When Do Chlamydia Symptoms Show

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.

Benefits Of Early Detection And Treatment

If you think you may have an STD, its important to stop engaging in sexual activity and seek treatment. Early detection and treatment of STDs plays an important role in stopping the transmission of STDs between yourself, your sexual partners, and their sexual partners. In some cases, it can even save your life.

Some of the potential risks of untreated STDs include:

• pregnancy and birth-related risks, from untreated bacterial STDs, HIV, and hepatitis B
• organ damage, dementia, paralysis, or death, from untreated syphilis

Taking care of your sexual health is important. Not everyone will voluntarily disclose their STD status to you. You can take control of your sexual health by asking questions, screening new sexual partners, and having open and honest discussions about sexually transmitted diseases.

What Can Happen If Std Symptoms Aren’t Treated

STIs can lead to serious complications, including permanent damage to your reproductive system that can make it difficult for you to get pregnant later on. Chlamydia in particular can also raise your risk of having a potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy, which is a pregnancy that happens outside the uterus.

STIs can also lead to a condition known as pelvic inflammatory disease, a serious infection of reproductive organs such as the uterus and fallopian tubes. And that can cause symptoms like lower abdominal pain, pain and bleeding when you have sex, and an unusual discharge with a bad odor, according to the CDC.

There’s also this to consider, per Dr. Angarone: If you don’t get your STI diagnosed and treated, you could end up spreading it to others. “The sooner you get it evaluated, the less likely you are to pass it on,” he says.

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How Soon Can You Get Tested For An Sti

You dont need to get tested for STIs right away if you recently had unprotected sex. Its possible to get tested too soon for an STI. You might get a false negative test if you get tested too soon. That means you actually do have an STI, but the test doesnt show it yet.

Heres when you should be tested:

• Chlamydia: Get tested 2 weeks after your sexual encounter.

• Gonorrhea: Get tested 2 weeks after your sexual encounter.

• Syphilis: Get tested 1 to 3 months after your sexual encounter.

• HIV: Get tested 2 to 6 weeks after your sexual encounter.

• Herpes: Get tested 1 to 4 months after your sexual encounter.

If you test positive for an STI dont panic. Your healthcare provider will go over treatment options with you.

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What Happens If Chlamydia Isn’t Treated

Only some people who have chlamydia will have complications. If chlamydia is treated early, its unlikely to cause any long-term problems. But, without proper treatment, the infection can spread to other parts of the body. The more times you have chlamydia the more likely you are to get complications.

• If you have a vulva, chlamydia can spread to other reproductive organs causing pelvic inflammatory disease . This can lead to long-term pelvic pain, blocked fallopian tubes, infertility and ectopic pregnancy .
• In people with a vulva, chlamydia can also cause pain and inflammation around the liver, though this is rare. This usually gets better with the correct antibiotic treatment.

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Home Remedies For Chlamydia Symptoms

You may still experience painful or uncomfortable symptoms while youre taking chlamydia antibiotics.

Here are some home remedies for reducing your pain and other symptoms while youre waiting for the antibiotics to work:

• pain medications, such as ibuprofen to reduce pain
• cold pack to help limit swelling and inflammation
• goldenseal to reduce inflammation and potentially make symptoms less severe
• echinacea to bolster your immune system against the infection and reduce your symptoms
• turmeric containing an ingredient called curcumin to reduce inflammation and make symptoms less severe

No studies support the effectiveness of these supplements specifically for chlamydia, so take them with caution.

And theres no substitute for antibiotics when treating chlamydia. Only try these remedies if youre already taking antibiotics or if you plan to go to the doctor.

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.

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Male Issues Of Neglected Chlamydia

Guy can likewise experience problems when chlamydia is left unattended. The epididymis the tube that holds the testicles in place might end up being inflamed, creating discomfort. This is referred to as epididymitis.

The infection can likewise infect the prostate gland, causing a high temperature, excruciating sexual intercourse, and also discomfort in the lower back. Another possible issue is male chlamydial urethritis.

