(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.
It may be awkward, but telling partners about STDs is the right thing to do. If you think you have an STD or you have questions about STDs, talk to a doctor, sexual health clinic, or student health center. To help prevent future STDs, use a condom the right way every time you have sex.
Left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause serious health problems like PID, infertility, and potential deadly ectopic pregnancy. Also, without treatment, your partner might pass the STD back to you.
If you receive a positive test result for an STI, such as chlamydia or syphilis, and you're fairly certain you got it from your partner, then it's important to talk with them about it as soon as possible.
Your Test Results
Once you are infected, you can infect someone else. Both gonorrhea and chlamydia often have no symptoms. Sometimes only one partner will have symptoms, even though both have the disease. That's why notifying your sexual partners about the results of your test is important.
Talking about STD testing might feel awkward, but try not to be embarrassed. Remember, doctors have seen and heard it all. Most people get an STD at least once in their lives, and getting tested is the responsible thing to do — it means you're taking good care of your health.
Self-Blame, Guilt, & Anger:
They may feel irritated with partners, family, friends, and colleagues, who they may also feel misunderstood by. There can also be anger about any life changes required as a result of the STD, such as having to take medication or having to share their diagnosis with any sexual partners.
It's best to do it face-to-face, absolutely. Pick a private place and say to them: “I've got something important to tell you”. Then, you might say you've just been to a doctor or you've just got some test results back and been told you have chlamydia or herpes or whatever.
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. For some people they don't develop until many months later. Sometimes the symptoms can disappear after a few days.
Chlamydia spreads through vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone with the infection. Semen does not have to be present to get or spread the infection. Pregnant people can give chlamydia to their baby during childbirth.
How Long Ago Did I Get Chlamydia? The incubation of a Chlamydia infection is reported to be one to three weeks. It can take up to six weeks in some cases. From one perspective it would be great if one could count back a few weeks to find the culprit-partner.
Did you know it's possible for your partner to get treated for Chlamydia without ever having to see a GP or go to a sexual health clinic? This is known as Patient Delivered Partner Therapy (PDPT).
Chlamydia can usually be treated easily with antibiotics. You may be given a course of doxycycline to take for a week or azithromycin to take once a day for 3 days. If you have doxycycline, you should not have sex (including oral sex) until you and your current sexual partner have finished treatment.
Chlamydia is very common: it's the most frequently reported infectious disease in Australia, and nearly 97,000 men and women are diagnosed with it each year. If you're sexually active and under 30 years of age, you are at the highest risk of contracting chlamydia.
Symptoms can occur within 2-14 days after infection. However, a person may have chlamydia for months, or even years, without knowing it.
What happens if you leave chlamydia untreated for 3 years? Chlamydia is an infection and, in many people, may continue to spread throughout the body. Leaving a chlamydia infection untreated for years increases the risk of developing serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and further infections.
Also there is no need to tell your mother if you don't want to. You would be able to discuss your concerns with a health professional and get a chlamydia test without telling her. The health professional would keep your information confidential.
Acknowledge how they're feeling, and redirect the conversation to the facts. Remind them that STIs are common, and nothing to be ashamed of. That being said, it is NOT ok for them to call you names or make you feel bad about yourself. You deserve respect.
If your partner has gonorrhea or chlamydia, is it possible to have unprotected sex and not get these infections? While it is possible to have vaginal, oral, or anal sex with an infected partner and not get infected, it's unlikely.
If you have been totally faithful, you may assume that your partner acquired the infection while being unfaithful. Though it's possible they may have been intimate with someone else, it's also possible they never cheated at all.
Take things slowly, don't push them and reassure them that you'll be there whenever they're ready to talk again. It's unlikely that you know of every STI out there. Don't be afraid to ask your friend questions about their diagnosis or, if they're not comfortable answering questions, do some research online .
Chlamydia is really common.
Chlamydia is a SUPER common bacterial infection that you can get from sexual contact with another person. Close to 3 million Americans get it every year, most commonly among 14- to 24-year-olds. Chlamydia is spread through vaginal, anal, and oral sex.