Why do i have to wait 7 days after chlamydia treatment

Chlamydial reinfections are very common—as many as 1 in 5 people will have a repeat infection with chlamydia within the first few months after they are treated for their initial infection. Untreated chlamydia can increase a woman’s risk for developing: pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. In fact, women who become reinfected with chlamydia have an even higher risk for PID and ectopic pregnancy than those with a first infection.

Due to these risks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that any person who tests positive for chlamydia be retested three months after treatment. If your patient doesn’t return at three months, they should be retested the next time they return in the twelve months following their initial visit. In most cases infections found on retesting are new infections, transmitted by either an untreated prior partner or an infected new partner.

Retesting a few months after diagnosis and treatment of chlamydia can detect repeat infection for earlier treatment to prevent complications and further transmission.

Retesting is not the same as a test-of-cure (TOC). Retesting for reinfection of chlamydia is done routinely. A test-of-cure, however, is performed three to four weeks after treatment and is only done under the following circumstances:

• If concern exists regarding persistence of infection despite treatment
• If symptoms of infection persist
• If lack of adherence to the treatment regimen is suspected
• After treatment of chlamydia during pregnancy

At OneDayClinic we often get questions about having sex after an STI treatment for chlamydia or gonorrhoea. "When can I have sex again?" "May I masturbate?" "Can I get the same STI again?" OneDayClinic answers these frequently asked questions.

When can I have sex again after an STI treatment?

You've recently contracted gonorrhea or chlamydia and you've been treated with a course of antibiotics. It is not advisable to have sex again soon. We advise you to wait at least seven days before having sex. There are two reasons for this:

1. After seven days, the chlamydia bacteria will disappear from your body. You will then no longer be able to transfer the bacteria to your sex partner.
2. Chlamydia nestles in the mucous membrane and damages it. By waiting seven days, you can fully restore the mucous membrane.

Can I masturbate after a course of antibiotics for, for example, chlamydia?

Masturbation is subject to the same 'rule' as sex. To allow the mucous membrane to fully recover, it is advisable to leave the site of infection alone for seven days. OneDayClinic therefore advises not to masturbate the first week after the antibiotic treatment for chlamydia or other STIs.

Can I have chlamydia or gonorrhoea again if I have been treated for it before?

If you have contracted chlamydia or gonorrhea, you can catch the STI again. The body doesn't produce antibodies, as it does with chickenpox. If you have unsafe sex with several partners, you may need more frequent treatment for chlamydia or gonorrhoea.

More information about STIs and HIV

Would you like to know more about antibiotic treatments for chlamydia or gonorrhoea or do you have other questions about sex? OneDayClinic will be happy to answer them. Call us on phone number 085 070 3483, mail to or fill in the contact form.

Anonymous, fast and 100% reliable testing for STIs?

Are you afraid you've caught an STI and would you like to be tested for STIs? Make an anonymous appointment at one of our STI clinics in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Den Bosch or Rotterdam. STI tests at OneDayClinic are always completely anonymous. You can often visit the same day and have the results within a maximum of two working days. An STI test at OneDayClinic is often a lot cheaper than an STI test at a general practitioner. You don't have to take off your clothes. Usually an STI test is done with a urine test or a self-swab that you can take from yourself.