STDs that can lie dormant for long

Sex is pleasurable, but it can be one of your nightmares if you don't consistently and correctly use protection, especially if you have multiple sex partners. When you want to practice sex, what should cross your mind is how to protect yourself and your partner, and you can only do this by practicing healthy and safe sex.

Being careless with your sex life can make you contract sexually transmitted infections like HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, etc. What makes it worse is that when you acquire these STDs, the symptoms will not show up immediately; some take days, others months, while others take years.

This brings me to the question, how long can chlamydia lie dormant? Read on to learn more.

The dormancy of these STDs' symptoms is dangerous and makes them the most common disease around the globe. When you contract an STD, you will not know because it won't show symptoms immediately; you can transmit the disease to your partner without your knowledge and your partner's.

This is why it is essential to get regular STD screening, according to CDC. If your partner has other sexual partners, they can further spread the condition. This does not mean that everyone will not show STD symptoms immediately, and in some people, once they contract an STI, they will start showing symptoms.

Let's dig deeper into STDs that lie dormant for a long time.

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is one of the most common asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections. It is caused by chlamydia trachomatis bacterium and spreads through oral, anal, and Vaginal sex with an infected person.

You can also get it by sharing contaminated sex toys. You can treat and cure chlamydia, and it is important to do it early as leaving it untreated for some time can lead to health problems.

How long can chlamydia lie dormant?

Once infected, chlamydia can lay dormant in your body for several years without showing signs and symptoms; this is why it is common as people to transmit the disease to their partners without knowing.

While it takes years in some people to show symptoms, some take between 2-14 days. Most people who take long to show symptoms are men.

The fact that chlamydia can lay dormant in the body for years does not mean that it can't be detected; even if you don't show any signs, strains of chlamydia trachomatis can be detected when you run a test.

To understand chlamydia and its dormancy state, let's look at how long it takes to show symptoms in different gender and the nature of the symptoms.

Do chlamydia symptoms show up differently in people?

Now that you know the answer to the question, how long can chlamydia lie dormant? It's good to know how long it takes to show up in women and men.

Author credit: By CDC/ Robert Sumpter - This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #6809.

Ideally, symptoms of chlamydia vary in men and women in their nature and the time they take to show up. This is due to some external and internal factors that affect the incubation of chlamydia like:

  • The immune system of an individual
  • The rate at which the bacteria reproduce
  • The bacteria infect the parts of the body.
  • The number of bacteria causing infection

The time it takes for symptoms to appear in women and men is more or less the same, with

the only difference being how the symptoms prevail. Most women have asymptomatic infections than men.

Chlamydia usually doesn't show signs in the early stages, but when it does, it can show signs within three weeks in both men and women, but sometimes it can go up to several months after exposure in women. These symptoms may include:

  • painful urination
  • Unusual penile and vaginal discharge
  • Painful sexual intercourse
  • Itchy and burning sensation when urinating
  • Abdominal pain
  • Heavy bleeding between the periods and after sex in women
  • Pain and swelling of the testicles

Most chlamydia cases show no symptoms. About 75% of women and 50% of men do not show symptoms. For this reason, it is important to regularly test for chlamydia and other STDs to lower their transmission rate. Now that you know the answer to this question, how long can chlamydia lie dormant? You should read on to learn more about chlamydia and other STDs.

Can chlamydia go away on its own?

Chlamydia cannot go away on its own without treatment, and for this reason, it is advisable for regular testing to know your status; if you are positive, you get early treatment because when left untreated, you can develop serious complications. How do we treat it if it cannot go away on its own?

How to treat chlamydia

Chlamydia is a bacterial infection, and if you are tested positive, the best medication is antibiotics which your doctor will recommend you take for a week.

The most common antibiotics are doxycycline and azithromycin. While taking these medications, you should not practice sexual activities for one week and ensure you notify your partner about your condition and the need also to get tested.

Can I transmit chlamydia when I’m asymptomatic?

The reason why STDs are common is that you can pass them to your partner even without the

symptoms, and yes, you can give chlamydia to your partner. The main mode of transmission of chlamydia is through sex; it is, therefore, crucial to always practice safe sex, get regular chlamydia screening, and be in a homogenous and honest relationship.

What are the complications of not treating chlamydia?

chlamydia is asymptomatic which makes it dangerous because without testing it, you will not know you have it. And because you have the answer to "how long can chlamydia lie dormant," you can imagine the damage it can have on your body when its stays for a long time.

Chlamydia can lie dormant in your body for several years without showing symptoms, and if

this goes on, and you don't treat you can have serious health problems like:

  • Reactive arthritis
  • Other infections like Urinary tract infections and lung infection
  • Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
  •  Infertility
  • Ectopic pregnancy

Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis is also another common sexually transmitted infection caused by trichomonas

vaginalis- a protozoan parasite that travels through sexual body fluids like semen and vaginal fluids. Trichomoniasis occurs in the urethra, vulva, vagina, and penis.

