People can contract a chlamydial infection by having sexual contact with an infected person without adequate protection. Sex can typically be anal, oral, vaginal, or toy sex. This is why many people ask questions like can you get chlamydia from oral sex? This article will discuss the answer to this question and the critical points about oral sex and chlamydial infections. Read on for more information.
Chlamydia is a commonly reported sexually transmitted infection in the United States of America. Chlamydia is caused by the bacteria called chlamydia trachomatis and is spread through contact with infected body fluids during sexual activities.
What is Oral Sex?
Oral sex is a commonly practiced type of sex that requires using the mouth to arouse the genital parts of a sexual partner. People can perform oral sex on the vagina, penis, or anus.
Oral intercourse involving the vagina is called cunnilingus, while oral sex involving the penis and anus is called fellatio and anilingus, respectively. Most sexually active people commonly practice oral sex.
According to the CDC, over 85% of sexually active people aged 18-44 have reported engaging in oral sex with someone of the opposite sex at least once. In addition, another survey carried out between 2011 to 2015 revealed that 41% of teenagers between the ages of 15-19 years reported engaging in oral intercourse with someone of the opposite sex at least once.
It is crucial to be knowledgeable of the potential risks associated with any sexual behavior. Sexually active people stand a high chance of getting infected with sexually transmitted diseases when they engage in sexual activities without protection. This applies to oral intercourse too. For example, suppose you have unprotected oral intercourse with your sexual partner.
You can transmit or get STDs if you or your partner have been previously infected. You risk getting an STD when semen, vaginal fluid, or pre-ejaculatory fluids from an infected partner go through the mouth or other openings into your body. Because it can be challenging to tell whether your partner has an infection without adequate tests, using protection when giving or receiving oral sex can reduce your chances of getting infected.
Many people may use latex barriers, condoms, or dental dams for protection during oral sex.
Can You Get Chlamydia From Oral Sex?
Chlamydia is transmitted through exchanging body fluids with an infected person during sexual activities. If sexual body fluids from an infected person make their way into your body system through your mouth or other openings, you also have a high chance of getting infected with chlamydia.
Statistically, about 3 million people are infected in the US annually, and the infection is relatively common among sexually active people aged 14-24 years.
Body fluids like semen, pre-cum, and vagina fluids carry the chlamydia bacteria and can infect the vagina, anus, cervix, penis, eyes, and throat when there is contact. Because chlamydia doesn’t usually show symptoms, many people get the infection and still feel fine without knowing.
However, if left untreated, chlamydia can cause severe irreversible damage to the body’s reproductive organs. So, can you get chlamydia from oral sex? The answer is yes, you can.
Can You Get Chlamydia From Oral Sex: Risk of Infection
You risk getting infected from oral sex if you:
Engage in oral intercourse with an infected penis. This can lead to chlamydia in the throat.
Engage in oral intercourse with a partner with an infected rectum. This can also lead to chlamydia in the throat.
Engaging in cunnilingus with a partner with an infected urinary tract or vagina may also lead to chlamydia in the throat.
Receiving fellatio on the penis from a sexual partner with chlamydia in the throat can lead to chlamydia of the penis.
Performing cunnilingus on the vagina of a partner with chlamydia in your throat can infect your partner’s vagina or urinary tract.
Receiving anilingus from a partner with chlamydia in the throat may lead to chlamydia in the anus.
Initial Areas of Infection
The areas of the body where you can be infected with chlamydia through oral intercourse include the throat, urinary tract, genitals, and anus.
Chlamydia doesn’t usually show symptoms, but when it does, some of the common signs to look out for include:
- Sore throat for chlamydia in the throat
- Burning sensation during urination
- Inflammation of the testicles
- Anal pain or discharge
- Unusual genital discharge
Do you need protection from chlamydia during oral sex?
If you are sexually active, there’s a high risk of getting infected with chlamydia. People are typically more at risk of infection when they have a new sexual partner or do not use adequate protection when performing sexual activities.
Some barrier methods of contraception, like condoms, can prevent the exchange of sexual fluids during sex if appropriately used.
Condoms
You can protect against chlamydial infections by using a condom every time you perform sexual activities, including oral and anal sex.
