How To Treat Chlamydia On Your Own

How To Get Rid Of A Chlamydia Infection

As one of the most curable causes of infertility, Chlamydia is easily treated with a course of prescribed antibiotics this means there is no need to ignore a Chlamydia infection and hope it will clear on its own. Not receiving treatment for Chlamydia can result in hospitalisation in severe cases.

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection in the UK. Each year, there is a decline in Chlamydia testing yet a rise in positive diagnoses. Over 1.3 million Chlamydia tests were conducted last year, and 126,000 diagnoses were made amongst people aged between 15 and 24. The year before saw 1.4 million tests and 128,000 Chlamydia diagnoses in the same age group.

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Who Does Chlamydia Affect

Anyone whos sexually active can get chlamydia. The bacteria that causes chlamydia gets transmitted through vaginal fluid and semen, which means that people of all genders who have sex can become infected with chlamydia and infect their partners, too. If youre pregnant and have chlamydia, you can pass it on to your newborn.

Chlamydial Infection Among Neonates

Prenatal screening and treatment of pregnant women is the best method for preventing chlamydial infection among neonates. C. trachomatis infection of neonates results from perinatal exposure to the mothers infected cervix. Initial C. trachomatis neonatal infection involves the mucous membranes of the eye, oropharynx, urogenital tract, and rectum, although infection might be asymptomatic in these locations. Instead, C. trachomatis infection among neonates is most frequently recognized by conjunctivitis that develops 512 days after birth. C. trachomatis also can cause a subacute, afebrile pneumonia with onset at ages 13 months. Although C. trachomatis has been the most frequent identifiable infectious cause of ophthalmia neonatorum, neonatal chlamydial infections, including ophthalmia and pneumonia, have occurred less frequently since institution of widespread prenatal screening and treatment of pregnant women. Neonates born to mothers at high risk for chlamydial infection, with untreated chlamydia, or with no or unconfirmed prenatal care, are at high risk for infection. However, presumptive treatment of the neonate is not indicated because the efficacy of such treatment is unknown. Infants should be monitored to ensure prompt and age-appropriate treatment if symptoms develop. Processes should be in place to ensure communication between physicians and others caring for the mother and the newborn to ensure thorough monitoring of the newborn after birth.

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How And When To Take It

Your dose of doxycycline depends on why you are taking it.

The usual dose is 100mg to 200mg once or twice a day. If youre taking doxycycline more than once a day, try to space your doses evenly throughout the day. If you take it twice a day, this could be first thing in the morning, and in the evening.

For preventing malaria, youll take 100mg once a day, usually in the morning. Start taking doxycycline 1 or 2 days before going to an area where there is malaria. Carry on for 4 weeks after leaving the area. Check with your doctor or pharmacist that doxycycline is the best medicine to prevent malaria in the country you are travelling to.

How Do You Prevent Chlamydia

Using a new male or female condom or dental dam every time you have sex is the best way to protect against chlamydia.

Chlamydia can be passed on by sharing sex toys. Always cover sex toys with a new condom and wash them after use to reduce your risk of getting chlamydia and other STIs.

Its important to regularly test for chlamydia, even if you dont have any symptoms, especially if youve had multiple sexual partners.

The contraceptive pill and other types of contraception wont prevent you getting chlamydia, and neither will PrEP.

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Chlamydia Is A Serious Infection

Chlamydia is Americas most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection. Every year, an estimated 2.86 million infections occur. Since its so common, you may assume that its no big deal. However, chlamydia can be a very serious infection.

Chlamydia is very common, but that doesnt mean it cant have a serious impact on your health. The infection can cause a number of long-term complications. 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. In addition, some women experience subclinical inflammation of the upper genital tract. This can cause permanent damage to the affected tissues.

Chlamydia Treatment And Prevention

Milly DawsonSanjai Sinha, MDShutterstock

Chlamydia is easy to cure. If you test positive for chlamydia, basically you take an antibiotic, says Jill Rabin, MD, cochief in the division of ambulatory care for women’s health programs and prenatal care assistance program services for Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York.

Your partner must take an antibiotic, too, to keep them from reinfecting you, she says.

You have to have your partner treated, and if you have more than one partner, they should all be treated, says Dr. Rabin, regardless of your partners genders.

Even if you dont have chlamydia now, its wise to learn how to protect yourself so you wont develop this common infection in the first place. In women, chlamydia can create serious health problems, including infertility. Besides, no one ever wants to have a sexually transmitted disease and then have to tell other people about it.

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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 Will I Know If The Chlamydia Has Affected My Fertility

Chlamydia is just one of many factors that can affect your fertility. Most people whove had chlamydia wont become infertile or have an ectopic pregnancy . If youve had chlamydia you wont normally be offered any routine tests to see if youre fertile unless you or a partner are having difficulty getting pregnant. If youre concerned, talk to your doctor or practice nurse.

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How Chlamydia’s Passed On

Chlamydia is usually passed from one person to another through sexual contact.

You can get the infection if you come into contact with the semen or vaginal fluids of someone who has chlamydia.

Chlamydia is most commonly spread through:

• vaginal or anal sex without a condom
• sharing sex toys that arent washed or covered with a new condom each time theyre used.

It can be spread by giving or receiving oral sex with someone who has chlamydia. The risk can be lowered by using a condom or a dam to cover the genitals.

If infected semen or vaginal fluid comes into contact with the eye it can cause conjunctivitis (infection or irritation of the eye.

If youre pregnant its possible to pass chlamydia to the baby .

Its not clear if chlamydia can be spread by transferring infected semen or vaginal fluid to another persons genitals on the fingers or through rubbing vulvas together.

