Chlamydia in Men

The symptoms of chlamydia in men can be difficult to spot. Symptoms may be infrequent, appear at random, and are not very different from symptoms of other STIs such as gonorrhoea.

Chlamydia symptoms in men include:

• white, cloudy or watery discharge from the tip of the penis
• pain, discomfort or a burning sensation when urinating
• inflammation, tenderness and pain in and around the testicles and urethra (the tube you pee from)

These are likely to appear within 1 to 3 weeks of initial exposure. Signs of chlamydia in men aren't limited to the genitals as chlamydia can also occur in the throat, eyes and rectum if transmitted through oral or anal sex.

You are at risk of contracting chlamydia if infected vaginal fluid or semen comes into contact with your genitals, throat, eyes or rectum.

Untreated chlamydia in men can have long-term consequences. It can also be passed on and cause infertility in male and female partners.

“Chlamydia can affect the whole of the male reproductive system, causing inflammation in the testicles, the tubes that carry sperm away from the testicles, and the prostate gland. If this inflammation isn’t treated, it may lead to scarring, which can impact fertility.” – Dr Zoe Miller, Medical Editor.

Chlamydia can cause direct damage to sperm, resulting in reduced motility and increased numbers of non-viable sperm cells (spermatozoa).

SARA usually clears up on its own but is prone to recurrences. It also occurs 10 times more frequently in men than in women. Although it cannot be cured, symptoms can be treated with NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen.

Chlamydia in men is the most common STI in the UK and is spread through unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Early testing and treatment of chlamydia are key in preventing its spread.

If you've recently had unprotected sex with a new partner, with someone you suspect may be infected, or if you haven't had a recent sexual health test, you should get tested. You can do this at your local GP (although not all GPs offer this, so it’s best to check) or a sexual health clinic. You may be offered home test kits from some of these sexual health services. If you are aged 16 to 25, you may be able to access tests at your college or university.

Regardless of where you choose to take your test, the chlamydia test for men is straightforward to take. The infection is identified through urine testing or a urethral swab, so you need to provide one of these samples. For accurate results, avoid passing urine for 2 hours leading up to the test.

If you've been engaging in oral or anal sex, you should also get a swab test of your rectum or throat.

If you test positive, the most common chlamydia treatment for men is an antibiotic called doxycycline. Doxycycline capsules should be taken twice a day for 7 days. It’s important to take the entire course of the medication, even if your symptoms improve before you’ve finished all of the capsules. Completing your entire course of treatment is important to stop the infection coming back and avoid antibiotic resistance in the body so that if you get recurrent symptoms, it is just as treatable as before.

It’s important to contact all previous partners and make them aware that they, too, may have contracted chlamydia. If you have contracted an infection since obtaining a clear sexual health test, you need only contact the sexual partners you’ve had between the clear test and the positive test. You can send an anonymous message at a local sexual health clinic or through ZAVA.

If you’ve been diagnosed with chlamydia, you can order doxycycline from ZAVA and have it delivered discreetly to your door.

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) released guidelines explaining that azithromycin is no longer routinely recommended for uncomplicated chlamydia infections. This is due to increasing levels of bacterial resistance to azithromycin within the general population. However, it's still suitable in some cases, such as for people with allergies to other chlamydia antibiotics or in pregnant women.

Doxycycline is the recommended, first-line treatment for most people.

To lower your risk of contracting or spreading chlamydia, it's important that you:

• discuss your STI status with any new sexual partners
• always use condoms or other barrier methods during sexual intercourse (including vaginal, anal, and oral)
• cover any shared sex toys with condoms
• have both yourself and your new sexual partner checked for STIs before engaging in unprotected sex

Many people are prone to re-infection within the first few months of a confirmed diagnosis. To avoid this, we recommend:

• avoiding sexual activity until you and your partner have completed your courses of antibiotics
• re-testing 3 to 4 weeks after treatment to confirm that you’re clear of the infection

No, the only way to know that your symptoms are being caused by chlamydia is to take a test.

You cannot tell if you have chlamydia just from the appearance of your visible symptoms. While you might notice some irritation of the genital area, swelling, or discharge, these symptoms can also be caused by other infections.

Could a doctor tell you have chlamydia by looking at visible symptoms?

No. The only way to find out if you have chlamydia is to take a test. After a physical examination, your GP or healthcare provider may suspect you have chlamydia, but they won’t be able to confirm a diagnosis without proper testing.

Could the visible symptoms of chlamydia be mistaken for something else?

Yes, but in many cases chlamydia is symptomless. Symptoms may not occur until 1 to 3 weeks after you have been infected. The symptoms can also be random and infrequent which can lead individuals to overlook that an infection may be causing the symptoms. It could be that your visible symptoms are a result of a different infection.

Not necessarily – the presence of a white, cloudy or watery discharge from the end of your penis is a symptom of chlamydia in men. However, discharge can also be a sign of other issues such as:

• a urinary tract infection (UTI)
• genital herpes
• gonorrhoea
• mycoplasma genitalium
• ureaplasma

In cases of chlamydia other symptoms which may occur alongside penile discharge include:

• pain during urination
• burning or itching in the tube that carries urine out of your body (urethra)
• painful testicles

Chlamydia discharge in men may be:

• watery
• cloudy
• white
• yellow and pus-like

Absence of discharge doesn’t mean you don’t have chlamydia – it's important to remember that most cases of chlamydia in men are symptom-free. If you've had unprotected sex, you didn’t use a condom for example, then there's every possibility you could have caught chlamydia, and you should get tested even if you have no symptoms. If chlamydia is left untreated it can cause serious health complications, including some that could affect your fertility.

Order a home test kit or request antibiotic treatment for chlamydia without going to a GP or clinic.

Patient privacy is important to us – all kits and prescribed medications are sent out in discreet, unmarked packaging. If you have any questions or need advice, you can contact your doctor confidentially via your patient account.