Chlamydia Symptoms in Men

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One of the more common STDs, Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that spreads very quickly from person to person when they have unprotected sexual intercourse. Doctors often recommend that anyone who has more than one partner should be tested on a regular basis because although they don’t experience any symptoms they could well have contracted chlamydia. However, with men, if infected there are certain symptoms to watch out for and which might well suddenly appear a long time after being originally infected which can be months later.

Graphic images of Chlamydia

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Common Symptoms Men Experience with Chlamydia

Although around half of men who contract the chlamydia bacteria don’t actually experience any sort of symptoms whatsoever, those that do often suffer from the following:

Urinating is painful

A discharge from their penis which can either be a watery discharge or it could be white or cloudy

Painful, swollen testicles

A lot of men experience some very mild symptoms which soon clear up within a couple of days or so. However, this does not mean the condition has cleared up altogether at all and it can still be transmitted to a partner through sexual contact. If the condition remains untreated, not only is there a very high risk of passing the condition on to other sexual partners but it could lead to all sorts of other health issues which includes the following:

Orchitis – swollen testicles

Reactive arthritis

Infertility

Chlamydia, the silent disease

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Chlamydia Infection in Rectum, Eyes or Throat

The chlamydia bacteria can infect a person’s rectum should they have unprotected anal sex. The same can happen in the throat if anyone has oral sex with someone who has already been infected with chlamydia. It is the vaginal fluid and semen that carries the bacteria which means if eyes are touched; the infection can also spread very rapidly to the eyes causing a painful bout of conjunctivitis.

If there is an infection of chlamydia in the rectum, the symptoms to watch out for are as follows:

Anal discharge

Pain and discomfort in the anus

Bleeding from the anus

A discharge from the anus

Should the infection be in the eyes, the symptoms appear much like those of conjunctivitis which includes the following:

Pain

Irritation

Swelling

Discharge

When the infection takes hold in a person’s throat which is less common, there are very few or no symptoms whatsoever.

Antibiotics Are the Treatment of Choice

Once a diagnosis has been made and chlamydia has been established as the cause of the condition, doctors normally recommend patients go on a course of antibiotics. If the symptoms are caught early enough, the condition clears up pretty quickly. However, the longer a person waits, the longer chlamydia takes to clear up due to the fact it might have started to spread to other parts of the body.

If left untreated, the infection spreads and can cause infertility in both men and women and there are all sorts of other health issues which may then set in which are harder to clear up and can have long-term effects on a person’s health and wellbeing which includes reactive arthritis.

Conclusion

Although not all men will suffer any symptoms after having contracted the chlamydia bacteria, it does not mean they don’t have the condition and as such they can pass it on to their sexual partners. Should anyone have more than one partner, it is always best to be tested on a regular basis to rule out a chlamydia infection. Even after having received a treatment of antibiotics, it is always advisable for the doctor to give you another check-up in order to confirm you are clear of the infection. You can also buy self-test chlamydia kits online if you feel too embarrassed to visit a clinic or doctor.

Image Credits : ecastro and ecastro