Study Design And Population
We used cross-sectional data from the Netherlands Chlamydia Cohort Study , an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of women of reproductive age in the Netherlands, prospectively followed for 10 years to investigate disease progression of CT . NECCST is a follow-up study from the Chlamydia Screening Implementation study, see . In CSI, women were tested annually for CT through vaginal swabs or urine samples between 2008 and 2011 . Women who participated in at least one round of CSI were recruited for NECCST in 20152016. All participants had 1 NAAT test for CT during CSI, referred to as CSINAAT. Between 20082011 and 20152016 , women completed questionnaires about previous CT tests , and on demographics, health characteristics, and risk behavior. At the start of NECCST, capillary blood samples were collected to test for CT IgG antibodies. Women were included in the present study in case there was a negative or positive CT IgG antibody result available.
Flowchart for inclusion of participants in the present study, based on previous participation in the Chlamydia Screening Implementation and Netherlands Chlamydia Cohort Study projects.
Am I At Risk For Chlamydia
You may face an increased risk of chlamydia if you have unprotected sex or have multiple sex partners. However, there are other risk factors besides these, so talk with your healthcare provider if you want to know more about your risk and what it could mean for your sexual health. And donât forget: when it comes to prevention and risk-reduction, regular STI screening can be a great place to start.
What To Expect From A Chlamydia Blood Test
When the body is infected by the chlamydia trachomatis bacteria, it develops antibodies called IgM antibodies that circulate in the blood. This chlamydia blood test identifies if these IgM antibodies are in the blood to determine if there is a current chlamydia infection
It should be noted that chlamydia is not a bloodborne disease. This chlamydia blood test should not be used to diagnose chlamydia infection of the urogenital area . This chlamydia test helps determine if a chlamydia infection is affecting non-genital regions of the body, for example, chlamydia trachomatis can cause conjunctivitis . If youre interested in getting tested to diagnose a chlamydia infection of the urogenital area, consider a urine chlamydia test.
A chlamydia blood test requires a blood draw from the arm. To complete this test, place your order on our website and use our lab locator to find a location that is most convenient for you. You do not need an appointmentsimply show your lab requisition form upon arriving to the lab. The results will to your HealthLabs.com account in one to three business days.
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Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Testing
Private low-cost testing for genital chlamydia and gonorrhea is easier than you may think. Request A Test offers discount online chlamydia and gonorrhea std testing that anyone can order. Even if you have no symptoms, an online STD test can protect your health and that of your partners. Order, go to the lab, get your results. It’s convenient, confidential, and affordable. We also offer a full selection of blood and urine testing for other common STDs.
What Does The Test Measure
Chlamydia testing looks for evidence of infection with the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. There are several types of tests that can be used to detect chlamydia, including molecular testing, also called Nucleic Acid Amplification Test , and cell culture.
NAAT is the preferred method for detecting a chlamydia infection. This type of test detects the genetic material of Chlamydia trachomatis. It can be performed using a urine sample or swab of fluid taken from a site of potential infection such as the urethra, vagina, rectum, or eye.
Traditionally, NAAT takes a day or more to provide results, but there have also been rapid chlamydia tests developed using NAAT methods. Rapid chlamydia tests can often provide a result within 30 to 90 minutes. Rapid chlamydia tests are typically performed on urine samples or swabs of fluid taken from the vagina or cervix.
Although much less commonly used, cell cultures can help diagnose a chlamydia infection. Chlamydia cell cultures may be used in children with a suspected chlamydia infection, when evaluating potential infections in the anus or rectum, and when initial treatment for chlamydia is unsuccessful. In these cases of treatment failure, doctors may use a cell culture to help understand which treatments may be most effective for an individuals infection.
Other types of chlamydia tests are available but are rarely used given the accuracy and availability of NAAT.
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Sexually Transmitted Disease Tests
Many sexually transmitted diseases can be diagnosed using a blood sample. These tests are often combined with urine samples or swabs of infected tissue for more accurate diagnoses.
The following STDs can be diagnosed with blood tests:
Blood tests arent always accurate right after contracting an infection. For an HIV infection, for example, you may need to wait at least a month before a blood test can detect the virus.
How Long Does It Take To Show Up On A Test
There are several tests that you doctor might use to diagnose chlamydia:
- Urine test. Youll pee in a cup thats sent off to a laboratory testing facility to see if any chlamydia bacteria are present in your urine.
- Blood test. Your doctor will use a sterile needle to draw some of your blood and send it to a lab to see if antibodies to the chlamydia bacteria are present in your bloodstream.
- Swab. Your doctor will use a cotton round or stick to take a small sample of tissue or fluid that carries the infection, which is then sent to a lab to be cultured so that lab technicians can see what bacteria grows from the sample.
How long it takes for the results to show up depends on the test and on your specific health insurance plan.
