What Is Extragenital Chlamydia Testing
Contrary to popular belief, chlamydia does not always just infect your genitals. In fact, it can also affect your mouth, throat and rectal region. Today, lets take a closer look at the oral version of this sexually transmitted infection . Believe it or not, oral chlamydia is trickier to test for than you may expect.
You Can Catch Chlamydia If Youve Only Had Sex Once
You may have heard that its not possible to get chlamydia from a single sex act. If youve had sex with someone who has the infection, you could get it, too. One encounter is all it takes to pass on the bacteria, so get tested.
In up to 15 percent of women with untreated chlamydia, the infection spreads to the uterus and uterine tubes, leading to symptomatic pelvic inflammatory disease.
If youve had unprotected sex and are worried that you might have chlamydia, get tested. The test is easy and painless. Your doctor could take a sample of your cells with a cotton swab or ask you to pee in a cup. The sample is tested for chlamydia bacteria. If your doctor says you have chlamydia, dont worry. Its treatable.
Chlamydia In The Throat: Symptoms Treatment & More
When it comes to avoiding sexually transmitted infections , some people think oral sex is safer than intercourse. But several STIssuch as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphiliscan spread through oral sex.
In this article, Ill focus on chlamydia and oral sex. Like chlamydia in the genital area, chlamydia in the throat may not cause any symptoms, so its important to practice safe oral sex, talk to your sexual partners about their health, and get tested for STIs.
In many cases, chlamydia is curable with antibiotics, however an untreated chlamydia infection can result in serious health problems, including ectopic pregnancy and infertility.
So if you think you may have chlamydia, its important to see a healthcare provider.
Read on to learn how you can get chlamydia from oral sex, what the symptoms are, how to get diagnosed and treated for it, and when to see your doctor.
Don’t Miss: Different Ways To Get Chlamydia
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.
Donât Miss: Chlamydia Treatment Next Day Delivery
What Is The Treatment For Chlamydia
Antibiotics can easily cure chlamydia. Treatment options are the same, whether a person also has HIV or not.
Patients treated with single-dose antibiotics should not have sex for seven days. Patients treated with a seven-day course of antibiotics should not have sex until they complete treatment, and their symptoms are gone. This helps prevent spreading the infection to sex partners. It is important to take all medicine prescribed to cure chlamydia. Medicine should not be shared with anyone. Although treatment will cure the infection, it will not repair any long-term damage done by the disease. If a persons symptoms continue for more than a few days after receiving treatment, a healthcare provider should reevaluate them.
Repeat infection with chlamydia is common.49 Women whose sex partners do not receive appropriate treatment are at high risk for re-infection. Having multiple chlamydial infections increases a womans risk of serious reproductive health problems .50,51A healthcare provider should retest those with chlamydia about three months after treatment of an initial infection. Retesting is necessary even if their partners receive successful treatment.40
Infants with chlamydia may develop conjunctivitis and/or pneumonia.10 Healthcare providers can treat infection in infants with antibiotics.
Read Also: How Long After Taking Medicine For Chlamydia Is It Gone
How Can I Protect Myself From Chlamydia
Its not always possible to know if a current or potential partner has chlamydia, though, especially since many people with chlamydia never notice symptoms. With prevention in mind, its a good idea to make safer sex practices a regular part of your sex life:
- Dont share sex toys, but if you do, wash them after each use and cover toys used for penetration with a condom.
- Have sex with only one partner, who only has sex with you.
Recommended Reading: Best Way To Get Rid Of Chlamydia
How Do You Know If You Have Chlamydia In Your Throat
Many people with chlamydia in the throat have no symptoms. The only way to know for certain if you have this sexually transmitted infection in the throat is to get tested by a healthcare provider. Possible signs that you may have oral chlamydia include a sore throat that doesnât go away, along with a low-grade fever swollen lymph nodes oral canker sores or white spots in the back of the throat.
In some cases, one might confuse these chlamydia symptoms with strep throat or some other kind of throat infection. That’s why testing for STDs is so important, so consult with your healthcare provider if you suspect you may have been infected with an oral sexually transmitted disease.
