I Got Treated For Chlamydia

October 9, 2021

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You Can Get Chlamydia More Than Once

At Last! Reliable Treatments For Chlamydia

With some diseases, having one infection makes you immune to future infections. That’s not the case with chlamydia. If you engage in sexual activity with a person who has a chlamydia infection, you can get it again, even if you’ve just completed treatment for it.

“Both partners should be treated before reinitiating sexual intercourse to prevent relapse,” Schaffir says.

Anogenital And Conjunctival Chlamydia

Sulfamethoxazole 75 mg/kg/day PO in divided doses for 10 days

Notes:

Erythromycin is associated with significantly higher gastrointestinal side effects than other treatment regimens.Footnote 8 Footnote 9 Footnote 10 Footnote 11 Footnote 12
Equivalent dosages of other formulations may be substituted for erythromycin base.
Topical therapy for conjunctivitis is inadequate, systemic treatment is sufficient.Footnote 13

Consult with a pediatric specialist or an experienced colleague and relevant clinical guidelines when chlamydia is diagnosed in a child. Perinatally acquired C. trachomatis can persist for up to three years. Consider sexual abuse when a chlamydial infection is diagnosed in any prepubertal child.Footnote 14

Note: Suspected sexual abuse of children must be reported to the local child protection agency.

Chlamydia Is Only Contagious From Person To Person

You can only get chlamydia by having intimate sexual contact with an infected person, not from casual contact, touching another persons clothing, or consuming contaminated food or water.

The chlamydia organism lives only in human cells and cannot be transmitted by external contact, such as towels or toilet seats, Schaffir says.

Chlamydia Is Caused By Sexually Transmitted Bacteria

The bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis causes chlamydia infection, which usually occurs in the genital tract, so the cervix in women and the penis in men. In both women and men, the bacteria may also infect the rectum and the throat.

“Infections are spread during any kind of sexual activity: vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse,” says Jonathan Schaffir, MD, an ob-gyn at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.

Chlamydia trachomatis can also cause conjunctivitis if the bacteria come into contact with the eyelids or the clear membrane covering the white of the eye.

Because chlamydia infections often cause no symptoms, individuals who have one may not seek medical attention or get treated for it. However, anyone who is infected with chlamydia can pass it to other people, who can, in turn, pass it to others.

Get Chlamydia Treatment Online

The board certified doctors at PlushCare commonly prescribe antibiotics to treat chlamydia. If you have chlamydia dont delay your treatment, you can get a prescription sent to your local pharmacy today.

The doctor will work with you to determine the best medication for you to take and will check on you to ensure the care plan is working.

You can book an appointment here, or download the free PlushCare mobile app. The average appointment lasts just 15 minutes and 97% of conditions are successfully treated on the first visit.

Read on to learn more about chlamydia.

Recommended Reading: Can Your Body Fight Chlamydia On Its Own

What Is The Treatment For Chlamydia

Chlamydia can be easily cured with antibiotics. HIV-positive persons with chlamydia should receive the same treatment as those who are HIV-negative.

Persons with chlamydia should abstain from sexual activity for 7 days after single dose antibiotics or until completion of a 7-day course of antibiotics, to prevent spreading the infection to partners. It is important to take all of the medication prescribed to cure chlamydia. Medication for chlamydia should not be shared with anyone. Although medication will stop the infection, it will not repair any permanent damage done by the disease. If a persons symptoms continue for more than a few days after receiving treatment, he or she should return to a health care provider to be reevaluated.

Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. Women whose sex partners have not been appropriately treated are at high risk for re-infection. Having multiple chlamydial infections increases a womans risk of serious reproductive health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. Women and men with chlamydia should be retested about three months after treatment of an initial infection, regardless of whether they believe that their sex partners were successfully treated.

Infants infected with chlamydia may develop ophthalmia neonatorum and/or pneumonia. Chlamydial infection in infants can be treated with antibiotics.

How Is Chlamydia Treated

Chlamydia can be easily treated with a short course of antibiotics. You may be able to take all the antibiotics in one day, or over a week, depending on the type of treatment you are prescribed.

