People without an expansive knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) may be curious or scared about the different types of infections. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), over a million STIs are acquired daily, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Chlamydia is perhaps one of the most common STIs, with millions diagnosed yearly. Chlamydia trachomatis causes chlamydia, and people can transmit and acquire the infection through unprotected sex. Typical penetration doesn’t have to happen to spread or contract chlamydia. Contact between the genitals can also spread the bacteria. A person can also contract chlamydia through anal sex, which makes anal chlamydia another specific STI to note.
Since chlamydia often doesn’t show symptoms, not everyone infected knows they have it. As a result, they put themselves and their partners at risk. In addition, untreated chlamydia can cause more complications, so it’s crucial to learn as much as possible about STIs. Chlamydia in the anus may not be as common as other STIs, but people can and do get it.
Anal Chlamydia
Chlamydia in the anus is a type of chlamydia that affects the anus and rectum. People can contract and transmit it through anal-oral or anal penetration, but it’s also possible by just putting an infected finger or toy in the genitals. Any STI that can infect genitals can also infect anuses specifically.
Apart from chlamydia infection in the anus, other anal STIs include:
- Herpes (HSV)
- Gonorrhea
- HPV
- Syphilis
- Hepatitis A, B, and C
- Pubic lice
Can You Get Chlamydia From Anal Sex?
Yes, having unprotected anal sex can spread the bacteria. Generally, chlamydia can infect a person’s eyes, throat, and genitals through direct or indirect contact with the bacteria. Therefore, if an infected person has unprotected anal sex, they spread the bacteria to their partner’s anus or rectum.
Anal Chlamydia Test
Anal and genital chlamydia tests are different. It is possible to have an anal STI but no genital STI, and vice versa. So, if a person wants to ensure that they are negative for anal and genital chlamydia, they must take a test for each.
A chlamydia test of the anus helps people know if they’re infected and need treatment. Chlamydia is a curable STI, but leaving it untreated will lead to more advanced diseases. For people who aren’t comfortable going out to get tested, there are rectal swab tests that they can take at home. Regardless of the result, everyone at risk of chlamydia in the anus should reach out to medical experts for treatment or professional advice.
How Common Is Chlamydia In The Anus?
Unfortunately, Women’s Health doesn’t have a lot of data about how often women get chlamydia in the anus. However, the lack of data doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
In 2017, a study published that 17.5% of women who got tested for STIs after having anal sex had chlamydia in the anus, and 12.5% of them had anal symptoms.
Causes of Chlamydia In The Anus
The causes of chlamydia in the anus are the same as genital chlamydia. The same bacteria can spread through oral, anal, or vagina sex with someone infected. It’s important to note that semen doesn’t have to be present to spread or acquire the infection. Moreover, genital chlamydia can also cause chlamydia in the anus as the bacteria can spread from the genital to the anal region.
Symptoms of Chlamydia In The Anus
As mentioned earlier, most people infected with chlamydia don’t have symptoms. Therefore, the STI is often called a “silent infection.” Because most infected people are asymptomatic, the only way to stay safe is to avoid unprotected sex and to get regularly tested. Should a person experience symptoms, they could feel pain and a burning sensation during urination. Abnormal discharge from the genitals can also happen.
Genital chlamydia in men, specifically, often manifests in the following symptoms:
- Burning sensation when urinating
- Yellow or green discharge from the penis
- Lower abdominal pain
- Pain in the testicles
For women, symptoms could be:
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Vaginal discharge
- Burning sensation when urinating
- Lower abdominal pain
- Cervical inflammation
- Bleeding between menstruation
When a person has chlamydia in the anus, the same symptoms may occur, mainly in the rectal or anal areas. In addition, there might be rectal pain, discharge, and bleeding. Generally, symptoms appear several weeks after unprotected sex with an infected person.
How Can I Prevent Chlamydia In The Anus?
There are a few ways to prevent chlamydia. As said by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the only way to avoid chlamydia, whether genital or anal, is not to have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. If a person has sex, using a condom can reduce the risk of spreading or acquiring chlamydia. Moreover, one could also opt for a long-term and mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who doesn’t have chlamydia.
Any kind of unprotected sex is incredibly risky. It dramatically increases a person’s risk of spreading or contracting STIs, and the anal region is specifically vulnerable. It’s narrow with fragile skin and doesn’t self-lubricate. Anal sex often causes tears, which may lead to STIs entering the bloodstream.
Another effective way to avoid spreading and acquiring anal chlamydia is to provide enough knowledge and access to care, especially for young, sexually active people. If a person doesn’t know that they’re at risk of getting chlamydia, then they will likely not get tested. They can unintentionally spread the infection to their partners if they are infected without knowing.
Who Is at Risk of Getting Anal Chlamydia?
Anyone sexually active can get chlamydia in the anus, especially with unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
Young people have a higher chance of getting and spreading chlamydia because of the following reasons:
- Not using condoms
- Moving from one relationship to another (while being infected)
- Cervical ectopy (for teenage girls and young women)
- No access to STI and STD prevention services
- No budget for transportation, testing, and treatment costs
- Perceived stigma
Many sexually active young people have unprotected sex, which exposes them and their partners to STIs. In addition, teenage girls and women with cervical ectopy, where endocervix cells are present on the ectocervix, are more susceptible to chlamydia in the vagina and anus.