You cant get chlamydia from kissing, hugging, sharing baths or towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or from sharing cups, plates or cutlery.

Does Oral Chlamydia Go Away

Chlamydia, whether it is oral or genital does not go away on its own.

It is possible for the symptoms of chlamydia to go away for a short period of time, but that does not mean you no longer have chlamydia. The infection may persist in the body in the absence of treatment .

A short course of antibiotics are required to treat chlamydia, and a follow up test is required to ensure the risk of re-infection.

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How To Get Rid Of Chlamydia In Males

Chlamydia in males is caused by a bacterial infection. This infection is mostly treated with oral antibiotics. The most effective and recommended treatment for chlamydia is the prescribing of Azithromycin or Doxycycline. After treatment, usually the infection will clear in 7 to 14 days. The recommended dosage should be finished for infection to be completely cleared. For treatment to be most effective, it is recommended that both partner complete treatment and abstain from any sexual contact for at least 7 days after completing their treatment.

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.

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Does Chlamydia Cause Permanent Infertility

Untreated, about 10-15% of women with chlamydia will develop PID. Chlamydia can also cause fallopian tube infection without any symptoms. PID and silent infection in the upper genital tract may cause permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and surrounding tissues, which can lead to infertility.

How Do You Avoid Getting Mouth Chlamydia

How to avoid getting infected the only guaranteed way to avoid chlamydia is not having sex, but this is not a suitable options for most people. To reduce your chance of getting chlamydia you can try the following:

• Choose sexual partners carefully however difficult, you should try to discuss any previous sexual history with a new partner before you first have sex

• Get tested before the start of a new relationship and do not have unprotected sex until you know your test results and your partners an extended STI test kit which tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV and syphilis is recommended

• Use barrier contraception such as the male condom carefully and correctly always apply the condom before any sexual contact, including oral sex

• If you are diagnosed with chlamydia, always follow the advice about treatment very carefully try to make sure, if you have had chlamydia once, you dont get it again and keep getting tested regularly

• Use condoms at the same time as other contraceptives other contraceptives dont protect against STIs and using condoms alone as a method of contraception has a high failure rate. Women are advised to use a reliable contraceptive method to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, but to use condoms as well, to reduce the chance of acquiring an STI

Who is it at a higher risk of STIs like oral chlamydia? risk factors for chlamydia include:

• Young age

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Complementary And Alternative Medicine

If you have a viral STI, talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist before taking any herbal medicines or nutritional supplements to ensure doing so is safe given any other medications you may be taking.

There are a few complementary treatments that are being explored for the treatment of certain viral STIs:

• Herpes:Propolis, a sticky substance bees produce from tree sap, is found to speed the healing of herpes lesions. Algae extract is being studied as a possible herpes treatment. Some people also find relief of herpes pain from acupuncture.
• HIV/AIDS: Medical marijuana may help with pain, reduce nausea, and stimulate your appetite. In addition, yoga and meditation can help ease pain and alleviate feelings of stress and depression that often come with an HIV diagnosis.

How To Prevent The Spread Of Chlamydia

People dont necessarily have to abstain from having sex. But, its critical for sexually active individuals to become more careful with their sexual partners and practice safe sex methods. Using condoms during sexual intercourse is strongly encouraged to be considered as a strict requirement.

Monogamy, for instance, is a significant step in containing the risks of passing on or getting infected with chlamydia and other STDs.

Its also advisable for people engaged with new sexual partners to get tested for possible infections. Chlamydia can be asymptomatic, which requires precautionary actions to detect the infection before it gets worse.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia

In women

About half of the women with chlamydia do not have symptoms. When symptoms are present, they may include:

• White, yellow or green discharge from the vagina that may have a bad smell.
• Pain in the upper right side of the abdomen.
• Pain, bleeding, or mucous discharge from the rectum.

In men

Most men have symptoms, although some do not. Symptoms include:

• Clear or white discharge from the penis.
• Pain or burning when passing urine.
• Pain and swelling around the testicles.

Can You Cure Mouth Chlamydia

Yes you can chlamydia in the mouth, just as at other sites of the body, can be treated and completely removed with a simple course of antibiotics. However, its important to follow your treatment regime properly to ensure the infection is removed. Also, treatment only removes existing infections and wont protect you from future infection.

Does oral chlamydia go away on its own? if chlamydia is untreated, it is thought that up to 50% of people will clear the infection themselves within 12 months. However, in the remainder of people who dont clear the infection, a chronic chlamydial infection becomes established, and in the longer term this can result in serious negative medical outcomes.

How does oral chlamydia treatment work? the first choice antibiotic for chlamydia is the antibiotic doxycycline 100mg taken twice a day by mouth for 7 days (this should not be used in pregnancy.

Make sure you use treatment correctly it is important that you:

• Take all the antibiotics as instructed dont miss any out

• Do not have sex on treatment or for 7 days afterwards, not even oral sex or sex with a condom

• Your current/most recent partners should be tested, and treated as they are contacts

• Attend a sexual health clinic for a full STI screen

Do I need another test after treatment? usually no, except in the following situations:

• You have to be treated with a different antibiotic to the 2 standard treatments, e.g. erythromycin

• You have rectal chlamydia as well

• You are pregnant

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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 .

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.

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How Does It Work

• Your doctor will give you either the medication Azithromycin, or a prescription for the medication to give to your sexual partner/s
• Its a way to get your sexual partners treated for Chlamydia without them having to see a doctor
• Its not available everywhere in Australia, but is offered by some publicly funded Sexual Health Clinics and Family Planning Clinics in NSW
• Telling sexual partners you have an STI can be difficult, but its the right thing to do