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Possible Ways To Get Chlamydia

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Sneaky Chlamydia | Do You Have It & Not Know It?

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Davina is a native of Grenada and a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. Shes a content specialist with a passion for empowering women to thrive and reach their full potential. In her free time, Davina is probably painting, reading, or baking something unnecessarily sweet.

Practice Safer Sex By Using A Condom

When used correctly, external and internal condoms help prevent the spread of many STIs during vaginal, anal and oral sex. Condoms are less effective at protecting against STIs transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, such as herpes simplex virus, genital warts ) and syphilis .

Important things to remember when using condoms:

  • Check the condom package for damage. Do not use a damaged condom
  • Check the expiry date. Do not use a condom after its expiry date
  • Carefully open the package so that the condom does not tear. Do not use a condom that has been torn
  • Keep condoms away from sharp objects such as rings, studs or piercings
  • Store condoms at room temperature
  • Use a new condom every time you have sex. Do not reuse condoms
  • Do not use 2 condoms at once. Using 2 condoms together may result in a condom breaking
  • Use only water-based lubricants with external latex condoms. Oil-based lubricants, such as petroleum jelly, lotion or baby oil, can weaken and destroy latex
  • Water or oil-based lubricant may be used with polyurethane/nitrile condoms
  • Use only condoms made of latex or polyurethane/nitrile/polyisoprene rubbers. Latex and polyurethane condoms are the best types of condoms to use to help prevent pregnancy and STIs.
  • Avoid using condoms with spermicides containing nonoxynol-9 as it can irritate tissue and may increase the chance of getting an STI

Home Remedies For Chlamydia

There are several home remedies for chlamydia, and a number of websites claim that these home remedies can cure chlamydia. While some of the home remedies have been shown to have antibacterial properties, antibiotics are the only proven cure for chlamydia. If untreated, chlamydia can lead to infertility or other serious complications.

If you experience symptoms, some of these home remedies may be effective for symptom relief, but they cant cure the infection itself.

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How Is Chlamydia Diagnosed

The most common test for chlamydia is called a nucleic acid amplification test . Your provider takes a sample of fluid by doing a vaginal/cervical swab or collecting a urine sample. Then, they send the sample off to a lab to check for the bacteria that causes chlamydia. Your provider may do the test in an office, or they may ask you to do an at-home chlamydia test. Follow your providers instructions carefully to ensure you get accurate test results.

Because most chlamydia cases are asymptomatic, its important to get screened for chlamydia even if you dont notice any signs of infection. The CDC recommends that sexually active cisgender women who are high-risk for chlamydia get screened regularly. Women, more so than men, experience the most severe complications from chlamydia. Transgender men and nonbinary individuals with vaginas should be screened regularly, too, as they can experience the same complications of chlamydia.

Youre considered high-risk if you:

  • Are under 25.
  • Have had chlamydia infections previously.

Cisgender men, or trans and nonbinary individuals with penises, should be screened for chlamydia if:

  • They live in a setting where chlamydia spreads frequently, like correctional facilities, adolescent clinics and sexual health clinics.
  • They have sex with other men.

Whats The Worst That Could Happen

Preventing STDs

For women, a chlamydia infection can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease , an infection of parts of the reproductive system like the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. That means if you have chlamydia and you dont get it treated, you might not be able to have babies if and when you want to. PID can also lead to problems like chronic pelvic pain or ectopic pregnancy.

In men, untreated chlamydia may spread to the testicles, causing pain, and in rare cases, infertility.

Chlamydia infection also increases your likelihood of getting HIV. Pregnant women who have chlamydia can pass it on to their babies during birth, which could cause blindness or lung damage.

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Male Complications Of Untreated Chlamydia

Men can also experience complications when chlamydia is left untreated. The epididymis the tube that holds the testicles in place may become inflamed, causing pain. This is known as epididymitis.

The infection can also spread to the prostate gland, causing a fever, painful intercourse, and discomfort in the lower back. Another possible complication is male chlamydial urethritis.

