Clamydia Question

[SA01]

I recently found out I have Clamydia (chlamydia). I started my medication on Wednesday night(its a 5 day course). On Saturday I was with someone who I recently started dating. He was foundling me & inserted his fingers in me. Also, he had his shorts off and he rubbed his penis around my vagina area and there was a lot of fluid secretion on my part. I had my underwear on the whole time, but there was a lot of fluid secretion on my underwear. After touching me he also touched his penis as well, before washing his hands. I am really afraid that I might have given him Clamydia (chlamydia). My question:
1. Can you pass Clamydia (chlamydia) in the way I described above?
2. I was on the 3rd day of my medication, is Clamydia (chlamydia)
  less active then? What are the chances he has it now?
3. I read in the forum that you need to re-check in 3months and the reason it stated was that 1 out 5 people get reinfected. How is that possible if say I dont have sex for 3months after my medicaion is completed? Does it come back on its own?
4. I also read on the forum that Clamydia (chlamydia) goes away on its own..even if not treated. My quesion is if I neve found out and got treated would have gone away? What are the risk factors of leaving it to disappear on its own?
4. I got tested for HIV/Herpes/Hepatitis/ on March 22nd...I was with someone on Feb 23rd. IS that enough time for these 3 STD's to show up? I dont have my results yet and I am afraid it might not be accurate and I will still continue to worry.

Thank you in advance!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I'll try to help.  Going directly to your questions:

1) It is unlikely you could have transmitted chlamydia, regardless of the moisture, especially since you were on treatment

2) Assuming you are on proper treatment, within 3 days you undoubtedly are much less infectious than before starting the drug.  I mention "proper" treatment because the 2 standard treatments for chlamydia are either single-dose treatment with azithromycin, or 7 days treatment with doxycycline.  There is no recommended regimen that lasts 5 days.  But if you were given an antibiotic active against chlamydia, it should be OK.  What is the drug?

3) If you don't have sex again, you can't be reinfected.  The 3-month recheck is advised because >90% of persons with chlamydia resume sex within that time.  (And in your case, the fact that you came very close to "having sex"--despite the advice your provider undoubtedly gave you, saying don't have sex for now--suggests it likely applies to you as for most people.)

4) Almost all infections go away on their own without treatment.  (Herpes and HIV are exceptions.)  But for chlamydia it can take many months or even a couple of years, and the longer a woman is infected, the higher the risk of complications  Yes, your infection probably would have gone way after several months without treatment.  But it might have left you permanently infertile.

5) The purpose of testing for those STDs wasn't just because you might have caught them from your most recent sex.  It's because persons with any STD, such as chlamydia, often have others--not necessarily caught at the most recent risky exposure.  So being tested was a good idea.  But if you have special concern about that particular partner, then HIV, herpes, and hepatitis testing all need to be done at least 4-6 weeks and preferably 3 months after exposure.  If that partner seems to you to be particularly high risk, consider repeating those tests when you return for your 3-month chlamydia check.

I presume you made sure that partner and any others at risk got treated for chlamydia.  Any and all partners in the 2 months before your diagnosis should be treated.  Do not have sex with any such men until you know for sure they have been treated.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[SA01]

I am taking Azithromycin 250mg. It comes in 6 tablets, and I was directed to take 2 at the same time for my first dose and 1 a day for the rest of the 4. PLEASE let me know if this is not the correct treatment!
I think I misunderstood your answer regarding re-checking in 3 months...can please you clarify. So it does not come back on its own? Say if I had sex in 2 months with a partner that was tested and did not have Chlamydia I would not get it again, correct? I am just a little confused on the "1 out 5" people get reinfected(is that because they have sex with the same partner that infected them?). After my medication is complete I do not want to worry that it will come back again. The person I was with this week is getting tested for STD's this week...so if it comes out clean we can have sex and I should not worry that I will give it to him?
Also, if this guy I was with on Saturday touched me and touched his penis...he could have not been infected that way even though he had secretion from me on his hands and he touched his penis on my underwear? Is the only way to get Chlamydia through intercourse?

PLEASE HELP!!

[SA01]

The reason I got tested for HIV/Herpes was because I got Chlamydia. The guy I was with on Feb 24th(did not use condom both times in one nite) got tested for only HIV on Feb 16th. He was with a girl on Feb 14th and he knows she gave it to him..he did not use condoms. I have been in off and on again relationship with him for a few years and I get checked for everything atleast once a year. He stated he gets HIV test once a year. I am really worried now because you mentioed that people who have Chlamydia probably have other STD's. The last time I had intercourse with him was Oct 2005 and I got checked for STD's in Nov 2005 and it was fine. It was for sure the girl he was with on Feb 14th. Should I be worried I got HIV?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your questions are pretty complex.  You should discuss them directly with your health care provider; or if not confident about his or her expertise, telephone your local or state health department for advice.

The effectiveness of that dose of azithromycin against chlamydia has not been studied and there are no data but it probably will work.  The possible sources of recurrent infection at 3-4 months are 1) reinfection by a previous, infected, untreated partner; 2) reinfection by a new partner; or 3) occasional cases in which the infection isn't cured but only suppressed by treatment.

Any man with whom you have had sex in the past 2 months should be treated for chlamydia, even if he has a negative test result.  But this doesn't apply to the person you described in your original question, if that is your only contact with him (3 days into your treatment, no penetration).  He won't need treatment unless his chlamydia test is positive.

