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What Will Happen If Chlamydia Is Not Treated

What Happens If I Dont Get Treated

What Is Chlamydia Symptoms and Treatment

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 doesnt cause symptoms initially, PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive system. PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, inability to get pregnant, and potentially deadly ectopic pregnancy .

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 being able to have children.

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.

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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How Chlamydia’s Passed On

Chlamydia is usually passed from one person to another through sexual contact.

You can get the infection if you come into contact with the semen or vaginal fluids of someone who has chlamydia.

Chlamydia is most commonly spread through:

  • vaginal or anal sex without a condom
  • sharing sex toys that arent washed or covered with a new condom each time theyre used.

It can be spread by giving or receiving oral sex with someone who has chlamydia. The risk can be lowered by using a condom or a dam to cover the genitals.

If infected semen or vaginal fluid comes into contact with the eye it can cause conjunctivitis (infection or irritation of the eye.

If youre pregnant its possible to pass chlamydia to the baby .

Its not clear if chlamydia can be spread by transferring infected semen or vaginal fluid to another persons genitals on the fingers or through rubbing vulvas together.

You cant get chlamydia from kissing, hugging, sharing baths or towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or from sharing cups, plates or cutlery.

Do Past Infections Mean Im Immune

Chlamydia Symptoms, Pictures, Treatment

While some studies have looked into the potential for immunity in animals and in humans, there have been no conclusive signs of immunity.

At this point, it seems you cannot become immune to chlamydia after having it. To avoid future infections, its important to practice safe sex and get tested regularlyespecially if you are sexually active with multiple partners.

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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.

Symptoms Can Differ For Men And Women

By and large, most cases of chlamydia are asymptomatic they are picked up by screening, which is why it’s so important to have good screening programs in place, notes Dr. Stoner. Men or women who have chlamydia symptoms may experience painful urination.

Women may also have these symptoms:

  • Smelly discharge from the cervix
  • Pain during sex

And men may have these symptoms:

  • Discharge from the penis

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Gonorrhea Prevention And Treatment

Gonorrhea spreads through sexual contact. So if youve had oral, anal, or vaginal sex, then you could contract gonorrhea. In particular, unprotected sex increases the risk of gonorrhea transmission. Fortunately, gonorrhea is a bacterial disease that is curable. Normally, a simple administration of antibiotics will eliminate the disease completely. Note though, you can get gonorrhea more than once.

How Can You Be Sure Youre Experiencing A New Bout

Treatment of Chlamydia

Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics, usually azithromycin or doxycycline.

In order to make sure chlamydia is cured, you need to take the full course of antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor. You need to take every single dose dont stop taking the antibiotics until there are none left.

If youve taken all your antibiotics but you still have symptoms, contact your doctor or another healthcare professional.

According to the Center for Disease Control , youll need a follow-up test three months after treatment to ensure that the infection is cured.

There are a few reasons why you might contract chlamydia a second time:

  • The initial infection wasnt cured because the course of antibiotics wasnt completed as directed.
  • A sexual partner transmitted chlamydia to you.
  • You used a sex toy that was contaminated with chlamydia.

A 2014 study suggests that chlamydia can live in the gastrointestinal tract and reinfect the genitals, causing chlamydia symptoms to reappear after the genital infection went away.

However, this study only looked at animal models of chlamydia. Research on human participants is needed.

The symptoms of chlamydia typically disappear once you finish your antibiotics. This can vary in time, as some chlamydia antibiotic courses are one dose taken on one day, while others last longer.

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How Quickly Do Symptoms Show

In many cases, chlamydia symptoms do not show up at all, making it possible for the infection to lie dormant in the body and cause long-term side effects when not treated.

If someone with chlamydia does experience symptoms, the time it takes for them to show up may vary.

For most people, though, it takes about 7-21 days after having unprotected sex with an infected partner. However, it can take longer.

What Happens If Chlamydia Is Not Treated

Untreated chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women. Women with PID may not realize they have it, but left untreated it can cause pain, infertility or ectopic pregnancy.

Pregnant women with untreated chlamydia can pass it to their babies during childbirth. It can cause eye infections and pneumonia in newborns, and also increase the risk of delivering your baby too early.

In men, chlamydia can spread to the epididymis , and can cause chronic joint pain and infertility for some.

The information on this page is adapted from the CDC and Planned Parenthood.

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How Long Does It Take For A Male To Show Signs Of Chlamydia

Symptoms in the penis Symptoms of chlamydia may affect the penis within 13 weeks of the person coming into contact with the infection. In some cases, though, these symptoms can take months to appear. Symptoms of chlamydia in the penis may include: white, cloudy, or watery discharge from the tip of the penis.

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Antibiotics Are A Highly Effective Cure For Chlamydia Infection

Chlamydia in Women

Antibiotics prescribed for chlamydia include:

A single oral dose of Zithromax is the most common treatment. Other drugs may be given in varying doses for a period of up to a week. Most cases of chlamydia clear up within a week after you start on antibiotics.

If you think you have been exposed to chlamydia, Stoner says, see your healthcare provider to receive antibiotic medication to prevent the onset of infection.

The partners of individuals diagnosed with chlamydia will need treatment, too, and in some states they can get it without a doctor visit through a practice called expedited partner therapy, in which the first person treated delivers the treatment to their partner or partners.