- Urine tests take about 2 to 5 days to show a positive or negative result.
- Blood tests can come back with results in a few minutes if the blood is analyzed on site. But they can take a week or more if sent to an off-site lab.
- Swab results take about 2 to 3 days to show a positive or negative.
1 to 3 weeks to show up in people with vulvas.
Symptoms may take up a few months to show up. This is because bacteria are living creatures and have an incubation period that affects how long it takes them to cluster together and become infectious.
This incubation period is dependent on a variety of factors, including:
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What Does My Test Result Mean
A positive test report means you have the infection and require immediate treatment. A negative test report indicates that you do not have the infection during the time of the test. Re-infection is very common mostly among teenagers. So, individuals with a previous history of chlamydia or who are at risk of the infection may undergo annual screening tests or routine checkups. If you are tested positive, your sexual partner may also have to undergo a routine chlamydia screening test to rule out any infection.
Chlamydia Can Be Treated And Cured With Antibiotics
Individuals diagnosed with chlamydia should abstain from sexual activity for one week after finishing antibiotics. Keep in mind that it is possible to become reinfected with chlamydia after receiving treatment. This is why it is crucial for partners of those who have chlamydia to also get tested and treated if found positive. Chlamydia often occurs along with gonorrhea . If you have one of these STDs, you might have the other because the risk factors and symptoms are very similar. Getting tested for both is important.
Whether or not symptoms are present, testing or screening for chlamydia can be done as early as 24 hours after exposure. The incubation times vary from person-to-person for the most accurate results, get tested two weeks after initial exposure. If you test positive for chlamydia, it is advised to get retested two weeks after completing treatment to be sure that all of the Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria is cleared from your system.
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What Is Being Tested
Chlamydia is one of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted diseases in the United States and can cause serious complications if not treated. Chlamydia testing identifies the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis as the cause of your infection.
The preferred method for chlamydia testing is the nucleic acid amplification test that detects the genetic material of Chlamydia trachomatis. It is generally more sensitive and specific than other chlamydia tests and can be performed on a vaginal swab on women or urine from both men and women, which eliminates the need for a pelvic exam in women.
Screening for, diagnosing, and treating chlamydia is very important in preventing long-term complications and spread of the infection to others. Chlamydia infections are especially common among people 15 to 24 years of age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 2.86 million Americans are infected with chlamydia each year and notes that women are frequently re-infected if their partners don’t get treatment. The actual number of cases may be higher since many people do not experience any symptoms and do not get tested and diagnosed. Still, over one million new cases are reported each year.
Chlamydia is generally spread through sexual contact with an infected partner. Risk factors include having multiple sex partners, infection with another STD at the same time or previous STD infection, and not using a condom correctly and consistently.
How To Get Tested
Chlamydia testing is usually ordered by a doctor. In people without symptoms, a doctor can evaluate their risk and suggest an appropriate screening schedule. If a patient has symptoms of this infection, a doctor will order testing to diagnose or rule out chlamydia.
Testing for chlamydia can be conducted at a hospital, doctors office, health clinic, or community health program.
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How Long Does It Take To Show Up In People With Penises
Theres no significant difference in the amount of time it takes for chlamydia symptoms to show up for people with penises as compared to people with vulvas.
The only major difference in the time it takes for symptoms to show up among people of various sexes may be related to how often symptoms show up.
According to the Childrens National Health System, 90 percent of people with vulvas dont ever experience any physical symptoms, while 70 percent of people with penises never notice any symptoms.
This difference in who actually experiences symptoms between these two groups may have some effect on how long it takes for symptoms show up. But theres never been any definitive link between your sex and when your symptoms appear.
Can The Test Be Done During Pregnancy
Those women at high risk of chlamydia should get themselves screened during pregnancy. Some of the risk factors are unprotected sex, new partner, multiple sex partners or a partner who has suffered STD s in the past or has been a victim of chlamydia. Women who plan pregnancy but carry these risk factors or have a history of chlamydia infections must undergo this screening tool before pregnancy.Usually, the screening test for Chlamydia is performed during the first trimester along with prenatal screening. If diagnosed early in the pregnancy, treatment can cut the chances of transmission to the fetus.Untreated chlamydia in pregnancy can cause life-threatening complications like inflammation of the eyes of the unborn baby or even pneumonia
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What Might Affect My Test Results
As with most blood tests, the variables that may affect your test results are your nutritional diet, lifestyle and any other existing medications you’re currently on. Doctors should be informed if you’re using any supplements or prescription medications before the test is administered.
When it comes to testing the sputum, when collecting the sample, it should be made sure that the patient’s mouth is sterilised, clean and free from any foreign matter. Thus, the patient must rinse their mouth with filtered or sterilised water.
Can I Take The Test At Home
Tests are available to detect chlamydia at home. Most at-home chlamydia tests are self-collection kits, which allow you to obtain a swab or sample of urine at home and return it to a laboratory by mail. If an at-home chlamydia test returns positive results, a doctor may suggest confirmation testing with a laboratory-based method.
