SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
There are a range of bugs and viruses that you can catch during sex. Learn about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), how to prevent them, how to diagnose them and how they are treated.
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Chlamydia
What is it?
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection you can get in your eyes, throat, cock, arse, vagina or front-hole.
How do you get it?
You can only get chlamydia from sexual contact with someone who has chlamydia — through oral sex, anal sex, vaginal or front-hole sex, and by arse, vaginal or front-hole play, such as fingering, fisting or using toys.
What are the symptoms?
Most people don’t have symptoms when they get chlamydia, which means you can have chlamydia and not know about it. If you do get symptoms, they can appear two to 14 days after exposure. In some cases symptoms may take up to 21 days to appear or don’t appear at all.
Common symptoms may include:
- A watery or white discharge from your cock or arse, or a difference in vaginal or front-hole discharge
- Itching and redness around the opening of your cock (urethra) or arse
- A stinging or burning sensation while pissing, or when you cum (ejaculating)
- Pain in your testicles or pelvic area
- Irregular vaginal or front-hole bleeding
Diagnosis and treatment
A doctor diagnoses chlamydia by taking a swab of your throat, arse, vagina or front-hole along with a urine (piss) sample for laboratory testing.
Treatment is straightforward with a short course of antibiotics. Avoid all sexual contact when taking treatment and for seven days after you completed it to stop chlamydia from spreading.
How do you prevent it?
Apart from not having any sex, the most effective way to help prevent chlamydia is to use condoms, dams and gloves during sex. However, chlamydia can still spread even when these barriers are used.
Going for regular sexual health tests will identify chlamydia before it becomes a problem and helps prevent it from spreading.