How many days after chlamydia treatment can you have intercourse

What is Chlamydia?

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection that is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia Trachomatis.  These bacteria can infect both men and women.  One of the most rapidly emerging of the STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) it is important to detect and treat.  We search for Chlamydia in the throat, penile urethra, prostate, vagina, cervix, and anus.

This is sometimes asymptomatic and can be passed on to newborns at birth.   Antibiotics will cure the infection. You may get a one-time dose of the antibiotics, or you may need to take medicine every day for 7 days. Antibiotics cannot repair any permanent damage that the disease has caused.

To prevent spreading the disease to your partner, you should not have sex until the infection has cleared up. If you got a one-time dose of antibiotics, you should wait 7 days after taking the medicine to have sex again. If you must take medicine every day for 7 days, you should not have sex again until you have finished taking all of the doses of your medicine.  If you follow this link you will get important treatment information from institutions that are recognized for their scientific accuracy.

Symptoms of chlamydia experienced by women include:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Bleeding between periods
  • Pain or burning during urination
  • Urge to urinate more often
  • Painful intercourse
  • Bleeding after intercourse
  • Vaginal discharge in large quantities - may be yellow or foul-smelling 
  • Low-grade fever
  • Swelling in the vaginal or anal area

Symptoms of chlamydia experienced by men include:

  • Penile discharge
  • Testicle swelling or tenderness
  • Pain or burning during urination

With the proper treatment, chlamydia can be completely cured. Antibiotic therapy is recommended for both the patient and his or her sexual partner(s). If left untreated, chlamydia can cause serious complications such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Antibiotics such as azithromycin and doxycycline are very effective in treating chlamydia.

Doctors suggest testing three to four months after the treatment depending on risk factors to ensure that the virus is completely cured.

Chlamydia Common Questions

While this does happen with certain infections like chicken pox and measles it is not the case with chlamydia. Just because you have been successfully treated in the past does not mean that you are protected from becoming infected with Chlamydia again in the future.

Generally speaking, if you took the treatment exactly as instructed you would not normally need a follow-up test. However, you ought to repeat the test if you think you may have come into contact with chlamydia again, if you had unprotected sex with a partner before the treatment was finished, if you did not complete the treatment or did not take it according to the instructions, and if the signs and symptoms don’t go away. You may need to have a second dose of antibiotics to clear it up properly.

We advise not to have oral, vaginal or anal sex, or use sex toys, until seven days after you and your partner have both finished the treatment and any symptoms that you may have been experiencing have gone. This is to help prevent you being re-infected or passing the infection on to someone else. If you have been given a single dose treatment consisting of 1g of an antibiotic called azithromycin, then you will need to avoid sex for seven days after you have taken the tablets.

Chlamydia

    It’s a question that gets asked regularly by people receiving chlamydia treatment, Your Sexual Health’s specialist Dr Rashid Bani has the answer…

    Sex during chlamydia treatment

    Once you’ve been diagnosed with chlamydia you’ll be given a course of antibiotics to clear up the infection. Usually the antibiotic treatment for chlamydia is taken in one single dose, but it still takes up to seven days for the chlamydia bacteria to completely leave your system. Because of this it’s important not to have sex until seven days after you took the medication. If you’ve had a longer course of antibiotics you should wait until seven days after the medication has finished.

    What about my partner?

    If you’re in a relationship where you’ve been sleeping with the same person for a period of time, it’s important that the other person also get tested and treated. There is a very high likelihood that they’ll also have chlamydia and without treatment they’ll pass it back to you once you’re all clear. In these instances it’s important that you don’t have sex until both of you have been treated for the condition.

    Can I have PROTECTED sex following chlamydia treatment?

    Even though condoms can dramatically reduce the chances of chlamydia passing from person to person they do not completely eliminate the chances of the condition spreading. For this reason it’s important that you completely refrain from sexual intercourse of any kind until seven days after your medication has finished even if you use a condom.

    What to do after the seven day period?

    Once the seven day period has passed following your treatment the chlamydia should have passed out of your system. In order to be certain, you should complete another chlamydia test to confirm that you’re clear. The test should be taken two weeks after you’ve completed the antibiotic treatment to be absolutely sure.

    Once that’s confirmed you can continue having sex, safe in the knowledge that you won’t be able to pass on chlamydia. If your partner was also infected you should wait until they’re clear before having sex again.

    Remember that once the infection has passed you can still catch it again if you come into contact with the bacteria so make sure you practice safe sex and follow these steps: –

    • Always use a condom when having sex with a new partner
    • Get checked regularly, especially if you’ve had sex with multiple partners
    • If you’re starting a relationship with a new partner ensure they get tested

    You can book a private chlamydia test with Your Sexual Health and get tested at one of our clinic locations across the UK. We also offer a prescription service enabling you to get treatment if your test returns as positive. Book an appointment today.

    How many days after chlamydia treatment can you have intercourse

    Dr Bani

    Blogs are written by Your Sexual Health and approved by Dr Bani

    What happens if you don't wait 7 days after treatment for chlamydia?

    The treatment won't work if someone is re-exposed to chlamydia and/or gonorrhea within those 7 days. If you cannot avoid having sex for 7 days, then using a condom will help lower the chance of passing the STI to your partners and/or getting the infection again, but there is no guarantee.

    Why do I have to wait 7 days after chlamydia treatment?

    Persons with chlamydia should abstain from sexual activity for 7 days after single dose antibiotics or until completion of a 7-day course of antibiotics, to prevent spreading the infection to partners. It is important to take all of the medication prescribed to cure chlamydia.

    How long after chlamydia treatment can you have unprotected intercourse?

    If you have azithromycin, you should wait 7 days after treatment before having sex (including oral sex). It's important that your current sexual partner and any other recent sexual partners you have had are also tested and treated to help stop the spread of the infection.

    How long until chlamydia is fully gone?

    It takes 7 days for the medicine to work in your body and cure Chlamydia infection. If you have sex without a condom during the 7 days after taking the medicine, you could still pass the infection to your sex partners, even if you have no symptoms.