What Is The Treatment For Chlamydia
There are antibiotic treatments that are effective in treating chlamydia. A healthcare provider will decide which antibiotic is prescribed, taking into consideration the particular needs of the patient.
Whatever treatment is prescribed, there are some important points about any treatment:
- The patient must take all medications as directed.
- All partners should be examined and treated.
- The infected person should not have sex until they and any partner or partners have been treated and cured.
- People who show symptoms after treatment should be tested again.
- Women should be retested three to four months after treatment because of a high rate of reinfection.
- Because the symptoms of chlamydia are similar to the symptom of gonorrhea, and because a person can be infected with both, doctors will sometimes go ahead and treat people with chlamydia for both infections . Remember, partners should be examined for infection and treated as well to avoid reinfection.
Transmission From Mother To Child During Pregnancy
Babies do not have sexual contact, but still get HPV from their infected moms. In fact, a pregnant mother with HPV can pass the virus on to her child during birth. But, the chances of that happening are very low. And, even if your child gets HPV, their body can eliminate the virus on its own. In rare cases, a mother with genital warts can pass the infection on to their child. As a result, the child may get warts in their throat.
You can still have HPV without having sex, such as by kissing and more. Although the infection is common, it can lead to serious health problems if untreated. So, if you have HPV, consult a doctor for appropriate treatment. Usually, HPV causes warts on the human skinand sometimes lead to discomfort. To get rid of warts, you can use topical antiviral medications. Vidarox is one of the best antiviral, natural creams for genital warts. It can help remove the warts and prevent them from coming back. Many sufferers also use Vidarox to stop the spreading of HPV infections. You can buy it at some drugstores or even online. To avoid getting HPV, watch out for the above ways of transmission. Besides, practice safe sex and avoid skin contact with infected people.
How Does Someone Get Chlamydia
Chlamydia is passed through oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Chlamydia can be passed from one person to another even if the penis or tongue does not go all the way into the vagina or anus.Eye infections can occur when discharge caries the disease into the eye during sex or hand-to-eye contact.
Chlamydia can also be passed from mother to newborn as the baby passes through the infected birth canal. This can result in eye infections, pneumonia or other complications.
Recommended Reading: How Long Can You Leave Chlamydia Untreated
Chlamydia Can Be Prevented
The most effective way to avoid getting a sexually transmitted infection is to not have sex. However, if you wish to have sexual contact, you can reduce your risk of infection with these actions:
- Minimizing the number of partners with whom you have intimate contact
- Asking your partners to get screened for STDs before engaging in sexual activity
- Always using latex condoms when having intercourse of any kind
Additional reporting by Ingrid Strauch.
Ways You Can Catch An Sti Without Having Sex
All STIs and STDs are passed sexually, right? Wrong. In addition to transmission through sexual intercourse, there are other ways in which infections can be passed which you should be aware of. Whether an STI is passed sexually or non-sexually, it will have the same consequences if left untreated.
Maybe youre aware that sexually transmitted infections can be passed in varying ways, or maybe this is new to you. Either way, its worth reading up on other ways in which STIs can be transmitted. The more clued up you are about how infections can be contracted, the easier it is to know how to take care of your sexual health and keep yourself safe.
Recommended Reading: How To Know You Have Chlamydia
How To Treat Chlamydia
If you do get chlamydia, the good news is that it is easily curable. Your care provider will likely prescribe a single dose of azithromycin or a course of doxycycline, which you will take twice daily for a week. Its much better to get treatment as soon as you suspect you may have chlamydia to prevent serious symptoms.
You should take the full course of medications as prescribed, even if your symptoms seem to clear up early. This makes sure your body is totally free of the infection. Your care provider may like to perform an additional STI test after you complete the course of treatment to confirm that your chlamydia is gone.
After successful treatment, you can catch chlamydia again. Taking preventative measures such as using condoms will reduce the risks though. Some medical teams suggest postponing sex until a week after you finish treatment to make sure the infection is really gone.
