Chlamydia Treatment for Men and Women!

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What is Chlamydia treatment for men and women? Well … Chlamydia is a kind of disease that can be categorized into a group of sexually transmitted disease (STD). Even CDC reports that it is the most commonly reported. Many patients (both men and women) with this disease don’t realize that they are being infected, because most of them typically don’t have any symptom or only have mild symptoms (read also symptoms of Chlamydia if they do occur). 

However, don’t ever underestimate this disease! If left untreated, it can cause other health problems and serious complications! And you should know that the damages that this disease causes are often ‘silent’ -- according to CDC. 

How do you get Chlamydia?

This disease is caused by bacteria what we call as “Chlamydia trachomatis”. It can be transmitted through intercourse. 

Anyone (both men and women) can be infected, particularly for those who have multiple partners, but in many cases the disease is relatively more common in the age of 24 or under (young adults). Furthermore, Chlamydia trachomatis also can be transmitted during oral /anal sex.

Complications from Chlamydia

As written before, there are some serious health problems /complications that may occur if this disease left untreated. These complications may include:

In men

1. NGU (nongonococcal urethritis) - a kind of infection in the urethra. Urethra is the tube to pass urine.
2. Inflammation in the rectum - this health condition is also called ‘proctitis’.
3. Epididymitis - an infection in the tube that has function to carry sperm away from the men’s testes.
4. There is also a chance for men with Chlamydia to have prostate gland infection, which may cause pain when urinating, pain during /after sex, and even lower back pain. Ask a doctor for more detailed information!

In women

1. PID (pelvic inflammatory disease). This disease infects /affects the fallopian tube which then can cause fever and pelvic pain. Fallopian tubes are tubes that connect uterus to ovaries. PID can lead to serious fertility problem, because there is a chance for this disease to damage the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes.
2. The damage of to the uterus, fallopian tubes, and surrounding tissues can increase the risk of a woman to have a condition what we call as ectopic pregnancy (a condition when the fertilized egg develops not in the uterus (outside uterus)).
3. Giving birth too early! Women with Chlamydia (especially if left untreated) have higher risk of experiencing a premature birth.
4. There is also a chance for newborn to get pneumonia, eye infection, or the risk of blindness. Because the Chlamydia infection can be passed from a mother to her newborn during childbirth!

Furthermore, both men and women with Chlamydia infection can be associated with other STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). In other words, they are at higher risk of also getting other STDs, such as HIV and gonorrhea.

In rare cases, individuals with this infection are also at high likelihood of developing Reiter's syndrome or also familiar called ‘reactive arthritis’. 

And complications of Chlamydia in men are rare -- according to CDC. Nevertheless, men should not underestimate this disease, because they can spread this infection to their partners. 

Diagnosis of Chlamydia

Both men and women (especially for those who sexually active age 25 or younger) are so recommended to get an annual screening test for Chlamydia. Tests to detect a Chlamydia infection usually use/involve a body fluid sample from the affected area. Some of these tests include:

1. Chlamydia culture! It usually must be done in the lab. If compared to other tests for Chlamydia, it requires more days (about 5-7 days) to get the test result.
2. NAAT (Nucleic acid amplification tests), such as PCR (polymerase chain reaction test)! Many doctors believe that these tests are the most sensitive test to detect a Chlamydia infection, because they can get and detect the genetic material of Chlamydia. 
3. DFA test (Direct fluorescent antibody)! It can give a quick result to find antigens of Chlamydia.
4. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay! It is another option for quick test to find an infection of Chlamydia.
5. DNA probe test! Like NAAT, DNA probe test is also helpful to catch the genetic material of Chlamydia, but it may be less sensitive.

Furthermore, we can also use a Chlamydia home test kit that we can get for free from non-profit sites. If you seriously want to get the clearly diagnosis, see a doctor for more detailed information!

Chlamydia treatment for men and women

Fortunately, this infection is not too difficult to be treated & cured. Since the cause of this infection is bacteria -- the most common treatment is by using antibiotics. 

According to CDC, the most commonly prescribed treatments are doxycycline and azithromycin. Doxycycline is usually prescribed twice daily for about a week. And azithromycin is a single dose prescribed treatment. Individuals with Chlamydia infection and also have HIV should receive the same prescribed treatment as other HIV-negative individuals with Chlmaydia infection.

Sex partners of patients must also be evaluated & treated. This is so important to anticipate and prevent re-infection, and also intended to eliminate the spread of the disease. During the treatment, doctor usually asks their patients with Chlamydia infection to abstain from sex until the infection is completely cured.

If you are diagnosed with a Chlamydia infection, with the right treatment your disease should completely go away about 1-2 weeks. And don’t forget to follow all instructions from the doctor -- finish completely all of prescribed antibiotics even if you feel much better!

After you finish all of your prescribed antibiotics and you feel better, see your doctor once again to make sure that your infection is completely cured. Ask also completely to your doctor about the next steps that you should do to prevent re-infection.

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Reference: MayoClinic, CDC, and WebMD