Chlamydia is caused by bacteria. It is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S. This
infection is easily spread because it often causes no symptoms. That means you can pass chlamydia to sexual partners without knowing it. In fact, about 75% of infections in women and 50% in men have no symptoms. If you don’t treat it, chlamydia can cause serious complications. If you do get chlamydia symptoms, they usually show up within 1 to 3 weeks after contact. Chlamydia symptoms in women Chlamydia symptoms in men Unprotected sex can also lead to chlamydia in other body parts like your anus, throat, and
eyes. Symptoms include: Chlamydia trachomatis, the bacteria that causes chlamydia, most often spreads through unprotected vaginal, oral, or anal sex. You get it from the semen or vaginal fluid
of an infected person. It can also pass from an infected person to another through genital contact, even if there’s no sex. Pregnant women can give it to their unborn children during delivery. There are a few different tests your doctor can use to diagnose chlamydia. They’ll probably use a swab to take a sample,
either from the urethra (the tube urine comes out of) in men or from the cervix in women. It goes to a laboratory for analysis. They may also check a urine sample for the bacteria. Chlamydia is curable. Because it’s a bacterial infection, doctors can treat it with antibiotics. If you have chlamydia, your doctor will prescribe oral antibiotics, usually
azithromycin (Zithromax) or doxycycline. They’ll also recommend your partner(s) get treated to prevent reinfection and further spread of the disease. ContinuedWith treatment, the infection should clear up in about a week or two. It’s important to finish all of your antibiotics, even if you feel better. Women who have a severe chlamydia infection may need treatment in a hospital, intravenous antibiotics (medicine given through a vein), and pain medicine. After you finish the antibiotics, you should get retested after 3 months to be sure the infection is cured. This is particularly important if you aren’t sure your partner(s) were treated. But do get tested even if your partner(s) were treated. Don’t have sex until you’re sure both you and your partner(s) no longer have the disease. Chlamydia ComplicationsIf you don’t get treated for chlamydia, you run the risk of several health problems:
Chlamydia PreventionTo reduce your risk of a chlamydia infection:
Any genital symptoms, like a discharge or burning during urination or an unusual sore or rash, should be a signal to stop having sex and to see a doctor right away. If you’re diagnosed with and treated for chlamydia or any other sexually transmitted disease, tell all your recent sex partners so they can see a doctor and be treated. Because chlamydia often has no symptoms, infected people may unknowingly spread it to their sex partners. Many doctors recommend that all people who have more than one sex partner should be tested for chlamydia regularly, even if there are no symptoms. Pagination Can you tell when you first get chlamydia?Chlamydia often has no symptoms, but it can cause serious health problems, even without symptoms. If symptoms occur, they may not appear until several weeks after having sex with a partner who has chlamydia. A burning sensation when peeing.
How long can you have chlamydia for before noticing?Symptoms can occur within 2-14 days after infection. However, a person may have chlamydia for months, or even years, without knowing it.
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