I tested positive for chlamydia and I feel ashamed. What should I do?
Chlamydia is a common bacterial infection treated with antibiotics prescribed by a doctor. What matters now: finish the treatment, avoid sex until the doctor says it is fine, and make sure your partner gets tested too. The shame is understandable, but an infection says nothing about who you are. Very many people get it, and it often has no signs.
Updated
What medicine says
Chlamydia spreads through sex without a condom. Many women have no signs at all, so it is often found by chance: at a check up or when planning a pregnancy.
There may be discharge, bleeding after sex or between periods, burning when you pee, pain low in the tummy. It is treated with antibiotics, and a gynecologist or sexual health doctor chooses the course. Without treatment the infection can spread higher and lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, so treating it matters.
What to do, step by step
- Finish the whole course, even if you have no signs or feel better.
- Do not have sex until you finish treatment and the doctor says it is fine.
- Tell your partner or partners from recent months so they get tested and treated. Otherwise the infection comes back.
- Do a follow up test if the doctor orders one, and get checked for other infections.
- If you are pregnant or planning, tell the doctor: there are antibiotics that are safe in pregnancy.
How to stop blaming yourself
The shame after such a test is often louder than the illness itself: what will people think, I am dirty, it is my fault. These words are not about medicine, they were once said by family, school, neighbours. In the Ladder method such words of others sit among the obstacles to your goal. The free 10 minute diagnostics shows them on one diagram, no sign up.
If you were infected through violence, it is not your fault. In Kazakhstan call 102 or 112, in other countries your local emergency number. With severe pain low in the tummy, fever or vomiting, call emergency services (103 in Kazakhstan).
Psychological work goes alongside treatment, not instead of it. A gynecologist or sexual health doctor makes the diagnosis and prescribes treatment.
Frequently asked questions
Can chlamydia be cured?
Yes, it is treated with antibiotics. It matters to finish the course and to get your partner tested.
How do I tell my partner?
Calmly and briefly: my test showed chlamydia, you need to get tested too. The infection often has no signs, and it is impossible to say exactly who caught it and when.
Can I get pregnant after chlamydia?
If it is treated in time, usually yes. If there were complications, your gynecologist will tell you what to check.
How do I know the treatment worked?
Finish the course and do a follow up test if the doctor orders one. Until then, take care of yourself and your partner.
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