Also Check: What Are All The Ways You Can Get Chlamydia
Exactly How Is Chlamydia Spread Can You Get Rid Of Chlamydia
You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, rectal, or oral sex with somebody that has chlamydia.
If youve had chlamydia as well as were dealt with in the past, you can still obtain infected once more. This can take place if you have vulnerable sex with a person who has chlamydia.
If you are expecting, you can offer chlamydia to your infant throughout giving birth.
How Quickly Does Chlamydia Show Up
Chlamydia symptoms may appear within one to three weeks of unprotected sexual activity with someone already infected. However, people are often asymptomatic, or symptoms may appear and go away on their own. You should continue to get tested because even without symptoms, your infection can still be active.
Don’t Miss: Early Signs Of Chlamydia Male
How Can I Avoid A Chlamydia Throat Infection
Now that you know a bit more about oral chlamydia, heres how to lower your risk of infection:
Use Condoms
When we say wear condoms during sex, dont forget that this includes oral sex, the leading cause of oral chlamydia. If a partner has chlamydia on their genital area and you go down on them, the infection can be passed to your mouth. On the other hand, if your partner has chlamydia on their mouth and they go down on you, it can be passed to your genitals. While condoms dont always prevent STIs, they definitely lower your risk.
Have The Talk With Your Partner
Communication is important in any relationship, whether its a one-night stand or youre with a monogamous partner. Being open with one another, and making sure that you dont fool around with someone who has not been tested, will help you to avoid unwanted infections. Honesty is the best policy when it comes to most things, and that includes sexually transmitted infections. We get it: having the talk can be awkward. But getting an STI is way more inconvenient. Own your confidence and be unabashed about your own wellness.
Can You Get Chlamydia From Oral Sex
Chlamydia trachomatisthe bacteria that causes a chlamydia infectionspreads through contact with another persons mucus membranes .
Unprotected can transmit chlamydia.
Someone with chlamydia in the throat could also transmit the infection to another persons genitals by giving oral sex, but chlamydia doesnt spread through kissing.
People also dont get chlamydia from contact with toilet seats, sharing clothes or towels, or hugging.
You May Like: What Medicine Do You Get For Chlamydia
Chlamydia Keel: Man En Vrouw
Sinds wanneer kan je chlamydia in je keel krijgen?!
Van Chlamydia ter plaatse van de geslachtsdelen hebben we natuurlijk allemaal wel eens gehoord. Dit is de soa die het meeste voorkomt in Nederland per jaar, namelijk 60.000 mensen krijgen hiermee te maken. Je kunt last krijgen van chlamydia als man en als vrouw op de geslachtsdelen. Maar wist je dat je chlamydia ook in je keel kunt krijgen?
Een chlamydia infectie kan zich ook afspelen in de keel. Echter komt dit vele malen minder voor dan een infectie aan je geslachtsdelen.
Als je orale seks hebt loop je het risico dat Chlamydia bacteriën een infectie in je keel kunnen veroorzaken. Zo krijg je dus een soa in je mond of keel. Je hoeft hier geen klachten van te hebben, maar het kan wel. Je kan bijvoorbeeld keelpijn krijgen, moeite met slikken of je lymfeklieren in je hals kunnen opzetten.
How Can I Prevent Catching Oral Chlamydia
There are risk factors that increase your chances of getting chlamydia. These include:
- Being sexually active and under age 25
- Having multiple sexual partners
- Having a history of sexually transmitted infection
There are certain steps you can take to prevent catching oral chlamydia including:
- Talking to your sexual partner about their sexual health
- Using barrier methods, such as condoms, during each encounter
- Having a regular sexual health check or STI tests, especially if you have unprotected sex with a new partner
The recurrence rate of chlamydia is particularly high. This makes it even more important to practice safe oral sex and prevent future infections.
Read Also: How Long Does Chlamydia Take To Go Away
Diagnosing Chlamydia In The Throat
- While a conventional STD panel can scan for genital chlamydia, pharyngeal chlamydia is often not included in the scan.
- Though urine scans & UTI testing options such as those provided by Lenco laboratory are the norms for checking genital chlamydia, doctors will look for chlamydia in your throat only if you show relevant symptoms.
