For men, the proportion is about 1 in 2 men. Women can have an infection for years and men can be infected for months without knowing. In women, chlamydia usually infects the cervix (the neck of the uterus).
With treatment, people rarely experience complications from a chlamydia infection. However, without treatment, chlamydia in males may cause or increase the risk of: prostatitis, the inflammation of the prostate gland. scarring of the urethra.
Studies find that the proportion of people with chlamydia who develop symptoms vary by setting and study methodology. Two modeling studies estimate that about 10% of men and 5-30% of women with a confirmed infection develop symptoms.
Previous data suggest that females are more likely to contract Chlamydia trachomatis from infected males than males are likely to contract it from females.
Chlamydia is a common STD that can cause infection among both men and women. It can cause permanent damage to a woman's reproductive system. This can make it difficult or impossible to get pregnant later. Chlamydia can also cause a potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy that occurs outside the womb).
If you have chlamydia, there is a 30% to 50% chance of your partner catching it every time you have unprotected sex. Since chlamydia often has no symptoms, you probably won't know whether your partner has it.
Most people who have chlamydia don't notice any symptoms.
If you do get symptoms, these usually appear between 1 and 3 weeks after having unprotected sex with an infected person.
Symptoms can occur within 2-14 days after infection. However, a person may have chlamydia for months, or even years, without knowing it.
Of these, 4 are currently curable: syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis. The other 4 are incurable viral infections: hepatitis B, herpes simplex virus (HSV), HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV).
Late-stage chlamydia refers to an infection that has spread to other parts of the body. For example, it may have spread to the cervix (cervicitis), testicular tubes (epididymitis), eyes (conjunctivitis), or throat (pharyngitis), causing inflammation and pain.
Anyone who's sexually active can catch chlamydia. You're most at risk if you have a new sexual partner or do not use a barrier method of contraception, such as a condom, when having sex. You can help to prevent the spread of chlamydia by: using a condom every time you have vaginal or anal sex.
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.
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.
Always see a doctor if your partner is being treated for chlamydia. You and your partner need to be treated. Also, see the doctor if you or your partner notice any symptoms, such as an unusual discharge. Be sure to tell your recent sex partners, so they can get tested, too.
Chlamydia is spread through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. The infection is carried in semen (cum), pre-cum, and vaginal fluids. Chlamydia can infect the penis, vagina, cervix, anus, urethra, eyes, and throat.
Apart from being infected at birth you can not catch chlamydia without performing some form of sexual act. However, you don't have to have penetrative sex to get infected, it is enough if your genitals come in contact with an infected person's sexual fluids (for example if your genitals touch).
As most people do not have symptoms, it is possible the person (who tested positive) could have had chlamydia/gonorrhea from a previous relationship, and has not passed it to their partner yet. It is never 100% that you will pass an STI when you have sex.
Anita Ravi, MD, MPH, MSHP, a practicing family physician in New York City, urges physicians to make STI screenings a routine part of patient care so as to help catch and treat chlamydia, which can have long term health repercussions if not treated. “You could have chlamydia for years and not know it,” Ravi says.
Is there a cure for chlamydia? Yes, the right treatment can cure chlamydia. It is important that you take all of the medicine your healthcare provider gives you to cure your infection.
(2021, Jan). CDC estimates 1 in 5 people in the U.S. have a sexually transmitted infection.
Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, reduce the risk of transmission of STDs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. STDs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis are sexually transmitted by genital secretions, such as urethral or vaginal secretions.
Persons with chlamydia should abstain from sexual activity for 7 days after single dose antibiotics or until completion of a 7-day course of antibiotics, to prevent spreading the infection to partners.
Some complications of these STIs can happen to anyone. Others are unique to each sex due to differences in sexual anatomy. Gonorrhea has more severe possible complications and is more likely to cause long-term problems like infertility.
(Remember, the signs of chlamydia in women and men can be hard to spot.) And don't feel embarrassed or guilty if you do have chlamydia. “There is a sense of shame around sexually transmitted diseases,” Dr. Grifo says.