I am a 25-year-old male. When I was 22, my girlfriend was diagnosed with chlamydia. I tested negative, so I did not take the medication as recommended. Now I fear the STD may be there, although I have not had symptoms (except for a slight amount of ejaculate when urinating, every two weeks or so). I am very worried, and have not been able to test myself since -- partly because I'm in the Middle East now, where the test is not available. Since it has been more than two years, what are my chances of infertility if I have had chlamydia all this time without treatment? Could my body have eliminated the infection over time? What type of test can I take to check any effects on my fertility?

E.

Chlamydia infection usually causes no symptoms. The situation is made worse in that the tools we have for diagnosing this condition can miss the diagnosis in up to 50 percent of affected individuals. So, you may have jeopardized your fertility by not taking the medication as prescribed.

There is no way to know whether you had the infection two years ago. If you are unable to check for infection now, your best option is to discuss treatment with your physician. A blood test can help determine whether you were infected at some time in the past, but it cannot tell when the infection occurred. It is not unusual for the body to rid itself of the infection over a period of time. A semen analysis is the best test to predict your fertility potential.