You can also prevent chlamydia by wearing a condom on your penis during fellatio to avoid contact with infected body fluids.
Dental Dams
Most women use dams to cover their genitals during oral or vaginal sex to prevent chlamydia. A dam is a thin, soft latex or plastic that people can wear over their genitals.
Dental dams and condoms can protect you against chlamydia by providing a barrier between you and your partner’s genitals or mouth, reducing the chances of infectious bacteria finding an opening into your body.
Suppose you have a new sexual partner. You should use a barrier method when you engage in oral or vagina sex until you have both been tested and cleared for STIs.
It is crucial to know that unprotected sex comes with enormous risks. For example, any unprotected sex with a partner you suspect is infected with chlamydia is a significant risk and can leave you susceptible to infection.
You can also prevent chlamydia by not sharing sex toys. If you have to share toys, wash them thoroughly and cover them with a new condom after every use.
Who is most at risk of getting chlamydia from oral sex?
Chlamydial infections are among the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections in the US because people can spread the disease without knowing they have it. In the US, over 3 million cases of chlamydia infections are reported yearly, according to the CDC.
Chlamydia is most common among young people aged 14-24 who are sexually active. Some factors that may affect this include the lack of consistent use of condoms and having several sexual partners.
Biological conditions like cervical ectopy can also increase the risk of chlamydial infection.
One of the highest chances of spreading chlamydia is through oral intercourse that involves a penis without a condom. Therefore, the people at risk of getting infected are sexually active young people.
Chlamydia can also spread to a child during childbirth if the mother is infected and remains untreated at the delivery time.
To reduce the risk of getting infected, you should always use a barrier method of protection when having sex with new sexual partners.
In addition, you should ensure regular STI screening tests to ensure you don’t have the infection.
How can you tell if you have gotten chlamydia from oral sex?
Chlamydia is usually asymptomatic, meaning the infection doesn’t typically cause symptoms. Because the symptoms of the disease don’t occur regularly, many people can have chlamydia without being aware—however, here are the most common signs to look out for when a chlamydial infection shows symptoms.
Chlamydia in throat symptoms
- Dental issues
- Sore throat
- Mouth pain
- Sores around the mouth and lips
- Mouth sores that don’t go away
Genital chlamydia symptoms
Symptoms of chlamydia in the genitals or urinary tract may include:
- Painful or burning sensation during urination
- Inflammation and pain in the testicles
- Pain in the anus
- Painful or unusual discharge from the genitals
- Painful menstruation
While chlamydia may not cause symptoms in most cases, an untreated chlamydia infection can lead to severe complications and irreversible damage to the body’s reproductive system. This is why healthcare professionals recommend regular chlamydia testing for sexually active people.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Engaging in any sex without protection comes with potential risks. Most STIs are spread through the exchange of body fluids during sex. Therefore, if you’re sexually active without adequate protection, you have a higher risk of infection.
Using a barrier method of protection during sex prevents the infected fluids from contacting your mouth or genitals, thereby protecting you from disease.
If you’re having unprotected sex, the safest option is to stick to one sexual partner. However, you will need to ensure that you and your partner are screened to be free of any infectious disease.
You have a higher chance of getting an infection if you engage in sexual activities with multiple partners without protection.
Yes. You can get chlamydia from receiving or giving a blow job. Several STIs are spread through oral, anal, or vagina sex. If you are exposed to someone infected with chlamydia, you can get the infection in your throat, rectum, mouth, or genitals.
Other diseases like genital herpes, gonorrhea, human papillomavirus, and syphilis can also be passed through sex involving the mouth. However, genital warts are rarely passed through oral intercourse.
Yes. Most STIs are carried in infected people’s semen, pre-cum, or vaginal fluid. Therefore, even the tip of the penis can spread or get an infection if contact with infected fluids is made.
Sexual health professionals advise you to use protection to prevent infected fluids from contacting your genitals, anus, or mouth during sex.
It is safe if you’re having oral intercourse with a partner free of infectious diseases.
Some STDs you can get from oral intercourse include Gonorrhea, herpes, HPV, HIV, and syphilis.
