Chlamydia is curable with a short course of antibiotics, and treatment clears the infection in the vast majority of cases. Most people finish their medication within seven days, though some regimens require only a single dose. The key is getting treated promptly, because chlamydia that lingers untreated can cause serious reproductive damage.
First-Line Treatment for Most Adults
Doxycycline taken twice daily for seven days is the current standard treatment for chlamydia in non-pregnant adults. This applies whether the infection is in the genital tract, the rectum, or the throat. Doxycycline has become the preferred option because clinical data shows it outperforms single-dose alternatives, particularly for rectal infections where cure rates with other antibiotics drop significantly.
A single-dose alternative, azithromycin (one gram taken by mouth once), used to be considered equally effective and was widely prescribed because of its convenience. However, updated guidelines now position it as a backup rather than a first choice. If you have trouble tolerating doxycycline or have a reason you can’t take it, azithromycin remains a solid option for genital infections.
Both medications are taken by mouth. There are no injections or IV treatments involved. Side effects are generally mild: doxycycline can cause sun sensitivity and stomach upset (taking it with food helps), while azithromycin occasionally causes nausea or diarrhea.
Treatment During Pregnancy
Doxycycline is not safe during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy because it can affect the developing baby’s teeth. For pregnant individuals, azithromycin as a single one-gram oral dose is the recommended treatment. If azithromycin isn’t an option, amoxicillin taken three times a day for seven days is an alternative.
Erythromycin, once commonly used in pregnancy, is no longer recommended. It caused frequent gastrointestinal side effects that made people stop taking it before finishing the course, and more recent evidence has raised concerns about potential effects on the child. Pregnant individuals should also be retested after treatment to confirm the infection has cleared.
What to Do After Treatment
You should avoid sex for seven days after completing your antibiotic course (or seven days after a single-dose treatment) to prevent passing the infection to a partner before the medication has fully worked. If your partner hasn’t been treated yet, waiting even longer is wise, since having sex with an untreated partner is the most common reason people test positive again shortly after treatment.
The CDC recommends retesting three months after your diagnosis, regardless of whether you think your treatment worked. This isn’t because the antibiotics failed. It’s because reinfection rates are high. Many people are re-exposed by an untreated partner or a new partner within that window. Getting retested at three months catches these repeat infections before they have time to cause harm.
Getting Your Partner Treated
Treating your sexual partners is a critical part of clearing chlamydia for good. If your recent partners aren’t also treated, you’re likely to be reinfected the next time you have sex with them. Ideally, partners should see a provider and get tested themselves.
When that’s not realistic, a practice called expedited partner therapy (EPT) allows your healthcare provider to write a prescription or provide medication that you can give directly to your partner, without them needing their own office visit first. EPT is legal in most U.S. states, though rules vary. It’s considered especially useful for treating male partners of women diagnosed with chlamydia. EPT doesn’t replace a full medical evaluation for partners, but it removes a common barrier that otherwise leaves partners untreated.
Why Prompt Treatment Matters
Chlamydia often produces no symptoms at all, which is part of what makes it dangerous. Many people carry the infection for weeks or months without knowing. During that time, the bacteria can spread to the upper reproductive tract and cause lasting damage.
In women, about 10 to 15 percent of untreated chlamydia infections lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and surrounding tissue. PID can cause chronic pelvic pain, and even when it’s eventually treated with antibiotics, the scarring it leaves behind can block the fallopian tubes permanently. This is one of the leading preventable causes of infertility. “Silent” infections that never produce obvious symptoms can still cause this kind of damage, which is why routine screening matters for sexually active people under 25 and others at higher risk.
In men, untreated chlamydia can lead to infection in the tube that carries sperm from the testicle, causing pain and swelling. Though less common than PID, it can also affect fertility. For all genders, having an active chlamydia infection increases vulnerability to other sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
Who Should Be Screened
Because chlamydia is so often silent, screening is the main way most infections are caught. Current guidelines recommend annual screening for all sexually active women under 25, as well as for older women with risk factors like new or multiple partners. Men who have sex with men should be screened at least annually, and every six months if they have multiple partners. The World Health Organization’s latest guidance also recommends targeted screening for sex workers and sexually active adolescents and young adults in areas where chlamydia is common.
Testing is straightforward: a urine sample or a swab (which you can often collect yourself) is all that’s needed. Results typically come back within a few days. If you test positive, treatment can start immediately, and the infection is usually fully cleared within a week.