Don't worry about HIV.  That's probably a very low risk, unless one or more of your recent partners also has sex with men or is a heavy-duty drug user.  But if you're especially concerned, you could have another HIV test in a few weeks.

HHH, MD

[Deadheart]

I've been dating this girl for a year and we have been having unprotected sex. She recently went to the doctor for her monthly check up and the doc said she tested positive for Clamydia (chlamydia). As soon as i found she tested positve for it i went and got check, and my test came back negative. Could the test be wrong? Could she really not have it in the first place and a mistake was just made? She says that she never had sex with anyone but me while we were dating, but how can she get it if im the only one shes had sex with and i never had it? If she had it would she give it to me as soon as we had sex?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The topic may be similar, but this is still a thread jump.  You are asking for too much personal information as a comment that should be an indepdendent question.  For a reply from me, start a new thread.

HHH, MD

[d1]

hi, I was recently diagnosed with non-specific urethritis and given  six 250mg zithromax tablets taken over two days. I am a bit worried that i messed up my treatment by masturbating twice during my treatment - the guide says not to have sex while on them. But does this also include masturbation by yourself.

[needitresolved]

No. The reason you're not supposed to have sex until you've finished the treatment is so you don't pass anything on to your partner. Masturbation won't interfere with your own treatment.

[sweetsue35]

hi i have this chlamydia thing i never had before this is my first time... i don,t how i got it. i have i had sex for a year ago.. i have been i,ll in the past but i,m afraid incase my parttner hasn,t got it.. i,m not sleeping over it cause i,m worried. what shall i do and will happen to me...  ty

[sweetsue35]

hi i have this chlamydia thing haven,t had it before i haven.t had sex for a year don,t now how i got it. i,m not sleeping over it. but what if my partner doesn,t have it..... will i only get treated then..

[jesickajane]

Alright about two weeks ago me and my boyfriend had sex without a condom for the first time.  a couple days later I started getting like yeast infection symptoms or something. so the other day I went to the doctor and he was like blah blah blah didn't tell me ****. but he gave me a pill that would make the yeast infection go away.  so i take it.. Still there.. My boyfriend calls me up and hes like went to family planning today and I have chlmydia !.. so yea.. I need to know if thats what itis.. Theres an odor and discharge. How the hell do I find out.. and how the hell did i get it?..

[HHH,MD]

Search the forum archives and threads; your question has been addressed.  For a direct reply, re-post your question in a new thread.

HHH, MD

[privategentelemen99]

Im 24 years old, and I was tested with a swab a week ago, and everything came out clean, but one thing came up saying I had clamydia (chlamydia), the only issue is the partner I had, she got tested and told me she came out clean all the way.  I was given an antibiotic Doxycycline, I took 1 pill already and am getting prepared to take the second one for the day.  I have been having protected sex recently with another young lady including earlier this eveining way after I took my first pill.  The doctor said nothing to me about no sex, so I figured I go with what plans I had today.  Im wondering if I even have it, because I have had no redness, burning insation, itchiness on the penis or burning insation while peeing.  With all the facts my main questions, is should I get retested?  Is there anyway I got this from anything else but sex, such as not staying clean or masturbation in private?   And is there any risk to the young lady I had protected sex with this evening?  Do I need to worrie about having to spread the news or tell person I just had sex with, and to make it clear her and I have only had protected sex.  If someone could help me asap with my questions it would be much appriciated.

[Brian123]

(A). If you were to have a question regarding STD risk/assessment, you need to post your question in a new thread.  The MD will not answer your question.

(B) You would not have contracted chlamydia from yourself! You would have had to contract it from someone you had previously slept with in the past.
From the sounds of it, it seems that you are having numerous sexual parnters, therefore you are not able to deduce who gave you the STD in the first place.

(C) I do NOT think it is at all fair to jeopardize another person's health (as you had stated that you are meeting another "young lady" later this evening). If you are knowledgeable of having an STD, you SHOULD let the other person know!!
Whether or not you are having protected sex with this woman, it certainly is not fair to potentially passing on a STD to her. (Nontheless I do believe it is possible to be held accountable (legally persecuted) if you are knowledgeable of having a STD and passing it on to another individual).  I do believe it is standard practice for physicians to contact local health departments when someone is reported to have a STD. They do so in order to build statistics of communicable diseases.

Regardless, I am sure you would not like to take the role of the potential person being at risk for a STD. Your previous partner may have not been aware of her STD. Nonetheless you are, which means that your MD has it in his records that you do have a STD. Passing it on to a potential partner risks the other person as well as yourself (possibly legally).

[lilblackbug]

I was given my antibiotic last wednesday which was on treatment. A week on I still have the symtoms... has the treatment failed?

[confusec]

me and my girlfriend tested positive for clamydia (chlamydia) over a year ago we were both treated i was never re tested she had 3 neg retest well she tested pos a couple weeks ago she thinks the only way she could have contracted it again is if i cheated on her is their any other way she could have caught it from me any other way could i have not gotten rid of it the first treatment and her not have caught it back from me till now

[kettie]

almost a week and a half ago i found out i had chlamydia. i took one dose that contained 4 pills of azithromycin. i recently had sex with someone that i had sex with before i found out that i had chlamydia. im scared i might be reinfected, because i dont know if he has been treated for it. He had on a condom but we preformed oral sex. do you think that i caught it again? also.. my periods were abnormal for about 3 months. does chlamydia change females menstrual cycles? and i also had period cramps for weeks at a time but i never got my period afterward. Was that the std that was changing my cycle?