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Write down your questions so you remember to ask them during your visits.
The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.
What Happens If You Dont Get Treated For Chlamydia
Even though chlamydia is common and doesnt usually cause any symptoms, it can become a big deal if its not caught and treated early.
Chlamydia can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes if it goes untreated for a long time. This can cause you to have pelvic inflammatory disease . PID can cause permanent damage that leads to pain, infertility, or ectopic pregnancy. So getting tested regularly for chlamydia really lowers your chances of getting PID.
If you have a penis, a chlamydia infection can spread to your epididymis if its left untreated, and can cause chronic joint pain. Rarely, it can make you infertile.
Having chlamydia may increase your chances of getting or spreading HIV.
If you have chlamydia during your pregnancy and dont treat it, you can pass it to your baby when youre giving birth. Chlamydia can also cause eye infections and pneumonia in newborns, and it also increases the risk of delivering your baby too early.
Testing and treatment for chlamydia is quick, easy, and the best way to avoid all of these problems.
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.
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Chlamydia Testing Process How Do They Test For Men And Women
How do Chlamydia testing works for men and women? Please read this guide to know full test process and available methods.
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection. Its caused mainly between 18 to 40 years old person and a common sexual transmitted diseases or infection which not generates symptoms. It is sexually transmitted infection affect both men and women. Women get this infection in cervix, rectum, vagina and throat and men get this infection in urethra, rectum and throat.
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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.
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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.
That Should Be Checked For Gonorrhea
Any kind of sexually active person can be contaminated with gonorrhea. Anybody with genital signs such as discharge, burning during peeing, unusual sores, or rash must quit having sex and also see a health care carrier instantly.
Additionally, any person with a dental, anal, or vaginal sex partner that has actually been just recently detected with a sexually transmitted disease ought to see a healthcare supplier for evaluation.
Some people need to be checked for gonorrhea even if they do not have signs or understand of a sex partner who has gonorrhea. Anybody who is sexually energetic ought to discuss his or her threat variables with a healthcare service provider and also ask whether she or he ought to be examined for gonorrhea or various other STDs.
CDC advises annual gonorrhea testing for all sexually active ladies younger than 25 years, along with older females with danger factors such as new or numerous sex companions, or a sex companion that has a sexually transmitted infection.
People who have gonorrhea ought to additionally be tested for various other STDs.
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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.
How Will I Know If The Chlamydia Has Affected My Fertility
Chlamydia is just one of many factors that can affect your fertility. Most people whove had chlamydia wont become infertile or have an ectopic pregnancy . If youve had chlamydia you wont normally be offered any routine tests to see if youre fertile unless you or a partner are having difficulty getting pregnant. If youre concerned, talk to your doctor or practice nurse.
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Chlamydia Symptoms & Treatment
FAST FACTS
- Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection that is normally passed on through sex without a condom or sharing sex toys with someone who has the infection.
- Using male or female condoms and dental dams during sex will help to protect you from getting chlamydia.
- Chlamydia is often symptomless however if left untreated it can lead to long-term health problems.
- Chlamydia is easily treated with antibiotics.
- Chlamydia can be passed on from mother to child during pregnancy, so its important for pregnant women to get tested.
How Do You Prevent 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.
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What’s The Treatment For Chlamydia
Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. If you take the treatment according to instructions, its over 95% effective at treating chlamydia.
- Youll be given a course of antibiotics for 3 or 7 days or sometimes up to two weeks.
- If theres a high chance you have chlamydia, treatment may be started before the results of the test are back. Youll always be given treatment if a sexual partner is found to have chlamydia.
- You may also need other treatment if complications have occurred.
- Tell the doctor or nurse if youre pregnant, or think you might be, or youre breastfeeding. This may affect the type of antibiotic youre given.
- Complementary therapies cant cure chlamydia.
How Does Chlamydia Spread
Chlamydia is spread when a person has unprotected sex with an infected person.
Because chlamydial infection often has no symptoms, many people do not realise they have the infection.
Even if you know a person well, you may not be able to tell they have an STI, because people can look healthy and still have chlamydia.
Remember, you can get chlamydia and other STIs from a new sexual partner who has in the past had sex with someone who is infected.
It can also be spread from a long-term partner who has had sex with other people.
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Is It A Urinary Tract Infection Or Chlamydia
The only way to find out is to see a doctor and have the necessary tests done. As the symptoms of a urinary tract infection , chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases can often be similar, you wont be able to know by checking any symptoms you might have against lists you can find online.
A urinary tract infection is an infection in any part of the urinary system. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract the bladder and the urethra. More seriously, the infection can spread to the kidneys or ureter. UTIs are more common in women than men.
Urinary tract infections are usually caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract through the urethra and beginning to multiply in the bladder. The E. coli bacteria is implicated in many UTIs, particularly those affecting the bladder . Other bacterial infections can cause UTI.
Chlamydia is caused by infection with the Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria.
Some of the symptoms of a UTI and chlamydia are similar, including painful urination and lower abdominal pain. However discharge from the vagina or penis is usually chlamydia or another sexually transmitted disease, rather than a UTI. Some changes to urination, including a persistent desire to urinate, urine of a cloudy appearance and urine that appears red or darker, are more associated with UTI than chlamydia.
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Just How Quickly Do Signs Appear
In males, signs and symptoms typically show up 2 to seven days after infection yet it can take as long as thirty day for signs and symptoms to start. Often, there are no signs and symptoms for individuals infected with gonorrhea 10 to 15 percent of guys and also about 80 percent of ladies may have no signs and symptoms.
