How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Without Knowing
If youve had intercourse with an infected man or woman, chlamydia symptoms may appear between 1 3 weeks after contact.
However, you may still be asymptomatic after a chlamydia infection. This is because chlamydia can be silent or dormant for months and years without showing symptoms.
In men, about 50 70 percent will show symptoms of chlamydia while only 30 50 percent of women will be symptomatic. Absent symptoms of chlamydia do not mean absent infection. You should take chlamydia test to confirm if you have the infection or not.
What Are The Long Term Effects Of Chlamydia
Long term effects of chlamydia in women 1 Pelvic inflammatory disease Pelvic inflammation disease can occur from untreated chlamydia infections. 2 Infertility. 3 Ectopic pregnancy. 4 Miscarriage. 5 Premature low birth weight babies. 6 Increased chance of contacting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
What Happens If Chlamydia Goes Untreated For 2 Years
In most cases, chlamydia symptoms will occur within weeks of exposure. Chlamydia symptoms usually appear within one to three weeks after being infected. They can range in severity levels.
Different cases of chlamydia can progress at different rates. If left untreated, some cases of chlamydia could cause important symptoms and even complications in just a few months, while others could take a longer time such as 2 years before any complications appear and cause damage to the reproductive system.
Chlamydial infections in women may spread to the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease which may damage the fallopian tubes and uterus and cause chronic pain, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. Women who have chlamydia also are at much greater risk for becoming infected with HIV. In men, complications from chlamydia are rare.
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Does Discharge From Your Penis Mean You Have Chlamydia
Not necessarily the presence of a white, cloudy or watery discharge from the end of your penis is a symptom of chlamydia in men. However, discharge can also be a sign of other issues such as:
- a urinary tract infection
- genital herpes
In cases of chlamydia other symptoms which may occur alongside penile discharge include:
- Pain when you pee
- Burning or itching in the tube that carries urine out of your body
- Painful testicles
If you have discharge it may be:
- Watery
- White
- Yellow and pus like
No discharge doesnt mean no chlamydia it’s important to remember that most cases of chlamydia are symptom-free, particularly in men. If you’ve had unprotected sex, i.e. you didnt use a condom, there’s every possibility you could have caught chlamydia. You should get tested even if you have no symptoms, so you can be sure. If chlamydia is left untreated it can cause serious health complications, including some that could affect your fertility.
Faq: How Long Can You Have Gonorrhea And Not Know
Gonorrhea symptoms normally show up between 1 and 10 days after you get the infection. Some people dont see any symptoms until after theyve had the infection for months.19-Apr-2021
How long does gonorrhea last in your system after treatment?
- The duration to cure gonorrhea actually depends on how long the person has had the infection. If the infection has not spread to the cervix or the urethra, then the infection will clear up within 2 days of starting the treatment. If the infection has spread, then it will take several days or weeks for gonorrhea to cure.
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What Happens If Chlamydia Goes Untreated
If a person is not treated for chlamydia, complications may occur. Women frequently develop pelvic inflammatory disease . PID can cause infertility , chronic pelvic pain, tubal pregnancies, and the continued spread of the disease. In men, untreated chlamydia can cause urethral infection and complications such as swollen and tender testicles. Chlamydia infection during pregnancy may result in premature rupture of membranes, preterm delivery and possible tubal pregnancy in a small percent of women. In addition, chlamydia can cause conjunctival and pneumonic infection in the newborn. Persons with a chlamydia infection have an increased chance of getting other infections such as gonorrhea or HIV.
How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Before It Does Damage
How long can you have chlamydia before it does damage? Symptoms usually appear within one to three weeks after being infected and may be very mild. If not treated, chlamydia can lead to damage to the reproductive system. In women, chlamydial infection can spread to the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease , according to the CDC.
How long can chlamydia go untreated before it causes damage? Chlamydia infection is usually asymptomatic in women, but can be treated with antibiotics when diagnosed . The estimated mean duration of untreated asymptomatic infection is more than one year in women .