Trichomoniasis spreads through vaginal sexual intercourse, sharing contaminated sex toys,

and making vulva-to-vulva contact. You can also spread the infection by touching your partner's genitals with contaminated hands. Trichomoniasis cannot spread through contact like kissing, sharing utensils or food, and hugging. Trichomoniasis common in women, but it can also affect men.

Like the question, how long can chlamydia lie dormant? We are also going to at the time

trichomoniasis can stay dormant. Stay tuned.

What are the symptoms of trichomoniasis?

Trichomoniasis can occur in any gender, but it is common in women, where it affects the vagina, causing vaginitis. For this reason, the symptoms of trichomoniasis usually vary in men and women. When it causes vaginitis, it can lead to:

  • Painful sex
  • Painful urination
  • Irritation of the vagina and its surrounding
  • Abnormal vaginal discharge with a foul smell that appears yellowish, grayish, or greenish
  • Swelling of the labia

In men, the symptoms are usually rare, but when they occur, they may experience:

  • Penile discharge, whitish
  • Burning sensation when urinating or ejaculating
  • Irritation of the penis and its surrounding
  • Painful sexual intercourse
  • Swelling and redness of the penis

How long can trichomoniasis stay dormant men?

Like chlamydia, most people with trichomonas vaginalis infection do not know they have it because the infection rarely shows symptoms. Because most trichomoniasis cases don't show symptoms, the only way to be safe is through regular STD testing.

Regular trichomoniasis testing is crucial to avoid transmitting the infection to your partner because even in its dormancy state, you can still transmit trichomoniasis to your partner. Besides regular testing, use protection consistently when having sex, and reduce your sexual partners. Sex should be a happy experience, but only if you play it safe.

In short, there is nothing like "dormancy" when it comes to trichomoniasis, it's either you have it or not. The only thing is that its symptoms are just too mild to be noticed.

How long can trichomoniasis be dormant in women?

Trichomoniasis is more common in women than men, and they rarely show symptoms. In fact, in

every ten women with trichomoniasis, 7 of them don't show symptoms. Even with those showing symptoms, the symptoms can be tiny and unnoticeable, and you can easily mistake them for other STIs like syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, etc.

You can confuse its symptoms with a vaginal yeast infection because they are similar. Trichomoniasis can stay in your body for years with on and off symptoms. It is important to

test and treat it in time because leaving it can result in serious health problems.

How do I test trichomoniasis?

Because trichomoniasis doesn't easily show symptoms, the only way to be sure whether you have the infection or not is through testing. It is important to always consult with your doctor if you see any change in your discharge. If you've had unprotected sex and multiple sexual partners, you should also go to your doctor's office for a trichomoniasis test.

Because of no or mild symptoms, it is advisable to have annual trichomoniasis and other STD tests to curb their spreading rate.

Can I transmit trichomoniasis when I have no symptoms?

Yes, you can transmit trichomoniasis to your partner even if you don't have physical symptoms. This is why you must always use protection whenever you're having sexual intercourse and get tested for STDs annually. And if you have multiple sexual partners, you should go for STI testing more often.

Fortunately, several online services provide STD testing at very affordable prices.

What are the complications of leaving trichomoniasis untreated?

The first step to knowing your trichomoniasis status is getting tested because if you don't; you may live with the condition for so long that it may lead to complications like:

  • Premature birth
  • Giving birth to low-weight babies
  • Infecting the baby when it passes the birth canal
  • Risk of other sexually transmitted infections like HIV due to inflammation of the genitals.

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacterial infection and is the second most common STI after chlamydia. Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the bacteria causing this common infection. Gonorrhea affects both genders of all ages, but it is most common in adolescents and younger adults, usually between the ages of 15-24.

Gonorrhea affects both men and women, and it can occur in areas like the urethra, throat, cervix, or rectum. The bacteria causing gonorrhea infection is transmitted through vaginal fluids and semen during either oral, anal, or vaginal sex. You can also pass this condition to your partner by sharing sex toys.

Gonorrhea symptoms

Most gonorrhea infections don't show signs, and when they do, men and women may experience different symptoms because the infection occurs in the genitals, which have different anatomy.

The symptoms also vary depending on the infected area. Men may experience signs and symptoms like:

  • Pain in the testicles caused by the swelling
  • A discharge from the penis tip looks like pus and can be greenish, grayish, or yellowish.

Women who show signs of gonorrhea may experience:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Pain during sexual intercourse
  • Abnormal vaginal discharge, which can be white or yellow in color
  • Heavy bleeding between the periods

Both genders may experience signs and symptoms like:

  • Pain and burning sensation when peeing
  • Painful bowel movement
  • Itchiness, scratchiness, and soreness on the throat.
  • Pus-like discharge and eye pain in those having gonorrhea of the eye.

Can gonorrhea stay dormant in the body?

After answering the question, "how long can chlamydia lie dormant?" I'm sure you want to know if gonorrhea can also stay dormant in the body. Yes, like chlamydia, gonorrhea is an asymptomatic STI and can stay for days or years before showing signs and symptoms.

