Last Updated on October 9, 2024 by Mozam Iqbal
You may have heard you can get chlamydia from kissing, but is that true? Can you catch this STI from locking lips with someone? So if you’re worried about can you get chlamydia from kissing, it’s important to know how it can spread.
A clear understanding of how sexual contact can transmit diseases such as chlamydia and other illnesses aims to help readers like you. Knowing how to protect yourself is essential in preventing infection. This post will explain everything you need to know about; whether you can catch chlamydia from kissing and the risk involved.
Keep yourself safe & let’s get started!
What is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. It can infect men and women and spreads through sexual contact with an infected person, including vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Chlamydia is a very common STI, especially among young people. It is the most commonly reported STI in the United States. If left untreated, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems, including infertility in women.
Can You Get Chlamydia From Kissing Someone?
A common misconception is; one can you get chlamydia from tongue kissing. However, this is not the case; chlamydia only spreads through sexual contact with an infected person. You can get chlamydia by having sex without a condom or other barriers with a partner who has it. So, if you’re worried about can you catch chlamydia from kissing, you can rest assured that it’s not possible.
Can You Get Chlamydia From Smoking With Someone?
No, you cannot get chlamydia from smoking with someone. Chlamydia spreads through sexual contact, so sharing a blunt or a cigarette would not put you at risk. However, it can transmit the disease through vaginal, oral, or anal sex without a condom. It is not dangerous to share blunts, weed (marijuana), cigarettes, soda, or any other object with someone who has HIV.
Do You Have a Chance of Getting Oral Chlamydia?
If you have sex with someone with chlamydia, you can get the disease through vaginal, anal, and oral contact. There is much less prevalence of oral chlamydia than genital chlamydia. Your mouth or throat might become sore and red if you have oral chlamydia. Getting tested for STDs regularly is crucial because most people with oral chlamydia have no symptoms.
Consult your nearest walk-in clinic or doctor if you notice any symptoms or if your partner has symptoms of chlamydia or another STD.
What are the Dangers of Kissing?
Can chlamydia be transmitted through spit? While kissing doesn’t transmit chlamydia, saliva or open cuts around the mouth can transmit other conditions. The conditions that fall under this category are as follows:
- While kissing is a fun and intimate way to show someone you care, it can also be a way to transmit the common cold and other viral infections.
- When you kiss someone, you’re also exchanging saliva – and with it, any viruses or bacteria that may be present in their mouth. So if your partner is carrying the influenza virus, you can catch it through kissing.
- Kissing can easily transmit the Epstein-Barr virus, a common saliva-borne virus that causes mononucleosis.
- While kissing, herpes simplex virus (HSV), commonly known as a cold sore or fever blister, can be transmitted. Direct contact with an infected person’s skin, saliva, or mucus membranes spreads the virus.
- Hepatitis B can only be contracted through bites or injuries that lead to abrasions or sores in the mouth.
- The cytomegalovirus is a common virus that can cause symptoms in some people but rarely in others.
- There are two types of meningitis: brain and spinal cord inflammation, and meningococcal disease can occur from kissing.
What are the Symptoms of Chlamydia?
After unprotected sex with an infected person, you usually experience symptoms after 1 to 3 weeks. It may take many months for them to develop for some people. The symptoms may disappear after a few days, but the infection may still be present and passable.
Chlamydia symptoms can be so mild that people don’t notice them or mistake them for something else. It’s common for people not to realize they have chlamydia – that’s part of the reason it’s so common.
A chlamydia infection can lead to serious complications, including infertility, if left untreated. The good news is that if detected early, it can usually be treated effectively with medication. Regardless of how healthy you feel, regular STD testing remains essential.
Chlamydia Symptoms in Women
A study estimates that 70% of women with chlamydia don’t experience any symptoms. They are most likely to experience these symptoms if they do get them:
- Abnormal vaginal discharge
- Burning sensation when urinating
- Painful or difficult urination
- Bleeding between periods
- Pain during intercourse
- Pain in the tummy or pelvis
- Bleeding after sex
- Newborns with an eye infection or pneumonia
A woman with untreated chlamydia may develop a serious condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). There is a high incidence of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women who suffer from this condition.
Chlamydia Symptoms in Men
Symptoms are absent in at least half of all cases of chlamydia among men. Most often, they experience:
- The act of urinating causes pain
- Penis discharge that is white, cloudy, or watery
- Urethral burning or itching (the tube that carries urine out of the body)
- Testicular pain
If chlamydia is left untreated, it can result in swelling of the epididymis (the tube that carries sperm from the testicles) and the testicles. Your fertility may be affected as a result of this.
How to Diagnose and Treat Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause serious health problems if left untreated. Getting tested and treated for chlamydia as soon as possible is important. Typically, Chlamydia goes away within 1 to 2 weeks, so you should avoid sex during this period.
There are several ways to test for chlamydia. A healthcare provider can do a swab test to collect a sample of discharge from the vagina or penis. It is also possible to perform a urine test. Chlamydia can also be diagnosed with a blood test, but this is not as common.
If you have chlamydia, it is important to get treated. The most common treatment is antibiotics. Azithromycin and doxycycline are two antibiotics that help to treat chlamydia. You can also treat Chlamydia with other antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor.
Once you’ve taken the one-dose pill, you should wait seven days before having sex again. Before engaging in sexual activity, wait one week after you’ve taken medication for seven days. It will help prevent the spreading of the infection to others. It is also important to tell your sexual partners that you have chlamydia so they can get tested and treated.
If you are pregnant and have chlamydia, it is important to get treated right away. Chlamydia can cause premature birth and low birth weight.
Chlamydia is a serious infection that can cause health problems if left untreated. If you think you may have chlamydia, it is important to get tested and treated as soon as possible. As repeat chlamydia transmission is common, you should also get tested 3 months after treating the disease.
Several factors make you high risk:
Younger than 25 years old
If you are pregnant
New partner
Partner with a variety of people
If you Have previously contracted chlamydia
Chlamydia Prevention: How Does it Work?
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause serious consequences if left untreated. The good news is that there are several things you can do to protect yourself from chlamydia and other STIs.
The best way to prevent chlamydia is to abstain from sexual activity or to be in a long-term, monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is negative for STIs. If you are sexually active, there are a few other things you can do to reduce your risk:
Make use of Condoms
Each time you have a sexual relationship, use a male latex condom or a female polyurethane condom. When used properly, condoms reduce but do not eliminate the risk of infection during sexual encounters.
Watch Who You Sex With
Sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia are more likely to affect people with multiple sexual partners.
Regularly Screen
Discuss with your doctor how often you should test for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections if you have a sexually active lifestyle, particularly if you have multiple partners.
Avoid Douching
Infections are more likely to occur in the vagina when there is a decrease in the number of good bacteria.
Conclusion
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria. To answer your question, can you catch chlamydia from kissing? The answer is NO. It can be passed from person to person through sexual contact. Within a week of starting antibiotics, you should feel better. It’s important to continue taking your antibiotics until they’re gone, even if you feel better. To avoid complications, get regular STI screenings.