Chlamydia Symptoms in Women and Men

What chlamydia symptoms look like

When chlamydia does cause symptoms, they are mild and easy to explain away. In women: unusual vaginal discharge, burning or discomfort when urinating, pain during sex, bleeding between periods or after sex, and a dull pain low in the belly. In men: a clear or cloudy discharge from the penis, burning when urinating, itching or irritation at the tip, and, less often, pain or swelling in one testicle. A rectal infection can cause pain, discharge or bleeding; a throat infection almost never causes anything.

Symptoms, when they appear, usually start one to three weeks after exposure, but they can take longer, come and go, or clear on their own while the infection stays. A symptom that fades is not an infection that has gone.

Why most people have no symptoms

Chlamydia is a bacterium that lives quietly in the lining of the urethra, cervix, rectum or throat. The CDC estimates that the large majority of infections in women and around half in men cause no symptoms, which is why it is the most commonly reported STD in the United States and why most people who have it find out from a test, a partner, or a complication. A test is the only way to know. Symptoms do not shorten the time an infection takes to show up on a test, and having none does not mean you are clear.

What else causes the same symptoms

Burning when you urinate is the classic sign of a urinary tract infection, which is far more common than chlamydia and not sexually transmitted. Discharge and irritation in women are more often bacterial vaginosis or yeast; in men, other causes of urethritis include gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium and trichomoniasis. The chlamydia test looks only for chlamydia. If it is negative and the symptoms continue, see a clinician: a negative result does not mean nothing is wrong, only that chlamydia is not the cause.

When to see a clinician rather than wait for a test

Some symptoms need a clinician, not just a lab. A sore, blister, ulcer or rash should be examined – and, where possible, swabbed – while it is there, because a blood or urine test cannot tell you what a sore is. Severe pelvic or lower-belly pain, pain or swelling in a testicle, a fever with pelvic pain, vision or hearing changes, a severe headache, or yellowing of the skin or eyes need prompt medical care. If you are pregnant, tell your prenatal provider about any symptom or exposure. And if you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, go to an urgent care or emergency room today and ask about PEP, which can prevent infection only if it is started in time.

How chlamydia is tested, and what the test cannot tell you

The test is a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), which finds the genetic material of the bacteria itself, from a small urine sample – no swab, no exam. It is the most accurate test available and works whether or not you have symptoms. A urine test checks for infection of the urethra or cervix; it does not rule out chlamydia in the throat or rectum, so tell the care advisor about any oral or anal exposure. Because chlamydia and gonorrhea so often occur together, most people test for both from the same sample with the Chlamydia & Gonorrhea test. The test has a window period after exposure; the timing is on our When to Get Tested page, or call (866) 872-1888. More about the test itself is on our chlamydia testing page.

After a positive result

Chlamydia is cured with antibiotics: usually a seven-day course, sometimes a single dose. A member of our care team calls you, explains the result, and arranges a consultation with a physician who sends the prescription to the pharmacy you choose. Avoid sex until you have finished a seven-day course, or for seven days after a single dose, and until your partners have been treated, or you will pass it back and forth. If you are pregnant, tell the physician: the antibiotic is chosen differently and a test of cure a few weeks later is recommended. The CDC recommends everyone retest about three months after treatment, because re-infection is common. Recent partners need to be told and tested; the care team can help with that conversation.