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When Should I Get Chlamydia Testing
As most people infected with chlamydia do not experience symptoms, doctors rely on screening to detect most cases of chlamydia. Screening guidelines vary based on many factors, including a persons anatomy, health, and sexual practices. Regular screening for chlamydia is recommended for several groups:
Certain factors increase the risk of contracting chlamydia and may affect how often a person should be screened. Risk factors include having:
- Sex with a new partner
- More than one sexual partner or a partner who has sex with mutiple people
- A sex partner diagnosed with an STD
Testing for chlamydia is more frequently conducted in asymptomatic people in settings where infection rates are high, which often includes correctional facilities, adolescent health clinics, the military, and sexual health clinics.
Diagnostic chlamydia testing is recommended for anyone with signs or symptoms of this infection. When symptoms do occur, they may not appear until a few weeks after exposure. Signs and symptoms of chlamydia can vary based on the site of infection but may include:
- Burning during urination
- Abnormal discharge from the vagina, penis, or rectum
- Vaginal bleeding after sex or pain during intercourse
- Pain, tenderness, or swelling in the testicles or scrotum
- Rectal pain
Can Children Be Tested For Chlamydia
Chlamydia can afflict children. Childbirth is a time the infection can get transmitted from the mother. This requires immediate treatment. Children can come down with pneumonia and infections of the eye. Left untreated, this condition can also be fatal. Timely treatment is necessary to control the infection. Treatment can be in the form of antibiotics, eye drops for eye infection or medicines.
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Why Is Chlamydia Called The Silent Disease
Chlamydia trachomatis is a common STD or sexually transmitted disease that can spread during unprotected oral, vaginal, and anal sex. The disease can be asymptomatic and can remain dormant for years or have mild symptoms that are difficult to detect. A vast majority of people do not portray signs of the infection, which is why Chlamydia is called as the silent infection. That is why chlamydia can escape diagnosis until the infection develops. Chlamydia can be asymptomatic and yet spread to others, stressing on how important Chlamydia Antibody Test blood examinations are in aiding timely diagnosis.
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Questions For Your Doctor About Test Results
It can be helpful to bring questions to your doctor to learn more about your chlamydia test results. Helpful questions may include:
- What is my chlamydia test result?
- Did my test check for any other STDs?
- Do I need any treatment based on my results?
- How can I talk to my sexual partners about chlamydia?
- When should I be tested for STDs and how often?
Chlamydia Trachomatis Antibody Blood Test Igg Iga Igm
This test looks for several types of antibodies to Chlamydia Trachomattis in the blood. Chlamydia Trachomattis, more commonly known as Chlamydia, is a common bacterial infection that is primarily spread through sexual contact. Many genital chlamydia infections are asymptomatic. Some people will experience a burning sensation during urinating, abnormal discharge, itching, irritation, or pain around the genital area but these symptoms may not develop until weeks after their initial exposure. If left untreated, chlamydia can lead to more serious health complications including pelvic inflammatory disease , infertility, and increased susceptibility to other infections including HIV.
Blood testing for chlamydia is not commonly ordered but it can be helpful in some cases. While chlamydia is not a blood-borne illness, the body’s immune system develops antibodies in response to the infection and these antibodies can be detectable in the blood. This test looks for 3 types of antibodies, IgM, IgA, and IgG.
While blood testing for chlamydia is not typically used to diagnose an infection, this type of test may be useful in confirming an infection for someone who has symptoms but has had inconclusive results from more common testing methods such as a genital chlamydia urine test. It can also be used to aid in identifying the cause of conditions such as PID or fertility issues which may result from chronic chlamydia infections.
Turnaround for this test is typically 2-4 business days.
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Blood Test For Chlamydia May Predict Pregnancy Outcomes
A blood test that detects antibodies to the sexually transmitted bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis may be helpful in screening infertile women for pregnancy outcomes, according to a new study.
Infertile women who tested positive for C. trachomatis antibodies were less likely to become pregnant or have a live birth. They also were more likely to experience anectopic pregnancy, or life-threatening pregnancy outside the womb.
William M. Geisler, M.D., professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the University of Alabama at BirminghamDepartment of Medicine, was a study co-author. The study, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health, was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility. Geislers laboratory performed the chlamydia antibody test.
C. trachomatis infections may produce few or no symptoms, and therefore go untreated. But the infection may cause inflammation along the reproductive tract, potentially scarring both the inside and outside of the fallopian tubes and leading to infertility in women. When evaluating women with infertility, clinicians routinely test whether the fallopian tubes are open or blocked, which may result from a number of causes. Blocked tubes can prevent a fertilized egg from reaching the uterus, increasing the risk of ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy that implants outside of the uterus.