These are simply a few of one of the most common complications of without treatment chlamydia, which is why it is essential to obtain clinical focus right now. The majority of people that get treatment swiftly have no lasting medical issues. How Long Before Chlamydia Symptoms Show

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Hi there, Im Melissa and welcome to Genier. Im not ashamed to admit that Ive dealt with an STD before and recovered. It was not a pleasant experience but Im glad I got myself tested. If theres one message that you can take away from my site is get tested today! Stay safe.

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When Is A Chlamydia Test Performed

A chlamydia infection doesnt usually cause symptoms, so people may not know they have it. Untreated, chlamydia can cause serious health problems and infertility. Thats why providers screen for chlamydia, which means they regularly test certain people who have a higher risk of infection. You should get regular chlamydia screenings if you:

• Are sexually active, especially if youre under 25.
• Are a man who has sex with men.
• Are pregnant and under age 25. Pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases can be dangerous for you and your baby.
• Know that your partner has a sexually transmitted disease or sexually transmitted infection .
• Plan to have sex with a new partner or have more than one partner.

If you previously tested positive for chlamydia and got treated for it, you should get follow-up tests. You usually need a test about a month after treatment and two months after that to make sure the treatment worked.

If you have symptoms of chlamydia infection you may or may not have symptoms of chlamydia. If so, your provider will recommend a test. Symptoms of chlamydia include:

• Burning sensation while urinating .

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Youre Not Immune To Chlamydia Once Youve Had It

Once youve had some diseases, you cant catch them again. Unfortunately, this isnt true for chlamydia. Repeat chlamydia infections are common.

If youve had chlamydia in the past, you have no immunity against the infection. If youre sexually active with somebody who has the infection, you could catch it again. Since reinfection is common, you should get tested for chlamydia about three months after being treated for the infection.

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How Do You Know If You Have An Std

There is only one way to be sure: You must be tested as soon as possible. While home testing kits for certain STDs, such as HIV, are available, it is crucial for the patient to see a qualified physician. A doctor can identify specific infections and can prescribe appropriate treatment. Patients can also receive counseling regarding effective ways to prevent future infections.There are presently many STDs circulating. Some are relatively new, emergent diseases. Others, such as syphilis, have plagued humankind for many centuries. Modern antibiotics and other drugs have vastly improved our ability to vanquish these dangerous diseases, but early diagnosis and treatment remain crucial.

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Why Should I Have Treatment If I Have No Symptoms

If you are infected with chlamydia, it is essential that you take treatment even if you do not have any symptoms of chlamydial infection. Reasons for this include:

• The infection may spread and cause serious complications . This can be months or years after you are first infected.
• You can still pass on the infection to your sexual partner even if you do not have symptoms.

How To Prevent Oral Chlamydia

Abstinence is the only way to completely avoid oral chlamydia. Barring that, you can lower your risk by reducing your number of sex partners.

Using condoms or dental dams consistently can also reduce the risk of either passing or getting an STD like chlamydia. This not only include external condoms but also internal condoms.

If you don’t have a dental dam, you can simply cut a condom lengthwise and open it flat.

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How Long Does It Take For Std Symptoms To Show Up

The time from infection until symptoms manifest if they appear at all varies widely, and depends on the specific pathogen and the individual. All too often, symptoms do not appear at all, or they go unnoticed. Despite this, an STD should never be ignored. Left untreated, many STDs can progress and cause permanent, irreversible harm.Note that an infected person remains capable of transmitting infection to other people, regardless of any symptoms. Depending on the specific pathogen symptoms of STD may appear within four to five days or four to five weeks. Some infections might yield noticeable symptoms even months after the initial 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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Testing And Treating Sexual Partners

If you test positive for chlamydia, its important that your current sexual partner and any other recent sexual partners youve had are also tested and treated.

A specialist sexual health adviser can help you contact your recent sexual partners, or the clinic can contact them for you if you prefer.

Either you or someone from the clinic can speak to them, or the clinic can send them a note to let them know they may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted infection .

The note will suggest that they go for a check-up. It will not have your name on it, so your confidentiality will be protected.