Its important to not have sex until you and your current sexual partner/s have finished treatment. If youve had the one-day course of treatment, you should avoid having sex for seven days afterwards. Ask your healthcare professional when its safe to have sex again.

Remember that if youve been treated for chlamydia you are not immune and you can get infected again.

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Is It Possible My Chlamydia Was Not Fully Treated Three Years Ago

bri_t03 asks:

My boyfriend and I have been together for 4 years and we have 2 children together. When I found out I was pregnant with our first child I also found out I had Chlamydia. I got treated and so did he. Just last week I got my yearly check up and I have Chlamydia again! I have been completely faithful to my boyfriend and he said he has been completely faithful to me. I do believe him! Is it possible either my boyfriend or I was not fully treated three years ago? How could I have gotten infected again?

Red replies:

Before I answer your questions, Id like to commend you for even getting yourself to the doctor for your yearly check up Im also glad that your gynecologist tested you for Chlamydia because the CDC recommends yearly Chlamydia testing for all sexually active women under 25.

How could you have gotten infected again? You got infected the way everyone does – through sex.

What now?

1. Please have your boyfriend see a doctor and be tested and treated appropriately.

2. Abstain from sex until both of you have completed treatment and are symptom free. After you complete treatment and are symptom free, have protected sex until you get retested and get a clean bill of health .

4. To maintain your sexual health, continue to see your gynecologist on a yearly basis . Continue to get screened for sexually transmitted infections yearly.

Good luck and good health to you.

For more info, check out the links below:

How Do You Prevent Chlamydia

How I Got 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.

Also Check: Is Chlamydia Medication Over The Counter

Untreated Chlamydia In Men

Chlamydia can mostly go unnoticed in men as most of them are asymptomatic. The most common symptoms include discharge from the penis, pain on urination and swelling of testicles. Chlamydia also goes undetected in men like in women that might lead to complications in men too. Untreated Chlamydia can cause internal scarring of genitals, low sperm count with decrease in fertile sperms and also can lead to additional health conditions. These can be prevented with antibiotic treatment.

Untreated Chlamydia can lead to infertility in men by interfering with the sperm count and also abnormalities with genetic material. It causes damage to the sperms and causes scarring of the reproductive tract and may lead to permanent infertility. Men infected with Chlamydia have shown sperms with 80% more physical abnormalities and 10% less motility in 10%. Also males infected with Chlamydia are at increased risk of developing rheumatological conditions, conjunctivitis, urethritis , epididymitis and sexually acquired reactive arthritis . Reactive arthritis causes inflammation of the joints, eyes and urethra. There is no cure of SARA, but it improves over a period of few months and is symptomatically treated with NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen.

Thus, one should avoid high risk sexual behavior and should follow up regularly with a doctor for STD testing, and if detected positive should complete antibiotic course.

Also Read:

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:

Talk openly. Parents can start by talking with their kids about sex and sexual health early, giving the kids accurate information she says. When having these conversations, dont try to frighten children into practicing abstinence or safe sex. Its pretty common for parents to use STIs to talk about what can happen if you have sex or unprotected sex. But using STIs as a scare tactic is not effective, she says. It just makes the kids feel more frightened, more stigmatized, and terrible if they really do get one.

Ensure access to condoms. Parents are often focused on preventing pregnancy, says Dombrowski, which can be achieved with various contraceptives besides condoms. Parents should also think about kids having access to condoms for the prevention of chlamydia and other STIs, she says. Parents can leave condoms lying around where kids will find them, without saying much of anything about the condoms, she suggests.

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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.

Young Sexually Active Women Are Most Susceptible

Women between ages 15 and 24 are most likely to be newly infected with chlamydia, according to the CDC, but anyone who is sexually active male or female can be infected. Men who have oral or anal sex with men are also at risk, notes the CDC. The CDC recommends regular chlamydia screenings for people at an increased risk of contracting it.

You should be screened annually for chlamydia if you are:

A sexually active woman under age 25
A woman age 25 or older who has multiple sexual partners
A woman whose sexual partner may have multiple sexual partners
Pregnant and under age 25 or pregnant and age 25 or older with an increased risk
A man who has sex with men
At an increased risk for other health reasons

I would emphasize that young women should be screened if they engage in any sexual behavior that puts them at risk because often has no symptoms, and early treatment is important to avoid long-term damage and infertility, Dr. Schaffir says.