How Can You Protect Yourself From Getting Chlamydia
The only method that is 100% effective in preventing STDs is abstinence, but if youre sexually active, the best way to avoid chlamydia is to be mutually monogamous with someone who has testednegative for chlamydia. Condoms give good protection against chlamydia during vaginal sex and during oral sex on a male. Its important for both partners to get tested because its easy to get re-infected if one partner still has it. If you test positive for chlamydia, get tested again three months later to make sure you dont have it again. If youre sexually active and under 25, you should get tested for chlamydia every year better safe than sorry.
For protection against chlamydia during oral sex on a female, you can use a dental dam as a barrier between the mouth and vulva. A dental dam is a thin square of latex that is placed over a womans vulva before her partner performs oral sex on her and acts as a barrier between the vulva and the mouth. They are sold in some stores, but you can make your own dental dam using a latex glove or a male condom. For protection against Chlamydia during any type of anal sex , you can use a female condom.
Don’t Miss: The Difference Between Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
Chlamydia Is Common But Many People Dont Realize They Have It
About 1.7 million chlamydia infections were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017, but the real number is likely higher because chlamydia is considered an underreported infection.
“The number of reported cases is substantially lower than the true estimated incidence,” says Bradley Stoner, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and former president of the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association.
The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System relies on state and local public health departments to collect and report data on chlamydia to the CDC. Those public health departments depend on individual physicians, hospitals, and laboratories to report cases of chlamydia to them. Accurate statistics require all parties to routinely comply with disease-reporting mandates.
How Do You Catch Chlamydia
- Through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex with someone who has the infection
- Infected semen or vaginal fluids getting into your eyes
- Sharing sex toys that have not been washed or covered with a new condom every time they are used
- Your genitals touching someone elses genitals even if there is no penetration, orgasm or ejaculation
Pregnant women can also pass the infection to their baby during childbirth, which means that their baby could develop an eye infection such as conjunctivitis or a lung infection like pneumonia.
You May Like: How Long For Symptoms Of Chlamydia To Show Up
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.
All Possible Ways To Get Chlamydia
Ask U.S. doctors your own question and get educational, text answers â it’s anonymous and free!
Ask U.S. doctors your own question and get educational, text answers â it’s anonymous and free!
HealthTap doctors are based in the U.S., board certified, and available by text or video.
You May Like: How Easy Is It To Get Rid Of Chlamydia
What Can Happen If Chlamydia Is Not Treated
Untreated chlamydia can cause serious health problems in women, including:
- , an infection of a woman’s reproductive organs. PID can lead to chronic pelvic pain, pregnancy problems, and infertility . Untreated chlamydia is a common cause of PID. It affects about 10% to 15% of women with untreated chlamydia.
- Increased risk of getting HIV from sexual activity
How Do You Get Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection. The bacteria are usually spread through sex or contact with infected genital fluids .
You can get chlamydia through:
- unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex
- sharing sex toys that are not washed or covered with a new condom each time they’re used
- your genitals coming into contact with your partner’s genitals this means you can get chlamydia from someone even if there’s no penetration, orgasm or ejaculation
- infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eye
It can also be passed by a pregnant woman to her baby.
Chlamydia cannot be passed on through casual contact, such as kissing and hugging, or from sharing baths, towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or cutlery.
Recommended Reading: Azithromycin 500mg Tablets For Chlamydia
Do I Need To Get Tested For Chlamydia
- If you are 24 or younger and have sex, you need to get tested for chlamydia. Chlamydia is most common in women between 15 and 24 years old. You need to get tested if you have had any symptoms of chlamydia since your last negative test result or if your sex partner has chlamydia.
- If you are older than 24, you need to get tested if, in the past year or since your last test, you:
- Had a new sex partner
- Had your sex partner tell you they have chlamydia
- Traded sex for money or drugs
- Have had chlamydia or another STI in the past
- Did not use condoms during sex and are in a relationship that is not monogamous, meaning you or your partner has sex with other people
You also need to be tested if you are pregnant or if you have any symptoms of chlamydia.
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.
Also Check: How Do I Get Chlamydia Medication
More About Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
For women, one of the most serious complications from untreated chlamydia is pelvic inflammatory disease .
