Dear readers, the Dog-ter is back, but we didn't get any letters last month. We did get a lot of phone calls from tweakers worried about chlamydia. We sent your questions to the good doctor for his sage advice. Here's what he had to say:

What is chlamydia?
(clah MID ee uh) It is a very small, very slow-growing bacteria that is only passed during sex.

It grows really well in the cock, the butthole and the pussy.

You can have chlamydia for a long time (some times one or two years) and not have any symptoms.

The only way to know if you have it is to have a culture or urine test done at your doctor, or at the local STD clinic.

Can I get chlamydia from giving or getting a blowjob?
If blowjobs were all there was to sex (and for some people they are) chlamydia wouldn't be the growing problem it is. This particular bacteria prefers not to live in the throat. You don't have the right kind of cells in there for it to attach itself and grow.

If I get symptoms, what should I look for?
In the cock, a feeling like a tickle or an itch on the inside. It can come and go, or it can be there all the time.

In the butt, maybe blood or mucous coating on the turd, or a dis charge from the butthole. The discharge can be clear or it can look like pus. It might feel slimy. If your drawers get wet, have your butt checked!

Another note on chlamydia symptoms: A lot of times, chlamydia doesn’t have any symptoms. But the most common signs in men are:

• a burning feeling when you pee and/or
• a slight discharge from the penis. The discharge is usually clear or whitish in color. It might crust or harden around your pee hole (urethra), or leave spots on your underwear or jeans. Sometimes chlamydia will make your testicles swell and hurt, also.
  

Tweaker sexcapades often last many hours. Are we more likely to give or get chlamydia than our non-using peers?
What does ice-skating have to do with chlamydia!? Oh, you said sex-capades, not ice-capades. Never mind.

The more time your cock spends in an infected butt or pussy, the more likely the bacteria are to latch on to your pee-hole and start to grow.Once you cock gets infected, it's very easy to pass the chlamydia on to all the warm, wet places you put your cock into. Respect your partner. Use a latex condom. It will block the bacteria no matter how long your sexcapade lasts.

I'm HIV positive. How will I be affected by chlamydia?
Your immune system is busy dealing with HIV. This means the chlamydia will be left to grow nearly un checked in your body. Your system just doesn't need the stress. The bacteria will put more strain on a system that is already over-worked. It will keep grow ing until per nent damage is done to the balls, rectal lining, or the rest of your plumb ing. The best ways to help your system help itself are:

• Get regular STD check ups.
• Talk to your partners about what is safe and not safe to do.
• Decide together what you will and will not do.
• Use condoms, gloves and dams to keep yourself and your partners safe.

Previous Question | Next Question