Treatment Options For Curable STIs: Chlamydia And Gonorrhea

Written By Sanyukta Chavan - January 19, 2024

Read Time - 4 min read

Have you or your partner recently been diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea? Or are you wondering if there are curable STDs if you were ever unfortunate to catch one? Irrespective of the reason, this blog will give you all the information related to the most common curable STIs i.e. chlamydia and gonorrhea.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020, 129 million people were affected by chlamydia and 82 million by gonorrhea.¹ These infections can lead to serious complications like infertility in affected individuals.¹ But, with appropriate and timely treatment, both infections can be cured effectively.^2,3Here’s how!

Chlamydia And Gonorrhea Treatment: The Two Curable STIs

Chlamydia is caused by bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis and gonorrhea by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Both these infections can be transmitted through oral, anal or vaginal intercourse through an infected individual.^4,5 The bacteria that cause these infections are mainly found in the semen or vaginal fluid and spread through physical contact. However, the most important thing is that, these two are curable STIs which can be treated with the right antibiotic course.^6,⁷

Treatment For Chlamydia

It has been estimated that 95% of people with chlamydial infection who take their antibiotics correctly can be treated effectively.⁸ An individual who is being treated with a single-dose antibiotic should abstain from sexual activity for at least a week. Whereas, individuals with a 7-day antibiotic course should avoid having sexual contact until their course is completed and there are no symptoms. However, if the symptoms still persist after the treatment, he/she should be re-evaluated by the healthcare provider.⁴

Please note: For pregnant or breastfeeding women and for allergic individuals, a different antibiotic treatment can be prescribed.⁸

Treatment For Gonorrhea

When it comes to treating gonorrhea, CDC recommends an intramuscular antibiotic which is usually given on the thigh or buttocks.⁹ With the help of this antibiotic treatment, your symptoms will usually go away within a few days. But, it might take up to 2 weeks for the pelvic or testicle pain to be completely cured.¹⁰

Therefore, a follow-up visit is recommended approximately one to two weeks after the treatment during which another test is carried out to check for persistent infection. If your symptoms do not improve during the course of treatment, it is advisable to visit your doctor for reevaluation.¹⁰

ALWAYS CONSULT your healthcare provider for the course of treatment as it may differ from person to person.

Even if chlamydia and gonorrhea are curable STIs, you should adopt proper preventive measures to avoid transmission. Check out a few ways to prevent them in this article - How to prevent chlamydia and gonorrhoea?

Screening Recommendations

It is also important to note the screening recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for STDs:¹¹

All sexually active women must get tested once a year for gonorrhea and chlamydia if they’re -
- younger than 25 years of age or
- above 25 years with certain risk factors (having new or multiple partners or an infected partner).
All pregnant women are also advised to get tested for syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea, especially in their first trimester.

Let’s Conclude

Although chlamydia and gonorrhea are curable STIs, it is still important to take preventative steps. To reduce the transmission of both chlamydia and gonorrhea, make sure you use condoms consistently. And, if you or your partner is infected, avoid physical contact until the given treatment is completed and no symptoms are seen.^4,⁵

So, it is advisable to get tested as early as possible if you’re experiencing any symptoms. One quick way to get tested is to order an at-home test kit such as LifeCell’s Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea Test - Male or Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea Test - Female.