What are the symptoms of chlamydia in men?
When chlamydia does cause symptoms in men, the usual ones are a clear or white discharge from the penis, burning or stinging when you pee, and discomfort in the testicles.
Timing varies. Some men notice something within days, while others carry the infection for months before anything shows.
Urethral discharge
The most recognisable sign is a discharge from the penis that wasn't there before. With chlamydia it's usually clear, white or slightly cloudy, and thin rather than thick. You'll often notice it first thing in the morning, when a little has collected at the tip overnight.
That's different from the thicker, yellow-green discharge more typical of gonorrhoea. The two infections can occur together, though, and sometimes look alike, which our STD discharge guide compares side by side.
Pain or burning during urination
Burning or stinging when you pee is common with chlamydia. It can range from mild irritation to sharp pain, and some men describe it as a persistent itch inside the urethra rather than burning.
The same feeling comes with urinary tract infections and non-gonococcal urethritis. That overlap is why a test tells you more than matching symptoms to a cause.
Testicular pain or swelling
In some men, chlamydia spreads to the epididymis, the coiled tube behind each testicle that stores and carries sperm. The result is epididymitis: pain, swelling and tenderness in one or both testicles.
Epididymitis is a complication of untreated infection, and it can affect fertility if it isn't treated. If you have testicular pain, especially alongside discharge or burning, come and see us promptly.
Rectal and throat symptoms
After receptive anal sex, men can develop rectal chlamydia. It may cause rectal pain, discharge or bleeding, but it's frequently asymptomatic. Finding it takes a rectal swab, because a urine test only covers the genital site.
Oral chlamydia from giving oral sex is usually silent too. When it does cause anything, it tends to be a sore throat, and a throat swab is the only way to detect it.
Chlamydia symptoms timeline
A summary of what typically happens after exposure if the infection is left untreated.
Plenty of men pass through every one of these stages without noticing a thing, so feeling well isn't the same as being clear. Our guide to chlamydia detection times explains when a test becomes reliable.
What happens if chlamydia goes untreated?
In men, untreated chlamydia can cause epididymitis, which can lead to chronic pain and, in some cases, reduced fertility. Reactive arthritis, a less common complication, can affect the joints, eyes and urethra.
For many men the more immediate concern is passing it on. Carrying chlamydia without symptoms still means you can give it to sexual partners. In women, untreated chlamydia carries more serious long-term risks, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, which our page on chlamydia symptoms in women covers in more detail.
How is chlamydia tested for in men?
Testing is simple. The standard sample is first-void urine, meaning the first part of your stream rather than midstream, and it's sent for PCR analysis.
If you've had receptive anal sex, we'll add a rectal swab, and if you've given oral sex, a throat swab covers that site. Each site is tested separately, because an infection in one place doesn't mean there's one in another.
How is chlamydia treated?
Chlamydia in men is treated with antibiotics. The current first-line treatment in UK guidance is doxycycline 100mg twice daily for 7 days, which is highly effective for uncomplicated urethral chlamydia. If your result is positive, our doctors can prescribe treatment the same day.
Hold off on sex until you've finished the full course and any partners have been treated too. A test of cure isn't routinely needed for uncomplicated urethral chlamydia treated with doxycycline, but it may be recommended for a rectal or throat infection.
How testing works at our Harley Street clinic
A chlamydia test is £104 from a urine sample, with results within 3 working days. Walk in any day of the week at 117a Harley Street, with no appointment or GP referral needed. All samples go to UKAS-accredited laboratories, and you don't need to use your real name, which our page on private STI testing in London explains.
If you'd rather not wait, the FAST chlamydia and gonorrhoea urine test is £124, with results in 6 hours. For a broader answer the same day, the FAST Screen Simple (£350) covers HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and the FAST Screen Complex (£450) adds hepatitis B and C, with all results in 6 hours. Our guide to same-day STI test results explains how they work.
To screen more widely at the standard pace, our men's screening packages start at £250 for Bronze, covering chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV and syphilis. Silver, at £325, adds Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma, Gardnerella and herpes I & II. Results for blood tests come back in about 24 hours, and urine and swab results within 3 working days.
You can also test for HIV or syphilis on their own. An HIV test is £75 plus a £50 blood draw (£125 total), and a syphilis test is £85 plus the £50 blood draw (£135 total).
Noticed discharge, burning when you pee, or an ache in the testicles? Book a chlamydia test at 117a Harley Street: £104, results within 3 working days.
References
- Chlamydia (NHS.uk condition page)
- Chlamydia: uncomplicated genital (NICE CKS)
- UK National Guideline for the Management of Genital Tract Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (BASHH)
- Sexually transmitted infections and chlamydia screening in England: official statistics (UKHSA)
