Doxycycline help

Hello! i am married and was recently diagnosed with chlamydia and prescribed doxy 2 times a day for 10 days. I was told to refrain from having sex with my wife. My wife was prescribed the medication also. Are we to refrain from any sex EVEN if you use condoms? Does masturbation affect the the process of doxy? Please help!  Thank you

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

You and your wife were given standard advice, which we also give in my STD clinic.  However, there really is no reason you can't have sex.  The advice is intended to cover the chance that one or the other partner might be having sex with other people - which, you will understand, is a pretty common situation.  Since you and your wife are on treatment, sex together probably is safe.  However, I recommend condoms until you complete treatment:  if one of you were the rare person whose infection doesn't repond to doxy, the other person might be reinfected.  But even this is theoretical; it probably makes no difference either way.

Sex per se (i.e., stimulation, orgasm,) won't harm anything and won't affect how well the doxy works.  Neither masturbation nor sex with your wife will harm anything.

You and your wife both should be re-tested for chlamydia in about 3 months.  And of course at least one of you is responsible to assure that another or past partner is aware of the situation and gets care for chlamydia.  Otherwise, you can put this business behind you.

Best wishes--  HHH, MD

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I should have also said that you and your wife really should check with the provider(s) in charge of your treatment.  That s/he disagrees with me, it's best to follow that advice and not mine.

HHH, MD