These are just some of the most common complications of untreated chlamydia, which is why its important to get medical attention right away. Most people who get treatment quickly have no long-term medical problems.

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Can You Develop A Chlamydia Infection On Your Own

Fortunately, you canât contract chlamydia on your own because it spreads through sexual contact with other people.

Chlamydia bacteria does, however, thrive in vaginal fluid, semen, and pre-ejaculate . For that reason, using a latex condom properly during sexual intercourse and avoiding any kind of unprotected sex is the best way to protect yourself from developing or passing on a chlamydia infection. Caution is important, but fear is unnecessary: you donât need to worry about contracting chlamydia from kissing someone or sitting on a public toilet seat.

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How Soon Can I Have Sex Again

Dont have oral, vaginal or anal sex, or use sex toys, until you and your partner have both finished the treatment and any symptoms have gone. This is to help prevent you being re-infected or passing the infection on to someone else.

If youre given antibiotic treatment called azithromycin, youll still need to avoid sex for seven days after starting the treatment as thats how long it takes to work.

Who Is Most Likely To Get Chlamydia

What Is Chlamydia Symptoms and Treatment

Chlamydia is most common among:

  • People under age 25
  • People who have more than one sexual contact
  • People whose sexual contact have more than one sexual contact
  • People who do not use condoms
  • People with a history of STIs

Talk to your health care provider if you think you might be at risk for chlamydia.

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How Can I Protect Myself From Chlamydia

The only way to avoid getting chlamydia is to abstain from having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has a chlamydia infection. And be sure that sex toys that carry the bacteria dont come in contact with your genitals.

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:

  • Use condoms during intercourse, anal sex and oral sex.
  • Use dental dams during oral sex or vagina-to-vagina contact.
  • 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.

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.

Read Also: Can Chlamydia Be Cured On Its Own

What If I Don’t Get Treated

The initial damage that chlamydia causes often goes unnoticed. However, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems.

If you are a woman, untreated chlamydia can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes . This can cause pelvic inflammatory disease . PID often has no symptoms, however some women may have abdominal and pelvic pain. Even if it doesn’t cause symptoms initially, PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive system and can lead to long-term pelvic pain, inability to get pregnant, and potentially deadly pregnancy outside the uterus.

Men rarely have health problems linked to chlamydia. Infection sometimes spreads to the tube that carries sperm from the testicles, causing pain and fever. Rarely, chlamydia can prevent a man from fathering children. Untreated chlamydia may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV – the virus that causes AIDS.

How Is Chlamydia Spread

Chlamydia sex infection vaccine passes safety test

You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has chlamydia.

If your sex partner is male you can still get chlamydia even if he does not ejaculate .

If youve had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can still get infected again. This can happen if you have unprotected sex with someone who has chlamydia.

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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 Do You Get Tested

There are several different reliable tests for chlamydia. Newer tests, called NAATs , are very accurate and easy to take. Your healthcare provider can explain what testing options are available . If you dont have a regular healthcare provider, you can search here for a clinic near you.

People infected with chlamydia are often also infected with gonorrhea, so patients with chlamydia are often treated for gonorrhea at the same time, since the cost of treatment is generally less than the cost of testing.

If you live in Alaska, Maryland, or Washington, D.C., you can have a free at-home chlamydia test. Visit iwantthekit.org for more information.

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How Did I Get Chlamydia If I Didn’t Cheat

17 Nov 2021

Most people dont expect to experience symptoms of a new sexually transmitted disease when theyre in a committed, monogamous relationship. If this does happen, your first instinct could be to think that your partner has cheated on you. But although rare, its actually possible to have new symptoms of an STD, such as chlamydia, even if no one has cheated. How can this happen?

What Happens If Chlamydia Isn`t Treated

The chlamydia song

Not all people with Chlamydia will experience any complications. If the infection gets treatment early, it won`t probably cause any long-term damages. Still, with no treatment Chlamydia will spread to other body parts. The more times you get infected with it, the more like it is for you to experience complications.