What happens if you have chlamydia for too long? What happens if chlamydia goes untreated? If a person is not treated for chlamydia, complications may occur. Women frequently develop pelvic inflammatory disease . PID can cause infertility , chronic pelvic pain, tubal pregnancies, and the continued spread of the disease.
Can you have chlamydia for years? How long can you have chlamydia for? An untreated chlamydia infection can persist for several years. Although this goes for both men and women, it is believed that men are less likely to carry the bacteria for several years. If you remain infected for a long time you have an increased risk of complications.
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How To Help Partners Get Treatment
If you are not sure whether your sexual partner will seek treatment, ask your doctor for extra chlamydia medication . You can give it to them so they can be treated as soon as possible.
This is known as patient delivered partner therapy for chlamydia. Talk to your doctor to see if PDPT is right for you and your sexual partner.
Whats The Treatment For Chlamydia
Chlamydia is usually easy to get rid of. Your nurse or doctor will get you antibiotics to treat the infection. Sometimes you only have to take one dose of medication. Another chlamydia treatment lasts for 7 days. Your doctor will help you figure out which treatment is best for you.
If youre treated for chlamydia, its really important for your sexual partners to get treated also. Otherwise, you can keep passing the infection back and forth, or to other people. Sometimes your doctor will give you medicine for both you and your partner.
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Long Term Effects Of Chlamydia In Men And Women
Long term effects of chlamydia in men and women is due to poorly or untreated chlamydia infection.
Chlamydia is mostly a sexually transmitted infection and its caused by a bacteria. It can affect the mouth, vagina, urethra in both men and women. More than 50 70 percent of males and 30 50 percent of females may be asymptomatic to the infection. However, they could have long term effects of chlamydia if left untreated or poorly treated.
It is recommended that both males and females, especially pregnant women, get tested for chlamydia. If you are below 25 years, the World Health Organisation and Center For Disease Control recommends chlamydia testing at least once a year.
Worldwide, chlamydia infection affects about 2.7 percent of men and more than 4 percent of women.
How Can I Treat Chlamydia Without Going To The Doctor
The recommended treatment for chlamydia is a single dose of azithromycin 1 g taken orally or doxycycline 100 mg taken orally twice a day for 7 days. Alternative chlamydia treatments include: erythromycin base 500 mg taken 4 times a day for 7 days. erythromycin ethylsucciante 800 mg taken 4 times a day for 7 days.
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Does Your Partner Need To Get Treated Too
If you have a sexual partner, or if youve recently had sex with someone, talk with them about your chlamydia diagnosis. Theyll need to get tested and treated, too.
If your sexual partner doesnt seek treatment, theres a risk that they can transmit it back to you, even after your infection has been cured.
Treatment Of Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection And Its Complications
Doxycycline for seven days and a stat dose of azithromycin are the preferred drugs for use in the treatment of chlamydia trachomatis infection. However, the drugs are not safe in pregnancy hence the use of amoxicillin or erythromycin for seven days to treat the same disease in pregnancy. It is important to institute treatment in the early stages of the disease and also carry out retesting three weeks after completing of therapy to confirm cure from the disease more so in pregnancy to avoid occurrence of complications of the disease.
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When Can I Have Unprotected Sex After Chlamydia Treatment
Even if your chlamydia infection has been cured, its not recommended to practice unsafe sex. Having your STD treated doesnt guarantee that the infection will never come back. In fact, many people become infected with STDs multiple times because they continue to have unprotected sex with partners who have untreated STDs.
If you have a regular sexual partner, tell them about your infection so they can get treatment as well. Once youre sure you both got treated, you have to wait until the treatment has had time to be effective before you start having unprotected sex again.
What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia
Because approximately 75 percent of women and 50 percent of men have no symptoms, most people infected with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and may not seek health care. If males have symptoms, they may include urethritis and discharge from the penis in small or moderate amounts. If females have symptoms, they may include vaginal discharge and painful urination.
