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Can you get chlamydia through kissing?
Several months before I met my current partner, I made out with someone (let's call him Tom) who I later learned had chlamydia. I didn't think anything of it at the time, because I figured there was no way I could get oral chlamydia from making out with someone.
However, now that I am with someone else I am worried that I did, in fact, receive chlamydia from Tom. My logic is this; if Tom received chlamydia from a previous partner, it is probable that they have engaged in oral sex, during which he could have picked up oral chlamydia from the girl's genital chlamydia. Then I suppose it is possible that he could pass on the oral chlamydia to me through mouth to mouth contact, and then I could have passed it on to my current partner.
I haven't spoken to my current partner about this because I never even thought about this possibility until now (I have bad health anxiety and these thoughts come to me randomly). I don't know what to do. I'm really nervous and I'm not sure if it's even possible to get chlamydia through making out, much less what I should do. Any advice?
Thank you.
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Maybe give some free advice about: STD Information?
The CDC notes that there is not good information about how contagious pharyngeal chlamydia is. It is theoretically possible to get chlamydia from kissing, but it would be highly unlikely. Nor can you get it from sitting in the same seat as them or hugging them. You get it from oral, anal, and vaginal sex; genital-genital contact; sharing sex toys; and from birth to an infected mother.
Based on the above information depending on your definition of "Making Out", it is unlikely you could give someone Chlamydia if you have it. This brings up another subject most people never know they have this disease, which is easily cured with antibiotics. Since you are concerned you might have it you should ask your doctor to screen you for it. Not knowing can jeopardize the possibility of you ever being able to have children.
In a previous post you say you are 19 which means your an adult and have medical privacy. Even if you are still on your parents health insurance any doctors visit is totally confidential. Your parents cannot be told why you have seen the doctor, what you were examined and treated for. I could pay your medical bills and it would not entitle me to see your medical records without your expressed permission in writing to the doctor. The same is true for your parents.
My advice is to see your doctor and be tested for STD"S which would show if you have Chlamydia. Just to be safe make sure to tell the doctor you think you may have been exposed to Chlamydia.
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You can't get chlamydia from making out. There is no such thing as 'oral' chlamydia. It's a bacteria that can only survive and thrive in cells in the genitals. You can catch it from oral sex, or other direct contact with the genitals of someone who is infected. The bacteria is not in an infected person's saliva, so it can't be spread that way.
Honestly tho, you may have reached that time in your life where regular STI checks are a good idea. There is no shame in that, and for a lot of people who have lives where they enjoy sex with different folks they date, regular screening is a sensible and respectful habit to get into. If you are in college or university, you probably have access to free screening. If not, a local planned parenthood or other sexual health clinic could help you access an STI test. It may seem freaky, but if you are at the stage in your life where you will be dating around, and have sexual contact with more than one person in a calendar year, then it's a normal part of a healthy life - like going to a dentist.
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Chlamydia can only be caught through the exchange of seminal and vaginal fluids. You can exchange tons and tons of saliva (ew) and still, you won't catch chlamydia. Don't worry :)
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