Page last reviewed: 01 September 2021 Next review due: 01 September 2024

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How Is Chlamydia Prevented

You already know chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection. Therefore, the safest and easiest way to prevent chlamydia is sexual abstinence. Other ways chlamydia can be prevented in men and women are

• Use condoms for intercourse
• Get your male or female sexual partners tested for the infection
• Recheck for chlamydia infection after 5 weeks of treatment
• Avoid intercourse while on chlamydia treatment
• Use adult toys with condoms

Now its your turn. Do you have any chlamydia symptoms? Let us know if we can help.

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What Are Symptoms Of An Sti

Different STIs can cause different symptoms. Sometimes STIs dont cause any symptoms at all.

Gonorrhea or chlamydia can cause:

• Burning when urinating

Many times, people with an STI dont have any symptoms, so they dont realize they need treatment. This is how people can unknowingly pass an STI to someone else.

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What Can Be Done To Prevent The Spread Of Chlamydia

• Limit your number of sex partners
• Use a male or female condom
• If you think you are infected or have been exposed, avoid any sexual contact and visit a local sexually transmitted disease clinic, a hospital or your doctor. Either bring your sex partners with you when you are treated or notify them immediately so they can obtain examination and treatment.

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Where Can I Get A Test

There are a number of services you can go to. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with.

A chlamydia test can be done at:

• a genitourinary medicine or sexual health clinic
• your general practice
• contraception and young peoples clinics
• some pharmacies.

Abortion clinics, antenatal services and some gynaecology services may also offer a chlamydia test.

In England, if youre a woman aged under 25 years old, you may be offered a chlamydia test as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme when you visit some service for other reasons, for example at a pharmacy or your GP.

The NCSP aims to identify people without symptoms to reduce the complications of untreated infection. If chlamydia is not treated, it can cause health complications, especially in women. Untreated chlamydia in women can cause pain in the pelvis, ectopic pregnancy and infertility .

If you are a woman aged under 25 years old and you are offered a chlamydia test as part of the NCSP you should consider taking it.

In many areas, free home self-sampling tests for chlamydia are available to order online. This is where you take your own sample and send it to be tested. See www.nhs.uk

Its also possible to buy a chlamydia test to do at home. The accuracy of these tests varies. Some types are very accurate when carried out according to the instructions, others can be less reliable. If you buy a testing kit make sure you get advice from a pharmacist or your doctor.

What Can Happen If Chlamydia Is Not Treated

In women

Chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease . PID is a serious infection of the reproductive organs. PID can cause:

• Tubal pregnancies, which can lead to death of the mother and unborn child.
• Inflammation surrounding the liver.

A mother also can pass the infection to her child during birth. Infection in newborns can lead to:

• Eye infections .

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How Can I Protect Myself From Chlamydia

Its not always possible to know if a current or potential partner has chlamydia, though, especially since many people with chlamydia never notice symptoms. With prevention in mind, its a good idea to make safer sex practices a regular part of your sex life:

• Dont share sex toys, but if you do, wash them after each use and cover toys used for penetration with a condom.
• Have sex with only one partner, who only has sex with you.

What Happens After I Get Treated For Chlamydia

During your treatment with antibiotics, it is advised to avoid sexual intercourse to eliminate the risk of infecting your partner, even if you no longer have symptoms. Even after your treatment is over, it is recommended to wait another week before having sex again. This way, you make sure that the infection is cleared and you no longer can infect your partner. Since it is still possible to be reinfected with chlamydia, it is recommended to do another self-test approximately 12 weeks after treatment.

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What To Think About

Some people who have chlamydia may also have gonorrhea. In that case, treatment includes antibiotics that kill both chlamydia and gonorrhea. For more information, see the topic Gonorrhea.

Reinfection can occur. Symptoms that continue after treatment are probably caused by another chlamydia infection rather than treatment failure. To prevent reinfection, sex partners need to be evaluated and treated.

Repeated chlamydia infections increase the risk for pelvic inflammatory disease . Even one infection can lead to PID without proper treatment. Make sure to take your antibiotics exactly as prescribed. Take the full course of medicine, even if you feel better in a couple of days.

Some doctors recommend retesting 3 to 12 months after treatment to reduce the risk of complications from reinfection.footnote 4

If you have chlamydia, your doctor will send a report to the state health department. Your personal information is kept confidential. The health department may contact you about telling your sex partner or partners that they may need treatment.

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