- Swab tests are often used by medical professionals to detect chlamydia of the throat.
- The doctor will collect a sample of infected tissue by swabbing your throat and send it to the laboratory for analysis.
- The lab will run a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test to detect the bacterial DNA in the tissue samples to confirm the infection.
- The doctor will also ask you for a detailed medical, surgical, and sexual history to arrive at an appropriate diagnosis.
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.
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.
Page last reviewed: 01 September 2021 Next review due: 01 September 2024
You May Like: How Can I Treat Chlamydia Without Going To The Doctor
Tooth Loss & Dental Issues
- When ignored, chlamydia of the throat can involve dental structures and periodontal tissues like the gums.
- Gum inflammation and damage of the ligaments holding the teeth can subsequently cause tooth pain and tooth loss.
- Bleeding of gums is also a commonly associated symptom in cases of prolonged throat chlamydia.
How Long Does Chlamydia Of The Throat Take To Show Up
Most people who have chlamydia of the throat will not experience any symptoms. If symptoms do develop, they typically appear 13 weeks after sexual contact with the individual who has the infection.
It is important to note that chlamydia can still transmit from a person who does not experience any symptoms of the disease.
Recommended Reading: What Does Chlamydia Do To You
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
How Common Is Mouth Chlamydia
It is difficult to be sure how commonly chlamydia is found in the throat, as study results are varied. In fact, most people with oral chlamydia do not have a sore throat and are unaware of the infection unless they test positive.
Its not always tested for the throat is not routinely sampled for chlamydia when you go for an STI screen. This is because current chlamydia tests may produce false positive results and cause anxiety. In addition, the chance of having oral chlamydia is extremely low .
When are people at risk? in a clinic, you may be offered a throat swab for chlamydia if there are other risk factors such as:
You May Like: Can You Cure Chlamydia At Home
Natural Ways To Treat Chlamydia Without Going Doctor
In research, it is proved that no natural remedy can cure Chlamydia till now. But there are various natural supplements available which can cure the immune system which is the main cause of having Chlamydia. Some of them are:-
You May Like: How To Tell If A Male Has Chlamydia
Am I At Risk For Chlamydia
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: How Much Does Chlamydia Antibiotics Cost
More On Chlamydia At Thebodycom
To find out more about chlamydia, we recommend the following articles:
In addition, our Q& A experts sometimes address questions about chlamydia in our âAsk the Expertsâ forums. Here are some of those questions and our expertsâ responses:
- Scared my boyfriend gave me chlamydiaMy first boyfriend recently told me he has chlamydia. He did cheat on me, and the dry humping, fingering, and eating out happened a year and a half ago. Since he told me I realized I have pelvic pain.
- What are the risks of giving oral sexIâm a woman and if I give a guy a blow job without a condom, what are my chances of getting an STD in my mouth? Iâve always practiced safe sex when it comes to intercourse and yet I now have chlamydia.
Donât Miss: How Can You Treat Chlamydia At Home
How Is Chlamydia Diagnosed And Treated
Chlamydia can be diagnosed with a STD lab test. The NIH reports that males who want to be tested for chlamydia are asked to provide a urine sample, and females are given a long cotton swab they use to collect a sample from their vaginal areas. However, these diagnostic methods are usually only effective at diagnosing genital chlamydia not oral chlamydia. Oral chlamydia can usually be diagnosed with a throat swab test in both males and females.
Oral and genital chlamydia can be effectively treated using antibiotics. Patients may be asked to refrain from engaging in any sexual activity for at least seven days until the infection has been cleared, according to the NIH. If you are diagnosed with chlamydia, your doctor may recommend taking all your antibiotic medication until the medication is gone, even if your symptoms have fully cleared.
Don’t Miss: Having Chlamydia For A Year
How To Treat Chlamydia In The Throat
- Doctors use antibiotics to treat pharyngeal chlamydia, just like the prescribed modality for its genital counterpart.
- The course is often for one week. If the infection does not resolve following the antibiotic course, your doctor might increase the dosage or prescribe a more potent antibiotic.
- Your physician will also advise you to abstain from any form of sexual contact until youâve completed your complete course of antibiotics to avoid spreading the infection to others.