Chlamydia Symptoms All Women Should Know
Chlamydia, an STI caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, is most prevalent in women under 25, but any sexually active person is at risk. Its actually really common in both men and women, and can be spread via vaginal, , or oral sex. Unfortunately, chlamydia symptoms can be easy to miss.
The STI is sometimes called a silent infection, meaning that most people dont experience symptoms, according to the CDC. This is especially problematic for women. If chlamydia is left untreated, it can spread to the uterus and fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease. Both PID and untreated chlamydia can cause permanent scarring in the reproductive organs, blocking sperm and eggs from meeting and leading to infertility. In fact, about 25 percent of infertility cases are due to obstructed fallopian tubes, Meike L. Uhler, M.D., a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist at the Fertility Centers of Illinois, tells SELF. In some cases, this can be fixed surgically. In others, it cannot be reversed.
Pregnant women with chlamydia are more likely to deliver prematurely, and can pass the infection to their babies, causing eye infection or pneumonia.
Lots of things can change how your discharge looks, smells, and feels. A smelly, yellow-green color can be an indication of an infection like chlamydia.
Especially if the infection has been left untreated for a while and has caused PID, you may experience lower abdominal pain.
How To Help Avoid Oral Chlamydia
The most effective way to avoid getting oral chlamydia is to refrain from engaging in any form of sexual activity. However, its understandable that this prevention method may not be ideal or realistic for many people.
If youre in need of chlamydia testing, visit Solv today to browse and locate chlamydia testing providers in your area. Solv can help you find a walk-in clinic in your area that offers same-day STD testing, as well as lab testing for other health conditions.
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.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Chlamydia
Chlamydia is known as one of the silent diseases which can produce no symptoms for a long period of time. Approximately 7095 percent of women and 50 percent of men with chlamydia do not observe chlamydia symptoms at all. The symptoms can also be mild and almost unnoticeable.
Another reason why symptoms are not the best way to determine the infection is that it is often confused with gonorrhea as the symptoms are very much alike. Asymptomatic nature of chlamydia makes it difficult to estimate how long a person remains infectious and this period is commonly believed to last until full recovery.
Chlamydia symptoms show up between 1 and 3 weeks after the contraction.
How Do You Get Oral Chlamydia
You increase your risk of getting oral pharyngeal chlamydial infections by not using protection or having multiple sexual partners. One study looked into the rates of oral chlamydia infection in heterosexuals who had known or suspected genital infection and reported recent unprotected oral sex. It found that 7% of women and almost 3% of men had positive throat swabs .
Not only can you get an oral chlamydia infection from oral sex, but if you have pharyngeal chlamydia, you may infect the genitals of a partner. One study found that 3.5% of MSW whose only exposure in the past three months was receiving fellatio from a woman were positive for urethral chlamydia .
Another study found that close to 5% of MSM whose only exposure in the past three months was receiving fellatio from a man were positive for urethral chlamydia .
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What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia In The Throat
Many people who contract oral chlamydia have no symptoms. Some people may experience only a sore throat and think they have the flu or a cold. Other possible symptoms of a pharyngeal infection with chlamydia bacteria include mouth pain, oral sores , or pain in the throat when swallowing. In rare cases, chlamydia bumps on the tongue have also been seen. If you are experiencing white spots on the back of the throat, it is highly suggested to get it checked out by a 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.
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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.
What You Need To Know About Symptoms Treatment And More
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria. It is known as the silent and most common STI as well as one of the most easily spread.
The human body is home to many bacteria that are not necessarily bad. However, there is a specific species that can cause harm. Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial species that affects both men and women and can harm the mouth, throat, nose, and even the eyes. It can be cured, but it is important to know the signs that you might have oral chlamydia so that you can take the right precautions. This fast and easy guide will tell you all you need to know about chlamydia of the mouth and throat and how to treat it.
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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 It Looks Like
Symptoms of oral chlamydia look very similar to tonsillitis or strep throat. The throat will be red, and the tonsils will be swollen. White spots might appear on the back of the throat. In addition, a person might feel swollen lymph nodes on the sides of the neck.
The most accurate way to know whether you have oral chlamydia is through swab testing. Testing for chlamydia outside of the genital area is not a routine part of STD screening, which means that throat infections can go undiagnosed and untreated.
Untreated chlamydia of the throat could be a reason for the ongoing spread of the disease.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Chlamydia In Men
Most cases of chlamydia in men have no symptoms. Current estimates indicate that only 10% of men develop symptoms of chlamydiathese symptoms do not show up immediately when they do occur. It usually takes around 510 days after exposure to chlamydia for symptoms to begin. When symptoms or other health problems develop, chlamydia is referred to as a sexually transmitted disease .
The symptoms discussed here refer to those that cis-gendered men may experience. If you are a transgender man, depending on your anatomy, the symptoms related to you may be described here or in our related article on women and chlamydia. The body parts discussed here are the urethra, epididymis, prostate, lymph nodes, rectum, and throat.
How Is Chlamydia Infection Diagnosed
Doctors have several tests they can use to screen for chlamydia. Note that screening for chlamydia in the throat isnt a part of usual STI testing.
If youve had a sore throat that doesnt seem to go away or have a partner that youve had oral sex with who tested positive for chlamydia, you might want to ask your doctor about pharyngeal chlamydia screening.
Doctors can use urine samples to diagnose chlamydia, but that doesnt help them diagnose chlamydia in the throat.
