Symptoms and signs of chlamydia in men may not always be apparent. Only about 50 percent of men with chlamydia infections will show symptoms of the infection.
What is chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection that mainly affects the genital tract, rectum, and throat of both men and women. It is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, which is an intracellular microorganism, and is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide.
In women, signs of chlamydia are obvious in 30 – 50 percent of women with the infection. However, it is higher in males with about 50 – 70 percent showing signs of infection. Many people have no symptoms at all.
How can men get chlamydia?
Have you had unprotected intercourse in the past? Do you have multiple sexual partners? Do you have intercourse with women with multiple sexual partners?
Chlamydia transmission is mainly due to sexual contact. If you’ve had intercourse without a condom, then it’s likely you may have chlamydia. Chlamydia can also pass from a pregnant woman to her baby during childbirth.
Ways to get chlamydia include?
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Unprotected sexual intercourse
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Anal intercourse without protection
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Oral foreplay
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Contact with genital fluid from an infected partner
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Use and sharing toys with an infected partner can get you infected
How common is chlamydia in men
Chlamydia is a widespread sexually transmitted disease with more than 120 million women and men with the infection globally.
It is more common between 15 – 25 years of age, affecting a few percent of men in this age group.
11 Symptoms and signs of chlamydia in men
If you’ve had intercourse with chlamydia infection, then these are the common symptoms you could have
No symptoms
You may have chlamydia without any symptoms showing up. About 50 percent of males do not show any signs of the infection. It’s important to test for chlamydia to confirm if you’re infected or not. Absent symptoms do not mean absent infection.
Read More
How long can you have chlamydia without knowing
Pus-like discharge from your penis
Are you experiencing an abnormal discharge coming out from your urethra? Is it pus-like, whitish or cloudy?
If you have pus-like discharge or sometimes watery discharge, you may have chlamydia especially if you’ve had intercourse without condom. Gonorrhea can cause similar discharge too, so you need a test to be sure.
Painful urination
Are you having difficulty passing urine? Do you feel severe burning sensation while urinating?
Men with chlamydia infection have painful urination due to inflammation of the urethra.
Painful testes
Do you feel pain down there at your testicles? Are your testes increasing in size or swelling?
Testicular pain due to epididymitis is caused by chlamydia infection. If you have swollen testes that is very painful, it may be due to chlamydia.
Fever
Though fever is not always present in all men with chlamydia infection, it may occurs with other symptoms of the infection.
Infertility
Are you finding it challenging to get your spouse pregnant after routine intercourse? Do you have fever, pus-like penile discharge?
Chlamydia infection, if not treated early, can cause inflammation in the male reproductive tract and may contribute to infertility in some men due to abnormal sperms with low motility.
Joint pain
Do you experience joint pain, red eyes and penile pain and discharge?
Chlamydia infection may cause reactive arthritis with joint pain and penile discharge. Though more common in men, it can occur in women too.
Red eyes or conjunctivitis
Are your eyes red with purulent discharge?
Chlamydia in men could potentially cause conjunctivitis resulting in red eyes and purulent eye discharge. Transmission is by hand to eye spread of infections from penile area to your eyes.
About 1 in 300 men and women who have chlamydia will have red eyes.
Prostatitis
Prostatitis is the irritation of the prostate glands with resultant swelling. It causes difficult urination and low abdomen pain. Chlamydia is one of several possible causes.
Rectal infection
Anal intercourse with rectal pain and bleeding may be due to chlamydia infections, especially if you have had unprotected anal sex.
How is chlamydia diagnosed in men?
If you’ve ever had an unprotected sexual intercourse, you ought to inform your health care provider for possible screening and treatment. Early treatment is essential to prevent issues like fertility problems and fever.
During your doctor’s appointment, samples from your urethra or urine will be collected for evaluation and testing. Most laboratories now use a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) on urine or swabs, which is more accurate than older culture tests and usually gives results within a few days. If you have oral chlamydia infections, a throat swab is collected and sent for testing.
If positive, treatment of chlamydia is by use of azithromycin or doxycycline, which are standard drug of choice according to CDC chlamydia treatment guidelines.
You should be aware that gonorrhea have very similar symptoms with chlamydia. If your doctor detects gonorrhea during your swab test, different or extra drugs may be prescribed.
You can also read more about chlamydia testing and symptoms on MedlinePlus.
How can i prevent chlamydia infection
These are some simple ways you can avoid chlamydia
Abstain from intercourse
If you can, then its the simplest and cheapest way to prevent chlamydia. Since chlamydia is sexually transmitted, it’s very unlikely that you may contact the infection, if you abstain from intercourse.
Use condom
If you cannot abstain, then its okay. Condoms prevents sexually transmitted infection and is also useful to prevent chlamydia. Consistent condom use during intercourse can prevent chlamydia transmission.
Reduce partners
Do you have multiple sexual partners?
You should reduce partners or abstain completely.
Get your sexual partners tested for chlamydia
It’s likely your partner could have chlamydia without showing symptoms. You should advice your male or female friends about the long term effects of chlamydia and why treatment is vital.
If you don’t get your partner tested and treated, you could be reinfected with chlamydia again.
Frequently asked questions about chlamydia infections in men
The are some commonly asked questions about chlamydia infection in men. Let us know your questions below.
Can chlamydia cause infertility in men?
Though not common, chlamydia infection in men may result to inflammation of the testes thereby affecting the epididymis. This may result to infertility if not treated early.
In addition, chlamydia can affect the normal production of sperm resulting to abnormal sperm with low motility.
How do you test for chlamydia in men
Your doctor or clinic can arrange a chlamydia test and use your urine sample or a swab for testing.
If you have a chlamydia throat or anal infection, you should inform your doctor. Samples will be collected and tested for a few days.
Now its your turn? Do you have pain while urinating with penile discharge? Let us know if we could help.
Dr Akatakpo Dunn is a Nigerian medical doctor, sonologist and Medical Director of Verah Clinic & Maternity in Warri, Nigeria. He holds an MBBS from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, a Postgraduate Diploma in Diagnostic Ultrasound (India) and a Professional Diploma in Obstetrics & Gynaecology (RCPI). Through Medplux, he explains women’s health, pregnancy, fertility and ultrasound in clear, practical language so readers can make informed decisions with their own doctors.
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