Is Chlamydia Curable?
It may seem a bit scary to learn that you have (or might have) been exposed to Chlamydia. At this point, you likely have a lot of questions around testing and treatment, one of which may be if Chlamydia is even curable. In this article, we get to the bottom of that question to help settle your mind a little.
So, is Chlamydia curable? Chlamydia is curable in around 95% of cases, provided that there are no complications and treatment is taken properly. However, treatment will not cure any permanent damage caused by the disease, such as PIV or infertility.
Read on to learn more about Chlamydia and how it is treated with Your Sexual Health.
Can Chlamydia Be Cured?
Chlamydia is easily curable with antibiotics provided that it is caught within a reasonable amount of time and there are no complications. Treatment works in 95% of cases. When the medication is taken correctly, it stops the infection and also decreases the chance of having issues further down the line.
Whilst the treatment will usually clear the infection, it will not undo any permanent damage that was caused by the disease.
In the UK, the most commonly prescribed Chlamydia treatments are:
- Doxycycline – taken every day for a week
- Azithromycin – 1 dose of 1g, followed by 500mg once a day for 2 days
In cases of allergies, pregnancy or breastfeeding other medications may be prescribed
Learn more about how Chlamydia is treated in our dedicated blog, How Do You Treat Chlamydia?
Does Chlamydia Go Away on its Own?
Chlamydia can go away on its own, but this is rare. In about 20% of people, Chlamydia may resolve itself without treatment. However, this can take a long time and you will still be infectious during this time. Untreated Chlamydia can also lead to health complications.
As such, we always recommend regular STI testing and starting treatment as soon as possible. Visit our Chlamydia Tests page for more information.
What Happens if Chlamydia is Left Untreated?
When left untreated, Chlamydia can cause a range of health complications in both men and women. These include:
Health Complications in Men
- Inflammation of the testicles – Chlamydia can spread to the testicles, causing pain, inflammation, swelling and in severe cases, fertility issues.
- Reactive arthritis – untreated Chlamydia is the most common cause of reactive arthritis, which causes the joints, eyes or urethra to become inflamed.
Health Complications in Women
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PIV) – untreated Chlamydia can spread to the womb and cause serious health concerns, including PIV. This can cause chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancies and infertility.
- In pregnancy – untreated Chlamydia in pregnant women poses the risk of passing on the disease to the unborn baby. This increases the risk of premature birth and low birth weight.
Learn more about how Chlamydia affects men and women in our recent blogs, What Does Chlamydia Look Like on a Woman? and What Does Chlamydia Look Like on a Man?
How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Before It Causes Damage?
How long it takes for untreated Chlamydia to cause damage depends on each individual case. However, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few years.
Chlamydia is asymptomatic in 70% of female cases and in around half of male cases. It can also lay dormant for months or even years post-exposure. As such, people often don’t know that they have it to be able to treat it.
This is why we recommend regular STI testing. Many STIs are either asymptomatic or can easily be confused for another STI. Regular testing helps to catch diseases early and reduces the risk of serious health concerns.
How to Test for Chlamydia
The only way to know for sure if you have Chlamydia is to test. This can be done at a sexual health clinic, via an at-home testing kit or with a home visit starting 14 days after exposure.
Tests are usually conducted using a urine sample, throat swab or rectal swab, depending on the test you choose and site of tresting. At Your Sexual Health, we offer a range of sexual health screening tests for Chlamydia, including an Instant Chlamydia Test, FAST Chlamydia Test, and combined Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea tests. Browse our range of STI tests today or get in touch with us if you’re not quite sure what you need.
If you test positive with a test from Your Sexual Health, you will be offered a complimentary appointment with a GP from our sister company to discuss your next steps. This will usually involve writing a prescription for a suitable antibiotic, discussing any health concerns and answering any questions you may have. While receiving treatment, you should also abstain from sex until you’re clear.
Can Chlamydia Come Back?
Reinfection is actually quite common – as many as 1 in 5 people will have a repeat Chlamydia infection within a few months of their first treatment. This is why regular retesting is important – even if your initial treatment completely cleared the condition.
Everything Else You Need to Know About Chlamydia
For more information about Chlamydia, its symptoms, causes, testing and treatments, check out our comprehensive guide to Chlamydia. Here we go into more depth about each aspect of the disease and answer a range of common questions to give you peace of mind or help you to make the decision whether or not to test.
