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Women's Health

Chlamydia

07/27/2007

Question:

last week, i was diagnosed with having chylamidia through my culture and got treated. I got it from my partner because i was a virgin when i met him and he has been the only one since. however, he claims to not have anything. my questions are: he went to a free clinic for testing and they gave him the same perscription that was given to me to cure the std without testing his blood and urine sample, does this mean he deffinatly has it? how long can chlymidia live in his system without him knowing he has it? can it live in his body for 1 -2yrs or several months without it being detected? is it any way, his test results could come back negative, when i know it was him that did something? if his test does come up negative, does he have another type of std? can chalmydia in a male turn into another disease if undetected? can you be a carrier of this std without actually having the disease? will i still be able to have children? the nurse told me that the std was in the early stage, how is that determined? will i have any future problems in my body after being treated for chalymdia? thank you for answering all of my questions, im very confused about all of this.

Answer:

All of the questions you asked are very common ones asked by others who are diagnosed with chlamydia. Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease - that is, it is extremely rare for it to be obtained other than through sex. But... It is always possible. Normally, it is the woman who is the "silent carrier" of the infection, as most men get symptoms (such as a painful discharge with burning with urination). Regardless, the best approach is to make sure both individuals are treated.

Chlamydia in a male will not turn into any other disease. The reason he was treated automatically, without waiting for culture results, is that we always treat both partners when one has been diagnosed with chlamydia. As to your question about being able to have children, normally if the infection is caught before it turns into "pelvic inflammatory disease" (extreme pain in the pelvis associated with a fever), the tubes are normally not infected. That is what was meant by the nurse. The fact that you were treated should put an end to any of your worries - you should do well.

A great source to read about chlamydia is the one developed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Their web site is:

http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/default.htm#fact.

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Response by:

The Ohio State University W. Fred Miser, MD
Associate Professor of Family Medicine
Director, Ohio State Medicine Residency Program
Department of Family Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University
W. Fred Miser, MD