[Question #13083] About Chlamydia
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2 months ago
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good morning, I live in Tokyo and about 1/2 times a month I visit Soaplands, they are brothels where the girls are tested regularly. I also do the classic STI tests at least 2 times a year. The last time was 3 months ago. All negative. After the last test I had 2/3 encounters. I have a doubt about chlamydia because it seems to be rather "common" or at least the most famous STI. The encounters are always the same: kissing, uncovered oral sex (given and received) protected vaginal penetration. Here's the question: is Chlamydia really transmitted so easily through fellatio? I thought it was a remote hypothesis... do the relationships I reported above have a percentage of risk? finally: is it true that chlamydia can have no symptoms? Maybe I have it and don't even know it... this is a bit disturbing...
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
2 months ago
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Welcome to the Forum. Thanks for your confidence in our service. I'll be happy to provide some information.
The encounters you describe were low risk. Most commercial sex workers do not have STIs and at the establishment you have described is particularly low. Having the employees checked on a regular basis makes it unlikely that any of your partners had an STI. Even if you did, condom protected sex is safe sex and receipt of unprotected oral sex is particularly low risk. Most persons, even CSWs do not have oral infections, and when they do the most common infection is gonorrhea and not chlamydia. Although in general, as a cause of genital infections chlamydia is more common than gonorrhea, for reasons that are poorly understood, chlamydial infections of the throat are far less common than oral gonorrhea which is, itself, rare.
Kissing is not a risk for STI and protected vaginal encounters are very safe as well. As I mentioned above, chlamydia is not easily transmitted by fellatio. As you also mention, in men with chlamydial infection, about 60% have no symptoms. Despite that, for the reason I mention above, overall your risk for infection is low. I see no medical need for testing however some of our clients choose to test for the reassurance that a negative test provides. If you wish for that sort of assurance, a urine test for gonorrhea and chlamydia is the most appropriate test. If you choose to test, I anticipate the results will show that you are not infected.
I hope this information is helpful. Please use your up to 2 follow ups for clarification if anything is unclear. EWH
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2 months ago
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Thank you for your kind reply. very reassuring! my fear was precisely linked to the near impossibility of discovering the infection, given the absence of symptoms. in your opinion therefore, always using a condom for vaginal sex and having or receiving uncovered oral sex the risks are always low, did I understand correctly? can I have unprotected sex with my partner? thanks again
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
2 months ago
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Your summary is correct. I see no reason related to the information you provided to hesitate to have unprotected sex with your regular partner. EWH---