  • In men this condition may lead to an infection of the testicles and maybe even infertility.
  • In women this infection may lead to inflammation and pain around the liver. With proper treatment, this usually gets better in time.
  • In women this medical condition may spread to other important body organs leading to PID. In turn, this may lead to long-term damages, such as ectopic pregnancy, pelvic pain, infertility and blocked fallopian tubes.
  • In both man and women More rarely, this infection may lead to joint inflammation. This is also known as SARA and it`s on occasion accompanied by eye and urethral inflammation. It occurs more rarely in women than men.

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How Does It Spread

Trichomoniasis is caused by a parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis that can live in semen or vaginal fluids. It spreads during unprotected anal, oral, or vaginal sex, usually between a man and a woman or between two women. Keep in mind that a man doesnt have to ejaculate to give his partner the parasite. In can also be spread by sharing sex toys.

In men, the parasite usually infects the urethra inside the penis. In women, it can infect the:

  • vagina

70 percent of people with the infection dont show any symptoms.

People can also carry the parasite for many months without knowing it. This means that your partner may have gotten it from a past relationship and only just started showing symptoms. It also means that you might have developed an infection in a past relationship and unknowingly passed it to your current partner.

Still, theres always a slim chance that you or your partner developed it from something nonsexual, such as:

  • Toilets. Trichomoniasis can be picked up from a toilet seat if its damp. Using an outdoor toilet may be an added risk, since it puts you in closer contact with others urine and feces.
  • In from Zambia, the parasite spread through bathwater that was used by multiple girls.
  • Public pools. The parasite can spread if the water in the pool isnt cleaned.
  • Clothing or towels. Its possible to spread the parasite if you share damp clothing or towels with someone.

How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Getting Chlamydia

The only way to completely avoid STDs is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

If you are sexually active, the following things can lower your chances of getting chlamydia:

  • Being in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and does not have chlamydia and
  • Using condoms the right way every time you have sex.

Read Also: How Can A Guy Tell If He Has Chlamydia

What If My Std Test Is Negative

If you get a negative test result, it means that the tests did not find an STI. Each STI has a window period. This is the time between when a person comes in contact with an STI, and when the STI will show up on a test. If the test is taken too soon after contact there is a chance that a test result is not accurate.

Im Pregnant How Does Chlamydia Affect My Baby

Can a Treated STD Come Back?

If you are pregnant and have chlamydia, you can give the infection to your baby during delivery. This can cause an eye infection or pneumonia in your baby. Having chlamydia may also make it more likely to deliver your baby early.

If you are pregnant, you should receive testing for chlamydia at your first prenatal visit. Talk to your healthcare provider about getting the correct examination, testing, and treatment. Testing and treatment are the best ways to prevent health problems.

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Are There Complications Of Chlamydia

Chlamydia can cause serious complications if it isnt treated promptly and properly.

Untreated chlamydia can trigger arthritis, skin rashes, and inflammation in the eye or rectum.

For women, chlamydia can spread into the uterus and the fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease . This can cause problems with pregnancy, such as ectopic pregnancy. Women with untreated chlamydia have up to a 1 in 12 chance of becoming infertile. In men, chlamydia can spread to the testicles and the tubes that carry sperm, causing pain and fertility problems.

Pregnant women who are infected with chlamydia have a higher chance of miscarriage or premature birth. Their babies may also get an eye or lung infection. You can read more about chlamydia and pregnancy here.

What Are The Treatments For Chlamydia

Antibiotics will cure the infection. You may get a one-time dose of the antibiotics, or you may need to take medicine every day for 7 days. Antibiotics cannot repair any permanent damage that the disease has caused.

To prevent spreading the disease to your partner, you should not have sex until the infection has cleared up. If you got a one-time dose of antibiotics, you should wait 7 days after taking the medicine to have sex again. If you have to take medicine every day for 7 days, you should not have sex again until you have finished taking all of the doses of your medicine.

It is common to get a repeat infection, so you should get tested again about three months after treatment.

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