About Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease, which is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection and it can affect both men and women. Rarely symptomatic, an untreated Chlamydia infection can have serious long term side effects for both women and men, including reduced fertility.

Chlamydia can be transmitted during vaginal, anal, or oral sex, and any sexually active person can be infected. Since Chlamydia can be transmitted by oral or anal sex, men who have sex with men are also at risk for Chlamydia infection.

Symptoms of Chlamydia infection in men

Chlamydia is known as the silent infection as the majority of men and women do not experience any symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they usually show between 1-3 weeks after infection. The Chlamydia bacteria can also lie dormant for long periods of time, suddenly becoming symptomatic. 

• pain urinating
• urethral inflammation
• discharge from the urethra

Since Chlamydia is rarely symptomatic, it is easy to infect others without knowing it. The symptoms of Chlamydia are also typical of other sexually transmitted infections such as mycoplasma.

Treatment of Chlamydia infection

Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics and can be cured. A single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin or a weeks course of doxycycline are is the most commonly used treatments. HIV-positive persons with chlamydia should receive the same treatment as those who are HIV negative.
It is recommended that all sex partners should also be tested those with chlamydia should abstain from sexual intercourse for 7 days after single dose antibiotics or until completion of a 7-day course of antibiotics, to prevent spreading the infection to partners.

In men long term complications are rare, however untreated chlamydia can cause:
• Infection and scarring of the urethra
• Prostatitis:  swelling of the prostate gland
• Infection in the tube that carries sperm from the testes, causing pain and fever

• Chlamydia Test for Men
• Chlamydia Infections in Men
• Test Procedure
• FAQ's