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How Long Does It Take To Show Up In The Throat
Symptoms of chlamydia in your throat are typically caused by having oral sex with someone whos contracted the infection.
Its much less common to notice throat symptoms, but they may still appear after a week or so, up to a few months or longer.
STI tests that look for chlamydia arent always done on the throat since its an area that does not carry the infection often. Ask your doctor for a throat swab or other chlamydia test if you think youve been exposed through oral sex.
Here are the most common symptoms of chlamydia in both people with penises and people with vulvas.
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.
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How Common Is Chlamydia
Chlamydia is among the most common STDs in the world. In the U.S. alone, over 1.5 million infections are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each year.
In Europe, chlamydia infection is the leading STD. Its the cause of acute morbidity and long-term reproductive health problems, especially in young people. The number of affected people in Europe is constantly increasing, and there are now more than 250,000 new cases each year.
Does Chlamydia Feel Like A Uti
The symptoms Urinary tract infections and chlamydia can also cause pain in the lower abdomen or pelvic region. The main symptom that chlamydia does not share with UTIs is penile or vaginal discharge. A chlamydial infection can cause a yellowish, strong-smelling vaginal discharge or a watery, milky penile discharge.
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What Exactly Causes Chlamydia
A type of bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis causes chlamydia. This bacterium can take hold in the tissues of your genitals, anus, eyes, or throat.
Its usually transmitted from one person to another during penetrative vaginal or anal sex or oral sex, although sex without penetration can also transmit it.
Chlamydia can also be transmitted to a baby during vaginal delivery if the person giving birth has an untreated chlamydia infection.
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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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 Happens If I Get Chlamydia When I’m Pregnant
- Chlamydia during pregnancy has been associated in very rare cases with problems such as premature birth, and infection of the uterus lining after the birth.
- It can be passed to the baby during the birth and before the baby is born. This can cause inflammation and discharge in the babys eye and/or pneumonia.
- You may be offered a chlamydia test as part of your antenatal care.
- Chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics when youre pregnant and when youre breastfeeding. The antibiotics wont harm the baby, but do tell the doctor or nurse that youre pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Youll be advised to have another test after you complete your treatment.
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What Increases Your Risk
Risk factors for getting chlamydia include:
- Having unprotected sex .
- Having more than one sex partner.
- Having a high-risk partner or partners. This includes people who have more than one sex partner or sex partners who have chlamydia.
- Starting sexual activity before age 18.
Any child with chlamydia needs to be seen by a doctor to determine the cause and to assess for possible sexual abuse. For more information, see the topic Child Abuse and Neglect.
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.
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Where Can I Get More Information
Health care providers with STD consultation requests can contact the STD Clinical Consultation Network . This service is provided by the National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Training Centers and operates five days a week. STDCCN is convenient, simple, and free to health care providers and clinicians. More information is available at www.stdccn.orgexternal icon.
Division of STD Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-38271-800-783-987
References
1. OFarrell N, Morison L, Moodley P, et al. Genital ulcers and concomitant complaints in men attending a sexually transmitted infections clinic: implications for sexually transmitted infections management. Sexually transmitted diseases 2008 35:545-9.
2. White JA. Manifestations and management of lymphogranuloma venereum. Current opinion in infectious diseases 2009 22:57-66.
3. Kreisel KM, Spicknall IH, Gargano JW, Lewis FM, Lewis RM, Markowitz LE, Roberts H, Satcher Johnson A, Song R, St. Cyr SB, Weston EJ, Torrone EA, Weinstock HS. Sexually transmitted infections among US women and men: Prevalence and incidence estimates, 2018. Sex Transm Dis 2021 in press.
4. CDC. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2019. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services April 2021.
5. Torrone E, Papp J, Weinstock H. Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis Genital Infection Among Persons Aged 1439 Years United States, 20072012. MMWR 2014 63:834-8.
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