Moreover, anal sex is also prevalent in MSM. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there’s a 3-10% positivity range among MSM screened for rectal infection. For pharyngeal infection, there’s a 0.5-2.3% positivity range.
When Should I See a Doctor?
When it comes to chlamydia in the anus, it’s best to get tested if a person has had any unprotected vaginal or anal sex. Again, chlamydia often doesn’t have symptoms, so one may be infected without feeling pain or discomfort. However, should there be symptoms, a person should immediately see a doctor to know if there’s a need for treatment.
Regular testing for STIs is ideal for anyone sexually active. If a person goes through STI screening, they may ask the doctor to swab their anus to check for anal or rectal STIs. Remember, testing negative for or treating genital chlamydia isn’t the same as testing negative for or treating chlamydia in the anus. Ultimately, you shouldn’t wait until anal chlamydia leads to other health complications.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A person may still get anal gonorrhea or chlamydia even without anal penetration if the bacteria spread to the anal region during or after vaginal or oral intercourse. Anyone who has unprotected sex is at risk of acquiring anal STIs.
Yes, anyone with unprotected vaginal or anal sex is at risk of contracting STIs and STDs, especially if the partner is infected. Anal sex is the riskiest form of unprotected sex because the anal region is vulnerable and narrow. It has fragile skin and doesn’t have a self-lubrication method. Anal sex often leads to tearing, which eventually leads to STIs entering the bloodstream.
Anal sex doesn’t cause STIs or STDs but spreads the bacteria and viruses that infect people. If a person has unprotected sex with an infected female, they may acquire chlamydia. However, anal sex generally puts people at risk for STIs and STDs because the anal region is vulnerable and narrow. It has fragile skin, and it doesn’t self-lubricate. Tears because of anal sex can lead to STIs entering the bloodstream.
Yes, a person can contract chlamydia from unprotected anal to vaginal sex. Any form of unprotected sex increases the risk of spreading and acquiring STIs. Moreover, one can only catch chlamydia if they have unprotected sex with someone infected. Getting tested regularly is the best way to know if one is infected.
Chlamydia is a curable STD caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. This STI can be transmitted and acquired through unprotected vaginal, anal, and oral sex.
Treatment for chlamydia involves antibiotics. Two of the most common antibiotics for chlamydia treatment are azithromycin and doxycycline. Azithromycin is usually prescribed in a single, large dose, while doxycycline must be taken twice daily for about a week.
Healthcare professionals may also prescribe other antibiotics. Regardless of their prescription, patients must strictly follow dosage instructions. Treatment can last up to two weeks. It’s also important not to have sex while undergoing treatment.
Chlamydia is an STI commonly transmitted through unprotected vaginal or anal sex. However, it’s also possible to get infected through oral sex. A person can get a chlamydial infection through oral contact with the infected genitals.
Though chlamydia is primarily transmitted through unprotected vaginal or anal sex, chlamydia can also be transmitted by having contact with infected secretions or fluids. For example, if a person touches the penis of an infected person and touch themselves after, transmission is possible.
The lining of the anus is thinner and more vulnerable than the vagina. This is because the region lacks natural lubrication, which causes tears during sex. The tissue inside the anus is also not as well-protected as the skin outside it. Moreover, it was designed to hold feces full of bacteria.
Additionally, there’s a possibility of bleeding and getting an anal fissure. Ultimately, anal sex exposes people to STIs and STDs, including the uncommon lymphogranuloma venereum.
Chlamydia is often called a “silent infection” because most infected people are asymptomatic. However, should a person experience symptoms, they can feel pain and a burning sensation during urination. Abnormal discharge from the genitals can also happen.
Men with chlamydia may have the following symptoms:
- Burning sensation when urinating
- Yellow or green discharge from the penis
- Lower abdominal pain
- Pain in the testicles
For women, symptoms could be:
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Vaginal discharge
- Burning sensation when urinating
- Lower abdominal pain
- Cervical inflammation
- Bleeding between menstruation
When you test positive for chlamydia, a healthcare professional prescribes antibiotics. Azithromycin is an antibiotic usually prescribed in a single, large dose.
On the other hand, doxycycline must be taken twice daily for about a week. There are other antibiotics for chlamydia treatment. Whichever antibiotic the doctor prescribes, the patient must strictly follow dosage instructions. Treatment can last up to two weeks, and patients must not have sex while on it.
Tests for chlamydia involve swabbing the vagina, cervix, rectum, or throat. Doctors can also take a urine sample. Chlamydia usually doesn’t have symptoms, but if there are symptoms, they typically appear a week or three after exposure. A test can detect chlamydia within a week or two after unprotected sex.
People may contract chlamydia again if they don’t get proper treatment. Recurrence or persistence of chlamydia after correct treatment is rare, but it can happen. For example, a person might acquire chlamydia again if they didn’t cure their initial infection because of not following dosage instructions. In addition, if a person has unprotected sex with an infected partner or uses a sex toy contaminated with chlamydia, they may get infected again.
Conclusion
Chlamydia is a curable STI, and infected people can get proper treatment after getting tested. However, sexually active individuals should still be responsible even if the STI is not life-threatening. Chlamydia often doesn’t have symptoms; leaving it untreated can cause riskier infections and diseases. Chlamydia in the anus may not be as common as other STIs, but awareness of it is as vital.