As a result, a doctor may swab your throat to test for chlamydia there. They send this swab to a laboratory, which tests the specimen for the presence of DNA from the bacteria that cause chlamydia.
This test is a little tricky because the Food and Drug Administration hasnt approved a swab test for pharyngeal chlamydia. Your throat contains a lot of bacteria, and this can make it hard to pinpoint chlamydia bacteria.
When a doctor uses a swab to test for chlamydia in the throat, its possible theyre doing so in an off-label fashion. This means the FDA hasnt specifically given the OK to use the test for pharyngeal chlamydia, but some doctors think swabs can help in detection.
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Throat And Other Symptoms
Oral chlamydia infections affect the cells lining the throat. The most common symptom is a sore throat, or pharyngitis, lasting several days. This discomfort can be continuous or come and go, and swallowing may increase the discomfort. A sore throat caused by chlamydia may be accompanied by low-grade fever and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. However, most people with an oral chlamydia infection experience no symptoms, leading many to be unaware that they are infected.
- Oral chlamydia infections affect the cells lining the throat.
- The most common symptom is a sore throat, or pharyngitis, lasting several days.
How Can You Catch Chlamydia In The Mouth
Usually you get chlamydia in the throat by engaging in oral sex with a partner that has chlamydia. Chances are, like 80 percent of Americans, youve engaged in oral sex. Believe it or not, this is exactly why you should get an oral chlamydia test. Although chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, you probably wont know if you have oral chlamydia without specifically testing for it.
The area where you become infected is often linked to your sexual activity. For example, it is possible to catch oral chlamydia through performing oral sex on a partner who is carrying a genital infection. In the reverse example, if you are infected with throat chlamydia, you can spread the infection to your partners genitals.
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How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Without Knowing
Chlamydia is sometimes called a silent infection because the majority of people who have chlamydia regardless of gender never notice symptoms. People who do notice symptoms often dont recognize the signs that they have chlamydia until a few weeks after theyve been infected. Because chlamydia cases are often asymptomatic, its easy to spread chlamydia to someone else without realizing it. And its easy to miss out on receiving the treatment needed to prevent the serious complications that can result from chlamydia.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Pharyngeal Chlamydia
In the majority of cases, pharyngeal chlamydia is asymptomatic. If it does cause symptoms, they usually include sore throat or an uncomfortable feeling in the throat. However, the CDC does not consider pharyngeal chlamydia to be an important cause of pharyngitis . More likely causes include viral infections, strep throat, allergies, reflux, and others .
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Oral Chlamydia Diagnosis And Treatment
To test for oral chlamydia, most doctors will do a swab of your throat. That swab will be tested for presence of the bacteria.
In most cases, chlamydia is easy to cure. Your local or Nurx medical provider can prescribe you with antibiotics. Its important to take the full antibiotic regimen before you have sex to avoid spreading the infection to any partners.
Many people dont realize they have chlamydia since it typically does not produce any symptoms. Unfortunately, the longer you go without treatment for chlamydia, the more serious the infection will be. If the infection becomes severe, it may cause serious health complications or irreversible damage. Routine STI screenings are highly recommended, especially for sexually active young men and women.
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How Do You Get It
Throat chlamydia is contracted by giving oral sex to a person who is infected with chlamydia. You cannot get oral chlamydia from kissing someone else who has chlamydia in their throat.
By the same token, if you receive oral sex from a person with oral chlamydia, you are at high risk of developing genital chlamydia.
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Symptoms Associated With Cold Like Vomiting Fatigue Fever Etc
Vomiting can be a sign of Hepatitis A, Hepatitis C, HIV, and syphilis. Do not ignore it as if you do, and you run the risk of helping the pathogen to progress and spread more aggressively through your body.
HIV, Syphilis, and Herpes are notorious for causing headaches. A lot of people consider headaches nothing more than an inconvenience popping an Aspirin might give you some relief, but continuous headaches may be a sign of something serious, like a Sexually Transmitted Disease.
In the later stages of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia, people often complain about being extremely tired. Along with these infections, fatigue can also be caused by Hepatitis A, B, or C. Associating fatigue with having a busy lifestyle is not a good idea as it can be a symptom of a Sexually Transmitted Disease. The best thing to do in this case is to get yourself checked.
Fever happens when the body is trying to battle an infection, it is most commonly seen as a sign of the seasonal flu, but fever can also be a sign of a Sexually Transmitted Diseases like Herpes, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, HIV, etc.
How Common Is Pharyngeal Chlamydia
You may think about cold sores on the mouth caused by the herpes simplex virus , but for the most part, you probably associate other STIs with genital infections. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause burning while urinating and discharge syphilis can cause ulcers HSV can cause blisters human papillomavirus can cause warts, and so on. However, many of these STIs can also cause symptoms in other parts of the body, called extragenital infections.
Common parts of the body that are susceptible to extragenital infections are the rectum and mouth or throat since these parts of the body may also be involved in sexual contact. Being aware of infections outside the genital area is important for your sexual health, especially if you want to be screened for STIs. To truly make sure you dont have certain STIs, you cant just rely on a urine sample or vaginal swab. Instead, you need to check everywhere that may be at risk for infection.
Chlamydia is one of the STIs that can cause an extragenital infection and is sometimes found in the throat. This is sometimes called oral chlamydia or pharyngeal chlamydia. Chlamydia is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, so when you say you have pharyngeal chlamydia, it means you have an infection with the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis in the throat.
A review of the medical literature shows the rates of oral chlamydia in women, men who have sex with women , and men who have sex with men are as follows :
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