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 1020% of women with untreated chlamydia and gonorrhea infections may develop PID. And 1 in 8 women with a history of PID experience difficulties getting pregnant. PID can also cause ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain.
Like chlamydia, it is possible for a woman to have PID and not have any symptoms, or have symptoms too mild to notice, for an unknown period of time. If symptoms do occur, they could include:
- Dull pain or tenderness in the lower abdomen
- Burning or pain when you urinate
- Nausea and vomiting
- Increased or changed vaginal discharge
- Pain during sex
When Can I Have Sex Again
You should not have sex again until you and your sex partner have completed treatment. If your doctor prescribes a single dose of medication, you should wait seven days after taking the medicine before having sex. If your doctor prescribes a medicine for you to take for seven days, you should wait until you have taken all the doses before having sex.
Recommended Reading: What Type Of Antibiotic Is Used For Chlamydia
How Easily Is Chlamydia Transmitted During Sexual Intercourse
Unfortunately, chlamydia is very easily transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. This is especially true because chlamydia infections are sometimes asymptomaticâmeaning they donât cause noticeable symptoms.
In fact, any time you come in contact with the bacteriaâeven if your sex partner doesnât ejaculate or you arenât fully penetratedâyou could become infected or pass along the chlamydial infection. This being the case, men and women should get tested for STIs before beginning any new sexual relationship.
Essential Facts About Chlamydia
Chlamydia often causes no symptoms in the short term, but it can have serious health consequences if it goes untreated.
If youre sexually active, you should know about chlamydia, a common sexually transmitted bacterial infection. These 10 facts will bring you up to speed on whos at risk, why regular screening is so important, and how to avoid getting chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections .
Don’t Miss: How Much Does A Chlamydia Treatment Cost
Can Chlamydia Be Prevented
The only sure way to prevent chlamydia is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading chlamydia. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia
Many people with chlamydia dont have any symptoms. If you do get symptoms, you may not notice them until several weeks after infection. Other people might not have any symptoms for several months.
Signs of chlamydia in women include:
- increase in vaginal discharge
- pain or burning when urinating
- pain during sex and/or bleeding after sex
- pain in the lower stomach especially when having sex
- bleeding between periods and/or heavier periods.
Signs of chlamydia in men include:
- white, cloudy or watery discharge from the penis
- pain or burning when urinating
- pain and/or swelling in the testicles.
You can also get chlamydia infection in your anus, eyes and throat. For both men and women, this can cause pain, discharge or bleeding in the anus, or inflammation of the eye . Chlamydia in the throat does not usually have any symptoms.
You May Like: Rapid Test For Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
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.
Probability Of Chlamydia Transmission
If someone knows or suspects they have been exposed to chlamydia, they should get tested as soon as possible, so that they can have the infection diagnosed and treated if necessary. They should also abstain from sexual activities until they have been tested and received the all-clear.
That said, if someone has had unprotected sex with an infected person, it does not necessarily mean they definitely have chlamydia.
Estimated transmission rates tend to vary and, as discussed above, the likelihood of infection depends on the sexual act performed but Professor Victoria von Sadovszky, an expert from the Ohio State University College of Nursing, states that the transmission rate from a single unprotected exposure is thought to be around 25 percent.
Other estimates put the male-to-female transmission rate from one sexual instance at 40 percent and the female-to-male transmission rate at 32 percent.
Obviously, the more someone has sex with an infected person, the higher the chances of transmission become.
Using barrier protection can reduce the chances of picking up the infection dramatically. Provided they are used accordingly, condoms are thought to be 99 percent effective at reducing the transmission of STIs.
Find out more about preventing chlamydia transmission on our information page.
Also Check: What’s The Best Antibiotic For Chlamydia
Can Chlamydia Be Cured
Yes, chlamydia can be cured with the right treatment. It is important that you take all of the medication your doctor prescribes to cure your infection. When taken properly it will stop the infection and could decrease your chances of having complications later on. You should not share medication for chlamydia with anyone.
Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. You should be tested again about three months after you are treated, even if your sex partner was treated.