Screening for chlamydia is painless: It usually involves testing a urine sample or a specimen swabbed from the vagina or penis. Some lab tests for chlamydia can use specimens from the throat or rectum.

Read Also: What Test Is Done For Chlamydia

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.

Getting A Medical Diagnosis

1Be aware of the symptoms and signs of chlamydia. Although chlamydia often presents few symptoms in its early stages, its important to be aware of any symptoms you may exhibit. Consult your doctor for a definitive diagnosis if you notice any signs of chlamydia, especially if youve engaged in unprotected sex.

Both men and women can contract chlamydia and repeat infection is common.XTrustworthy SourceCenters for Disease Control and PreventionMain public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human ServicesGo to source

The early stage of a chlamydial infection often has little symptoms and even when signs are present, usually within 1 to 3 weeks after infection, they may be mild.XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world’s leading hospitalsGo to source

Common symptoms of chlamydia are: painful urination, lower abdominal pain, vaginal discharge in women, discharge from the penis in men, painful sexual intercourse, bleeding between periods and after sex in women, or testicular pain in men.XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world’s leading hospitalsGo to source

Tell your doctor about the symptoms you’re experiencing, signs of chlamydia that you’ve noticed, as well as if youve had unprotected sex.

In some cases, a urine sample may detect a chlamydia infection.XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world’s leading hospitalsGo to source

Am I At Risk For Chlamydia

Anyone who has sex can get chlamydia through unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex. However, sexually active young people are at a higher risk of getting chlamydia. This is due to behaviors and biological factors common among young people. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are also at risk since chlamydia can spread through oral and anal sex.

Have an honest and open talk with your health care provider. Ask whether you should be tested for chlamydia or other STDs. If you are a sexually active woman younger than 25 years, you should get a test for chlamydia every year. If you are an older woman with risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has an STD, you should get a test for chlamydia every year. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men as well as pregnant women should also get tested for chlamydia.

Your Chlamydia Was Poorly Treated Or Left Untreated

HOW I GOT CHLAMYDIA

Its possible to have chlamydia infection with no symptoms of the disease. In some women and men, it could take weeks for chlamydia signs to appear. If you just started having symptoms, purchase chlamydia kit to know if its chlamydia or not.

Poorly treated chlamydia, either due to wrong antibiotics or not completing your doctors prescribed medications, may cause chlamydia to persist with resistance.

If you have chlamydia symptoms months after treatment, it is advisable to let your doctor know ASAP.

Also Check: How Long Should I Wait To Get Tested For Chlamydia

How Chlamydia Is Treated

Chlamydia can usually be treated easily with antibiotics.

You may be given a course of doxycycline to take for a week or azithromycin to take once a day for 3 days.

If you have doxycycline, you should not have sex until you and your current sexual partner have finished treatment.

If you have azithromycin, you should wait 7 days after treatment before having sex .

It’s important that your current sexual partner and any other recent sexual partners you have had are also tested and treated to help stop the spread of the infection.

Under-25s who have chlamydia should be offered another test 3 to 6 months after being treated.

This is because young adults who test positive for chlamydia are at increased risk of catching it again.

Sexual health or genitourinary medicine clinics can help you contact your sexual partners.

Either you or the clinic can speak to them, or they can be sent a note advising them to get tested.

The note will not have your name on it, so your confidentiality will be protected.

Is It Possible To Prevent Chlamydia

Since most people who have the infection do not have symptoms and may not be aware they are infected, it is commonly spread, and it can be difficult to prevent the infection. Male condoms can reduce the risk of spreading or acquiring the infection. Having a mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested or treated also reduces the risk of contracting chlamydia infection.

Symptoms Can Differ For Men And Women

By and large, most cases of chlamydia are asymptomatic they are picked up by screening, which is why it’s so important to have good screening programs in place, notes Dr. Stoner. Men or women who have chlamydia symptoms may experience painful urination.

Women may also have these symptoms:

Smelly discharge from the cervix
Pain during sex

And men may have these symptoms:

Discharge from the penis

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