Being tested means that you can be treated, and the proper treatment will help clear up a chlamydial infection in a matter of weeks. On the other hand, if you don't get tested or don't see a healthcare provider for treatment, chlamydia can live in the body for weeks, months, or even years without being detected.
Men rarely have health problems from chlamydia. The infection can cause a fever and pain in the tubes attached to the testicles. This can, in rare cases, lead to infertility. Untreated chlamydia may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV.
Symptoms can occur within 2-14 days after infection. However, a person may have chlamydia for months, or even years, without knowing it.
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.
Complications in males
Untreated chlamydia can lead to infection and inflammation of one or both testicles, called epididymitis. Epididymitis is an infection of the epididymis, a tubular structure on the back of the testicles where sperm cells mature.
Chlamydia Dormancy Facts
Although some symptoms can appear within weeks of contact, there have been reports of chlamydia remaining dormant for over twenty years. If you have had recent sexual contact and wonder about chlamydia infections, don't hesitate to test. Listen to your body.
On the other hand, if you don't get tested or don't see a healthcare provider for treatment, chlamydia can live in the body for weeks, months, or even years without being detected. This can lead to long-term complications, including infertility.
Although chlamydia is highly contagious, it does not always transmit to a person's sexual partners. It is also possible to have a false-negative test result. Having more frequent sex with a partner who has chlamydia may increase a person's risk of contracting it.
Without medical intervention, a chlamydia infection can persist for years if gone unnoticed [1]. Fortunately, once diagnosed, a healthcare provider can provide patients with the right medication to treat the sexually transmitted infection (STI).
If left untreated, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can lead to chronic pain and infertility. In men, untreated chlamydia can cause pain and swelling in one or both testicles. If detected early, chlamydia may be treated with a single dose of antibiotics.
If you have unprotected sex with someone who has chlamydia, you're likely to catch the infection regardless of your gender. In this respect there is nothing to suggest that men are more likely to catch chlamydia.
You Can Get Chlamydia More Than Once
"Both partners should be treated before reinitiating sexual intercourse to prevent relapse," Schaffir says.
Symptoms of chlamydia can take weeks, months or years to start. Often, you have no symptoms and don't know you have it. This means you may have gotten chlamydia from previous sexual partners. If you've had many sexual partners and have unprotected sex, it's a good idea to get tested for chlamydia.
Approach the conversation in a straightforward manner without being angry, frustrated, or upset. Pick a time when you won't be interrupted and a place where you can have a private conversation with your partner without others overhearing.
As noted above, at least half of all men with chlamydia don't notice any symptoms. If they do get symptoms, the most common include: Pain when urinating. White, cloudy, or watery discharge from the tip of the penis.
Can Chlamydia, if left untreated for 3 or more years, turn into Syphilis? No. Chlamydia won't turn into syphilis if it's left untreated for a long period of time.
Is chlamydia serious? Although chlamydia does not usually cause any symptoms and can normally be treated with a short course of antibiotics, it can be serious if it's not treated early on. If left untreated, the infection can spread to other parts of your body and lead to long-term health problems, especially in women.
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.
Previous data suggest that females are more likely to contract Chlamydia trachomatis from infected males than males are likely to contract it from females. But these findings could reflect a greater difficulty in culturing chlamydia from males.
If you have chlamydia, there is a 30% to 50% chance of your partner catching it every time you have unprotected sex.
There is no clear timeline on how long it may take for this to occur - while one study suggests that after exposure to the bacteria, it can take a few weeks for PID to develop, the NHS estimates that 1 in 10 women with untreated chlamydia could go on to develop PID within a year.
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.