed: risk factors include having sex with a partner who has chlamydia or gonorrhea, men who have sex with men, unprotected sexual intercourse, and multiple sex partners.

Can You Have Chlamydia And Gonorrhea At The Same Time

A single STD on its own is a gruesome enough prospect. But what about contracting multiple STDs? Can you have STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea at the same time? The answer is yes. In fact, its fairly commonplace for individuals to carry more than one STD at once. Thats why its important for all sexually active individuals to get tested for every STD not just one or two. Below, well explain more about the nature of STDs and help you determine how best to deal with one :

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Get Your Accurate Confidential Std Test At Arcpoint Labs Of Fort Myers

Taking a proactive role in your sexual health shouldnt be stressful, which is why ARCpoint Labs makes it simple to receive discreet, professional STD testing in Fort Myers. Our professional technicians provide chlamydia testing, gonorrhea testing, and a wide range of other STD testing options, so you can customize your services to suit your needs. Here, youll have the advantage of quick, hassle-free lab services, making it easier than ever to take charge of your sexual health and protect yourself from untreated STDs. Whether youre concerned about potential STD symptoms or simply want to take preventive measures, ARCpoint Labs has a testing solution for you.

Learn more about our selection of STD testing and other lab services by contacting ARCpoint Labs of Fort Myers today.

Image Credit: getty, fizkes

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