The dormant gonorrhea is common in people with oral or rectal gonorrhea infection. For instance, oral gonorrhea can lay dormant for some time, but it shows symptoms; it manifests as a sore throat, which you can easily confuse with other conditions causing sore throat like flu or cold.

Can I transmit dormant gonorrhea?

Yes, you can transmit gonorrhea even if it is in a dormancy stage, which is why it is the second most common STI- those having it transmit the infection to their partners without knowing. And for this reason, it is important to regularly get gonorrhea screening, uses protection when having sex, and be in a mutually monogamous relationship.

You must note that besides penetrative sex, you can also transmit gonorrhea through oral sex by kissing; it is, therefore, important to wear dental dams when having oral sex, especially with someone you don't know about their STD status.

How is gonorrhea diagnosed?

Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection; your healthcare provider will test for bacteria causing gonorrhea. Your doctor may use a swab test or urine test to determine whether the bacteria-causing infection is present or not.

How can I treat gonorrhea?

Because gonorrhea is a bacterial infection, and the most suitable medication to treat it is an antibiotic. There are several antibiotic medications available.

How often should I get a gonorrhea test?

The centers for disease control and prevention recommend you get a gonorrhea test annually, especially if you are at a sexually active age, between 14-25. And if you have multiple sex partners, which puts you at high risk of contracting the disease, you should get a regular gonorrhea test.

Having a gonorrhea test nowadays is not painful as it used to be when healthcare providers had to insert a swab in your cervix or urethra to get the samples which was discouraging. Fortunately, healthcare personnel came up with a urine test that is painless, and therefore, you should not shy away from gonorrhea testing.

Another good news is that many platforms offer online STD testing from the comfort of your home.

What are the complications of leaving gonorrhea untreated?

By answering this question, "how long can chlamydia lie dormant in the body:" in detail, you already know that leaving any STD untreated in the body can lead to serious health complications. Gonorrhea, the second most common STD after chlamydia and infection that can stay dormant in the body for even years, can cause severe health problems in both men and women.

In women, untreated gonorrhea can:

  • cause infertility: If you don't treat gonorrhea, it can spread to reproductive organs like the fallopian tube and uterus, causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can lead to infertility and ectopic pregnancy.
  • transmit the disease to their infants. This can lead to cause eye problems in infants, which can lead to blindness at birth.
  • Cause swelling of joints, inflammation of the liver, and damage to brain and heart valve when it spreads to these areas.

Men can experience complications like:

  • Scars in the urethra
  • Testicles inflammation that can lead to infertility
  • Inflammation of the prostate and pain
  • Pain in the joints, liver inflammation, and brain and heart valve damage.

What other STIs can lie dormant?

Besides the most noticeable STDs that can lay dormant for long, like chlamydia and gonorrhea, other STDs can also lay dormant though they may not be for a long time. These STDs are syphilis, HIV, herpes, and hepatitis C. Let's look at a few of them.

Genital herpes

Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1. Genital herpes affects both genders and mainly occurs in the genitals, and once infected, you cannot cure it.

Genital herpes has mild symptoms such that most people who are infected by this virus don't even know they have it, thus increasing the risk of spreading the virus.

During the first outbreak, genital herpes can show symptoms though mild afterward, this virus can lie dormant in your body for months before showing symptoms again.

Symptoms of genital herpes include:

  • Itching genitals
  • Painful urination
  • Small bumps in and around the genitals.

Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Human papillomavirus is a very common STI that can affect nearly anybody that is sexually active. Health professionals classify many varieties of HPV, from low-risk to high-risk strains of HPV. The impact of the infection on your body depends on the strain of the virus that infects you.

HPV rarely develops signs, and most people having it may not know they have it. HPV can be

transmitted through anal, vaginal, or oral sex, but it is mainly transmitted through vaginal and anal sex.

HPV doesn't normally show signs and symptoms, but when it does, they are mild, and they vary depending on gender.

Men may experience symptoms like:

  • Penile burning sensation
  • Abnormal penile discharge
  • Burning sensation when urinating

On the other hand, women may experience:

  • Abnormal vaginal discharge
  • Warts at the back of their throats
  • Warts on the cervix and vagina

 What's the impact of a long stay of dormant STD in your body?

After knowing how long can chlamydia lie dormant in your body, it is important to understand how its long stay and other STDs can impact your body. Like any other infection, leaving STD untreated can cause the virus and bacteria causing the infection to overgrow, making them resistant to antiviral and antibiotic treatments.

It can also spread and damage the surrounding body organs as it can cause inflammation of the affected organs and cause permanent damage. For example, if your genital is connected to the urinary tract, an STI can spread to your bladder and other urinary tract systems, causing UTI.

If you suspect you've contracted STD, don't wait for the symptoms to appear; go get STD testing.

Conclusion

Now that you have the answer to the question, how long can chlamydia lie dormant and other STDs that can stay dormant in the body, and the effects this can cause to the body, it is important to have regular STD testing.

 

Contributor: admin