Published on Jan 15, 2022 | 3:08 PM
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Chlamydia is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease that can affect far more than just your sexual health. It is a commonly contracted STD. In the U.S. alone, an average of one out of ten young adults, mostly women, is likely to test positive for the infection.
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection passed on from one person to another through unprotected sexual intercourse. The bacteria that causes the infection is called Chlamydia trachomatis. The infection can affect both men and women. Women are more likely to get infected in the cervix, rectum, or throat. Men get infected in the urethra, rectum, or throat.
How does it Spread? Unprotected sex is the primary method through which the infection can spread. Practicing unsafe sex methods, including oral sex, can increase the risk of an affected individual passing the infection to another. In many countries, chlamydia is the number one STD diagnosed among sexually active patients.
Using a condom while having sex can significantly reduce the chances of contracting chlamydia, while other forms of birth control or protection that don’t act as a barrier method are usually ineffective.
Babies can also catch the infection if the mother has an infection during pregnancy and childbirth.
Are there any Risk Factors? Chlamydia is a treatable infection and should not cause long-term negative effects. However, untreated chlamydia or having multiple chlamydia infections over a period of time could cause complications like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and ectopic pregnancy.
As covered in the Call-On-Doc Guide to Chlamydia, chlamydia symptoms are quite noticeable. However, it may happen that an individual doesn’t realize they are experiencing symptoms of the infection, and then have a greater chance of passing it on to someone else without their knowledge.
In most cases, chlamydia infection symptoms vary according to biological gender. For women, chlamydia may cause:
Pain in the genital area during sexual intercourse
A painful or burning sensation when urinating
Vaginal discharge with abnormal color and a strong smell
Itchiness around the vagina
Pain, abnormal discharge, and bleeding in the rectal area
On the other hand, men may experience:
Abnormal discharge from the penis
Itchiness and a burning sensation around the penis
Painful or burning sensation when urinating
Pain and swelling in the testicles
Pain, abnormal discharge, and bleeding in the rectal area
If and when the infection stays in the body for long, it can spread and worsen. The infected person might experience lower abdominal pain, nausea, or fever.
Chlamydia is a curable sexually transmitted infection (STI) and can be cleared up effectively with the right testing and medication.
Testing: The earlier an infection is detected, the easier it is to treat. As a proactive measure, men and women under 25 years of age should be tested at least once a year if they are sexually active, have multiple partners, or have recently gotten a new partner. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause discomfort and health risks that can affect other aspects of your well-being.
Treatment: Chlamydia is typically treated with a prescription of antibiotics. Around 95% of patients who take their medication correctly are cured of the infection. If you test positive for chlamydia, a doctor may prescribe either azithromycin or doxycycline. To prevent spreading the infection to your sexual partner, you should wait seven days after a single dose of antibiotic or to the end of a seven-day course of antibiotics before having sexual intercourse again.
Before deciding on a treatment method, it’s important to discuss dosage and possible side effects with your doctor.
If you have been diagnosed with chlamydia and would like more information, Call-On-Doc can help. We offer quick, private, and affordable doctor’s consultations via online forms, phone calls, or video chats. Call-On-Doc also offers at-home test kits and lab testing to easily confirm your diagnosis. To learn more about how to treat chlamydia, visit Call-On-Doc today and set up an online appointment.
English graduate and Call-On-Doc’s medical resource guide, Wayne C. Hahne is an experienced and passionate medical education content expert. Through diligent research, provider interviews and utilizing the industry's leading resources for wellness information, it is Mr. Hahne’s personal mission to educate the general public on medical conditions with in-depth and easy-to-understand written guides.
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Most people typically assume that when it comes to STD treatment, you’ll need to go to a doctor’s office and get tested. Not only can the entire process be unnerving, but going into a doctor's office can be uncomfortable, timely, and expensive. However, there is now a more accessible option for STD treatment with telemedicine. Call-On-Doc provides same-day relief for STD symptoms without the hassle of appointments, lab testing, and face-to-face visits.
Specializing in asynchronous consultations, an online text-style visit, our board-certified medical providers offer STD treatment online for a reduced cost that is 100% private and from the comfort of home on your phone or computer!
Simply select a condition and fill out the medical intake form. Then, we'll review and prescribe the appropriate treatment plan that is available for pick-up at any US pharmacy in 1-2 hours.
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Formally known as Chlamydia trachomatis, the STD is most common in younger generations aged 15 to 24, with an estimated 1 in 20 sexually active young women in that age group having the condition. How chlamydia has become so prevalent can be easily explained, with the majority of those infected experiencing no symptoms and going without regular and recommended STD testing.
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Get Treated for STDs without Testing
Most people typically assume that when it comes to STD treatment, you’ll need to go to a doctor’s office and get tested. Not only can the entire process be unnerving, but going into a doctor's office can be uncomfortable, timely, and expensive. However, there is now a more accessible option for STD treatment with telemedicine. Call-On-Doc provides same-day relief for STD symptoms without the hassle of appointments, lab testing, and face-to-face visits.
Specializing in asynchronous consultations, an online text-style visit, our board-certified medical providers offer STD treatment online for a reduced cost that is 100% private and from the comfort of home on your phone or computer!
Simply select a condition and fill out the medical intake form. Then, we'll review and prescribe the appropriate treatment plan that is available for pick-up at any US pharmacy in 1-2 hours.
Not sure what STD you have? No problem, we can still help treat you. On our STD page, select "unsure" and answer a few questions about your symptoms. Our medical providers will know what treatment option is best based on the medical and sexual history as well as other information you can provide.
Does your partner also need treatment? We can help keep both of you sexually healthy and provide 50% off partner treatment.
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The Call-On-Doc Guide to Chlamydia
As one of the most common STDs alongside bacterial vaginosis, chlamydia affects well over a million people in the United States alone. Having risen year-over-year, hopes of there being a decline in cases were curbed when the number of cases went from 1,579,885 in 2020 to 1,644,416 in 2021, but fortunately, chlamydia has not returned to pre-pandemic numbers. (1)
Formally known as Chlamydia trachomatis, the STD is most common in younger generations aged 15 to 24, with an estimated 1 in 20 sexually active young women in that age group having the condition. How chlamydia has become so prevalent can be easily explained, with the majority of those infected experiencing no symptoms and going without regular and recommended STD testing.
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Every year, it's estimated that around 374 million people are infected with curable sexually transmitted infections, most notably syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. (1) Just in the United States alone, the number of annual infections concerning the same STIs hovers between 1.5 million and just below 2 million. (2) Such rising numbers, alongside concerns for antibiotic resistance STDs, have driven the scientific and healthcare communities towards advancing new methods of cures and spread prevention. That’s where the recent development of DoxyPEP has made such an impact on doctors and patients alike.
Designed to function similarly to a morning-after pill, DoxyPEP is an oral antibiotic that has proven effective against immediate exposure to bacterial sexually transmitted diseases. Most effective if taken within 24 hours of exposure, DoxyPEP is also known to reduce bacterial STDs if taken within 72 hours.
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