What is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection diagnosed in Dubai, UAE.
For most people, chlamydia is a simple infection and can be easily treated with antibiotics. However, if left untreated it can lead to long term complications and may affect your fertility.
Chlamydia symptoms
Most people will not have symptoms however some can include:
In women
- A vaginal discharge that is different than usual
- The need to urinate more often
- Pain when passing urine
- Pain during sex
- Pain in the pelvis or lower abdomen
- Any irregular bleeding between periods or after sex
In men
- A discharge from the tip of the penis
- Pain and/or burning when passing urine
- Painful swelling of the testicles
What is the treatment?
Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics.
The two most commonly prescribed treatments are:
Azithromycin (single dose) - You will be advised not to have any sexual contact (oral, vaginal, or anal- sex even with a condom or share sex toy) for 7 days.
Doxycycline (longer course) - You will be advised not to have any sexual contact (oral, vaginal, or anal-sex even with a condom or share sex toy) whilst taking treatment
If you vomit within 2hrs of taking Azithromycin, do not complete the course of Doxycycline, or have had sex when advised not to then you will need further treatment.
How quickly will treatment work?
Your infection will be cleared up 7 days after taking a single dose of antibiotics or after having finished a course of antibiotics
If you had symptoms, these should start to improve once you are treated.
If the symptoms do not improve after 2 weeks or get worse, we recommend that you attend our local sexual health clinic as you may have a different STI and require further tests and different antibiotics.
