Aa
Confused
I'm a 23 year old male. i recently developed minor symptoms, (slight tingling during urination and some itching) and went to have myself tested and sure enough it came back positive for chlamydia. I was having unprotected intercourse with a girl for about two months, probably a good 10-15 times. I was trying to pursue a relationship with her but she was hung up on her ex that i knew for a fact she was going back and forth with, and i know for a fact he slept with atleast one other girl. She was checked five months ago and came back clean before she slept with him after he had been with another. My symptoms started at the most a week later after the last time I had slept with her. I had not slept with anyone in over a year before her and that was protected sex with a girl that i know was clean. I almost have a gut feeling that it had to have been her, but she went to get tested and the doctor said by examining her discharge that it didn't look like she had it, but did the test anyway, and i am awaiting the result. I am so scared she isn't going to have it because i will have no clue how i would have contracted it. She also had recently had a UTI when i started symptoms. Could the UTI medicine also have wiped out Chlamydia? Im confused and the wait for her results is really stressing me out. Anyone have any thoughs?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your symptoms should start improving soon and likely will be gone within a week of treatment. If not, return to the doctor or clinic where you were diagnosed and treated.
Thank you very much. I had one more question.... If i started treatment four days ago (four tablets of zithromax in one dose), is it normal that i should still be experiencing some burning during urination? or will it take a few weeks for the symptoms to subside?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum. I'll try to help.
When someone has a treatable STD like chlamydia, in general it is best not to get caught up in figuring out exactly when and where, and from whom, the infection was acquired.
That said, in this case your current sex partner is by far the most likely source of your infection. Although chlamydia occasionally can be carried for many months, that's primarily a problem in women. More important, when symptoms occur at all, they usually start 7-10 days after catching chlamydia.
It's a pretty good bet that your partner's recent UTI was actually chlamydia. Whether or not that's the case, her examination means nothing in predicting whether or not she is infected. Most women with chlamydia have entirely normal exams.
It also doesn't matter what her test shows; she needs treatment against chlamydia. Even the best tests miss 5-10% of infections; and the antibiotic given for her apparent UTI might have cured chlamydia if she had it, so the test now would be negative; and she could have been infected and had a spontaneous cure. Regardless of her test result, make sure she gets treated (especially if you expect to resume sex with her in the future). Finally, both of you should be retested 3-4 months from now to make sure the infection has not recurred (and that you have not been reinfected).
Bottom line: It is quite certain you were infected by this partner, but it really doesn't matter which of you had it first. Don't get into a blame game. Just be sure you're both treated then stop worrying about it.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
When someone has a treatable STD like chlamydia, in general it is best not to get caught up in figuring out exactly when and where, and from whom, the infection was acquired.
That said, in this case your current sex partner is by far the most likely source of your infection. Although chlamydia occasionally can be carried for many months, that's primarily a problem in women. More important, when symptoms occur at all, they usually start 7-10 days after catching chlamydia.
It's a pretty good bet that your partner's recent UTI was actually chlamydia. Whether or not that's the case, her examination means nothing in predicting whether or not she is infected. Most women with chlamydia have entirely normal exams.
It also doesn't matter what her test shows; she needs treatment against chlamydia. Even the best tests miss 5-10% of infections; and the antibiotic given for her apparent UTI might have cured chlamydia if she had it, so the test now would be negative; and she could have been infected and had a spontaneous cure. Regardless of her test result, make sure she gets treated (especially if you expect to resume sex with her in the future). Finally, both of you should be retested 3-4 months from now to make sure the infection has not recurred (and that you have not been reinfected).
Bottom line: It is quite certain you were infected by this partner, but it really doesn't matter which of you had it first. Don't get into a blame game. Just be sure you're both treated then stop worrying about it.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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