People with no signs and symptoms go to risk for developing issues to gonorrhea. These people also spread this infection unknowingly.
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Nucleic Acid Amplification Test
The most common test for chlamydia, this is a simple, non-invasive test during which you collect a swab or urine sample yourself . A doctor can assist in taking a swab if you prefer.
The sample is then sent to be tested to see if there is genetic material that indicates the presence of chlamydia bacteria. Results come back quicker than the traditional culture test.
How To Treat Chlamydia
Many people just want to know how do you get rid of chlamydia. Since chlamydia is caused by a bacterial infection, treatment for chlamydia is a regimen of oral antibiotics. The most common recommended course of treatment is to prescribe doxycycline or azithromycin . The infection should clear after one to two weeks. You should never stop taking antibiotics until the recommended course is finished, even if you think the infection cleared or you are feeling better. If you do not finish the antibiotics, the infection can come back and be resistant to the antibiotics you were taking.
Is chlamydia curable? Yes, chlamydia is curable by taking the appropriate medication as directed however, repeat infections are common. You and your sexual partner should always be tested after three months of completing treatment, especially if you are unsure whether your partner received treatment.
You and your sexual partner should not have sex again until treatment is complete. You should wait at least one week after completing a prescribed single dose medication and finish all doses if you are prescribed a seven-day treatment. In some cases, the infection may still be present so you should wait until you and your partner are sure the disease is no longer present.
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What Does Chlamydia Look Like In The Mouth
Chlamydia in the throat may take on a similar appearance to a throat infection. The throat may simply look red and swollen.
Sometimes chlamydia in the throat will have no appearance at all, especially where no symptoms are present.
If you have been experiencing a sore throat that doesnt seem to be going away, or you have had oral sex with a partner recently who has tested positive for chlamydia, you need to get tested as soon as possible.
Chlamydia in the throat is tested using a swab. You will need to visit a medical professional in person for a diagnosis. A doctor will send a swab sample to a laboratory, which tests the specimen for the presence of DNA from the bacteria that cause chlamydia.
How Will I Know If I Have Chlamydia
You can only be certain you have chlamydia if you have a test.
Anyone can get chlamydia. Youre more likely to have it if youre under 25, have a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner in the last year, and if you havent used condoms.
You should have a test if:
- you, or a partner, have or think you might have symptoms
- youve recently had sex without a condom with a new partner
- you, or a partner, have had sex without a condom with other partners
- during a vaginal examination, your doctor or nurse says that the cervix is inflamed and/or theres an unusual discharge
- a sexual partner tells you they have a sexually transmitted infection
- you have another STI.
If you live in England, and youre a woman who is under 25 and sexually active, its recommended that you have a chlamydia test when you change sexual partner and once a year.
If youre a man who is under 25 and sexually active, its recommended that you have a chlamydia test once a year if you are not using condoms with new or casual partners.
You could still have chlamydia even if a partner has tested negative. The only way to make sure you dont have chlamydia is to get tested yourself.
If you have chlamydia, youll be encouraged to be tested for other STIs as you can have more than one STI at the same time.
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How Can I Prevent Chlamydia
The best way to prevent chlamydia or any STI is to not have vaginal, oral, or anal sex.
If you do have sex, lower your risk of getting an STI with the following steps:
- Use condoms. Condoms are the best way to prevent STIs when you have sex. Because a man does not need to ejaculate to give or get chlamydia, make sure to put the condom on before the penis touches the vagina, mouth, or anus. Other methods of birth control, like birth control pills, shots, implants, or diaphragms, will not protect you from STIs.
- Get tested. Be sure you and your partner are tested for STIs. Talk to each other about the test results before you have sex.
- Be monogamous. Having sex with just one partner can lower your risk for STIs. After being tested for STIs, be faithful to each other. That means that you have sex only with each other and no one else.
- Limit your number of sex partners. Your risk of getting STIs goes up with the number of partners you have.
- Do not douche.Douching removes some of the normal bacteria in the vagina that protects you from infection. This may increase your risk of getting STIs.4
- Do not abuse alcohol or drugs. Drinking too much alcohol or using drugs increases risky behavior and may put you at risk of sexual assault and possible exposure to STIs.
The steps work best when used together. No single step can protect you from every single type of STI.
Is There A Cure For Chlamydia
Yes. Chlamydia is easy to treat and cure, but remember that just because youve had it once doesnt mean you cant get infected again. Its important that you get treated early so that more serious health problems dont occur.
Your health care provider will either give you a single dose of medicine to take in the office before you leave or a prescription to fill that you will need to take 2 times a day, for 7 days. Your health care provider will decide which medicine is right for you. Remember to take ALL of the medicine as prescribed, even if the symptoms go away.
Its important for your sexual contact to be treated as well. This can help prevent you from re-infecting one another.
You should be re-tested for chlamydia in 3 months.
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What Is The Treatment
Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. It is important to follow the treatment instructions carefully. If you were given pills, finish all of them. Sexual partners from the last 2 months need to be tested and treated. If you have not had a sexual partner in the last 2 months, then your last sexual partner will need to be tested and treated. It takes time for the infection to clear from the body, so it is important that you do not have any oral, vaginal or anal sex for 7 days after you and your partner start the antibiotic treatment.
If you or your partner do not finish the treatment, miss pills or have unprotected sex before you have finished all of the medication, there is a chance that the infection will stay in your body may pass back to you or your partner and cause health problems later. If this happens, talk with your health care provider who will help you to decide if you or your partners need more treatment.
Because re-infection is common, a follow-up test is recommended 6 months after treatment. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a follow-up test 3 to 4 weeks after completing treatment.