Dear Dr. Dick,
I recently came out and have been enjoying a lot of gay sex! I’ve been told to get tested, and now I have this weird discharge on my penis & pain when peeing. My friends say it’s chlamydia and that I need to run to the STD Clinic. But I thought chlamydia’s only for girls?
—Young and Naive

Dear Y & N,
It’s good you are enjoying gay sex. But it’s best that you enjoy SAFE gay sex!

Your friends are definitely right that you need to get tested and you could have chlamydia; but you could also have something else, like gonorrhea. Let’s start by clarifying that: CHLAMYDIA is NOT just a girl’s problem, and I’ll write a bit more about that. Call your nearest STD Clinic and set up an appointment ASAP.

What is chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. It can spread from person to person during sexual intercourse when a person’s mucous membranes come into contact with an infected person. It can be transmitted without complete insertion of a penis into the anus. It is less likely, although possible, to be transmitted to the throat during oral sex.

Should you worry about chlamydia?
If left untreated, infections can lead to prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland), urethral scarring, infertility, or epididymitis (inflammation of the epididymis, a structure on each testis). Chlamydia makes it easier for an HIV negative person to acquire HIV if your partner is carrying the virus, and rectal chlamydia may increase chances of getting HIV ten to twenty-fold. If you already have HIV and have chlamydia, you could be 8-10 times more likely to shed HIV in your semen and increase your risk of infecting others with HIV.

What does chlamydia look like?
Symptoms of chlamydia usually appear from 1-3 weeks after infection, but then usually go away, even if left untreated. Many people infected with chlamydia never have any symptoms at all. Men may experience discharge from the head of the penis or the anus; pain or itching at the head of the penis; and/or pain with urination. 50% of infected men have no symptoms. Sometimes chlamydia is like gonorrhea (GC), another bacterial infection, which also causes discharge from the penis and pain or burning on urination. These infections can be distinguished by culturing the discharge. GC also makes it easier to acquire and transmit HIV.

Now what?
Get tested right away. If you are infected, chlamydia is cured with antibiotics. Your partner(s) should be tested as well. Continue to get tested every 3 months for HIV & STD. Start this regimen and use condoms with all partners. There are plenty of options to choose from.

For more information, call the HIV/STD Hotline at: 303-692-2777 or Toll-free: 877-478-3448
—Dr. Dick

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