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How Common Is Chlamydia

CDC estimates that there were four million chlamydial infections in 2018.3 Chlamydia is also the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States.4 However, a large number of cases are not reported because most people with chlamydia are asymptomatic and do not seek testing. Chlamydia is most common among young people. Two-thirds of new chlamydial infections occur among youth aged 15-24 years.3 It is estimated that 1 in 20 sexually active young women aged 14-24 years has chlamydia.5

Disparities persist among racial and ethnic minority groups. In 2019, reported chlamydia rates for African Americans/Blacks were nearly six times that of Whites.4 Chlamydia is also common among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men . Among MSM screened for rectal chlamydial infection, positivity has ranged from 3.0% to 10.5%.6,7 Among MSM screened for pharyngeal chlamydial infection, positivity has ranged from 0.5% to 2.3%.7.8

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.

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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.

Im Pregnant How Does Chlamydia Affect My Baby

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

If you are pregnant, you should get tested for chlamydia at your first prenatal visit. Testing and treatment are the best ways to prevent health problems.

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Does Chlamydia Treatment Have Side Effects

An antibiotic called Doxycycline is the most common medicine used to treat chlamydia. Like most medicines, it can cause mild side effects. The most common side effects of Doxycycline are nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, loss of appetite, mild diarrhea, skin rash or itching, change in skin color, vaginal itching, or discharge. These side effects should go away after you finish taking the medicine. Talk to your nurse or doctor about any medicines youre already taking and any medical issues you already have before taking Doxycycline.

How Is Chlamydia Treated

If your chlamydia test results come back positive, the next step is to receive treatment for this STD.

In general, oral antibiotics are prescribed to treat the infection. Itâs important to finish the full course of antibioticsâeven if your symptoms go away early on during treatment. Also, your healthcare provider may recommend that your sexual partner receives treatment for chlamydia, as well.

If you have any specific questions about your treatment, be sure to ask your healthcare provider for more information.

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What Does Chlamydia Infection Mean For My Health

Chlamydia can be treated and cured easily, but that doesnt mean that chlamydia infection isnt potentially dangerous. If chlamydia is not detected and left untreated, it can cause complications serious complications in men and women.

Untreated chlamydia infections in women may lead to:

  • Pelvic inflammatory disease , a serious infection of a womans reproductive organs . Left untreated, PID can cause infertility , chronic pelvic pain, or ectopic pregnancy .
  • Cystitis
  • A condition called mucopurulent cervicitis, characterized by a yellow discharge from the cervix

Untreated chlamydia in men may lead to:

  • Prostatitis
  • Scarring of the urethra
  • Infertility
  • Epididymitis

How To Help Avoid Oral Chlamydia

15 Home Remedies That are Effective To Control 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.

The NIH recommends using a barrier method every time you engage in oral sex to reduce your risk for oral chlamydia. Use a condom for oral sex on the penis, and a dental dam for oral sex on the vagina or anus. Another step you can take is to stay in a long-term monogamous relationship with your partner, as having multiple sex partners can often increase your risk for STDs including oral chlamydia.

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.

Michael is an experienced healthcare marketer and father of two. He has worked alongside healthcare leader at Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, St. Lukeâs, Baylor Scott and White, HCA, and many more, and currently leads growth marketing at Solv.

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Untreated Chlamydia In Men

Chlamydia can mostly go unnoticed in men as most of them are asymptomatic. The most common symptoms include discharge from the penis, pain on urination and swelling of testicles. Chlamydia also goes undetected in men like in women that might lead to complications in men too. Untreated Chlamydia can cause internal scarring of genitals, low sperm count with decrease in fertile sperms and also can lead to additional health conditions. These can be prevented with antibiotic treatment.

Untreated Chlamydia can lead to infertility in men by interfering with the sperm count and also abnormalities with genetic material. It causes damage to the sperms and causes scarring of the reproductive tract and may lead to permanent infertility. Men infected with Chlamydia have shown sperms with 80% more physical abnormalities and 10% less motility in 10%. Also males infected with Chlamydia are at increased risk of developing rheumatological conditions, conjunctivitis, urethritis , epididymitis and sexually acquired reactive arthritis . Reactive arthritis causes inflammation of the joints, eyes and urethra. There is no cure of SARA, but it improves over a period of few months and is symptomatically treated with NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen.

Thus, one should avoid high risk sexual behavior and should follow up regularly with a doctor for STD testing, and if detected positive should complete antibiotic course.

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How To Treat Oral Chlamydia

Oral chlamydia is treated in the same way as other chlamydia infections: with antibiotics. The CDC recommends:

Alternative treatments include:

  • Azithromycin in a single dose
  • Levofloxacin once a day for seven days

A single dose of azithromycin may be the simplest way to treat chlamydia. However, people have developed resistance to this antibiotic, whereas doxycycline has a nearly 100% cure rate.

After being diagnosed with a chlamydia infection, all sexual partners need to be told and treated as well. You should also refrain from having any sex for seven days after completing treatment.

Chlamydia is easily treated and cured, but you can get chlamydia again. If you are sexually active, it is essential to test for sexually transmitted infections regularly.

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How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Getting Chlamydia

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

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

  • Be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and has negative STD test results
  • Use latex condoms the right way every time you have sex.

A Word From Same Day Std Testing

Chlamydia Infection in Women: What is it Symptoms? and Treatment

Some people may be hesitant to undergo STD tests, and we understand why. Nevertheless, theres nothing scarier than carrying an STD in your system and leaving it untreated. We work to make the testing process as quick, efficient, private, and comprehensive as possible. When you visit one of our facilities, you wont be bombarded with charged questions or forced to wait in sprawling lines. Instead, youll get the tests you need done today. Call us here at if you have any more questions or concerns were ready to help you now!

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