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Can A Blood Test Detect Chlamydia

How Long Does It Take To Test Positive For Chlamydia

Can urine culture test detect STDs? – Dr. Teena S Thomas

Almost 3 million new cases of chlamydia are reportedevery single year, which means 1 in 20 sexually active young people havechlamydia. With such a prevalent STI like this one, its very important to getregularly tested.

Anyone who has unprotected sex is exposed to chlamydia and can get this infection during genital, anal, or oral sex. This bacteria is treatable, but if left undetected for a long time, it can cause infertility or other serious health problems.

The real problem is that chlamydia often shows no signs and no symptoms, which means people are at risk of transmitting this infection without having a clue they are infected. Those who do get tested, but decide to do it too early will not get adequate results. Thats why timing is crucial for chlamydia testing.

Here we will focus on how long it takes forchlamydia to show up on tests, why is the incubation period important, and howit affects the test results in both men and women.

Do Normal Blood Tests Show Stds

When you visit your regular doctor for your annual checkup, you will often get some standard blood tests to screen for common health conditions. In most cases, screening for STDs is not included in these tests. Instead, they are generally looking for issues like high cholesterol, liver problems, thyroid problems, and other common conditions.

If you engage in sexual behavior that could put you at risk for STDs, then your doctor may include testing for certain diseases along with your normal blood tests. Make sure that youre completely honest with your doctor about the activities that you normally engage in, including how many sexual partners youve had recently and whether you always used protection. Its important that your doctor understands your level of risk, in order to know whether STD screening should be included with your normal blood tests.

Which Stds Can Be Checked With A Blood Test

Testing for STDs and STIs with a blood test is quick and simple. While a needle isnt everyones first choice, many blood tests are now performed by simply pricking the end of the finger and collecting a small drop of blood. But which STIs can be tested for by blood, and how does it work? Here, we summarise the testing methods for various STIs.

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Why Do I Need A Chlamydia Test

Chlamydia is a very common STD, especially in sexually active people ages 15 to 24. But chlamydia usually doesn’t cause symptoms, so the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health organizations recommend regular screening tests if your risk of getting chlamydia is high.

If you are a woman or a transgender or gender diverse person with a cervix , you should:

  • Get tested for chlamydia at least once a year if you are:
  • Younger than 25 and having sex
  • Age 25 or older and have a higher risk of getting chlamydia because you:
  • Have a new sex partner or more than one partner
  • Have a sex partner who is having sex with others
  • Have a sex partner with an STD
  • Don’t use condoms correctly every time
  • Get tested for chlamydia if you are pregnant.
  • Regular chlamydia testing at least once a year is also recommended if you:

    • Have HIV.
    • Are a man who has sex with men or a transgender diverse person with a penis who has sex with men. Test every 3 to 6 months if you or your partner have sex with more than one person, or if you have other sexual behaviors that may increase your risk for getting chlamydia.

    The best testing schedule for you may be different than the recommendations. Ask your provider how often you should get tested.

    Your provider will order a test if your sex partner has been diagnosed with chlamydia or if you have symptoms. Symptoms of chlamydia may include:

    What Does The Chlamydia Test Involve

    Dual Pack: iCare Gonorrhea &  Chlamydia Test Kits â STD Rapid Tests

    The recommended tests for chlamydia are simple, painless and generally very reliable.

    They involve sending a sample of cells to a laboratory for analysis. You dont necessarily have to be examined by a doctor or nurse first and can often collect the sample yourself.

    There are two main ways the sample can be collected:

    • using a swab a small cotton bud is gently wiped over the area that might be infected, such as inside the vagina or inside the anus
    • urinating into a container this should ideally be done at least 1 hour after you last urinated

    Men will usually be asked to provide a urine sample, while women will usually be asked to either swab inside their vagina or provide a urine sample.

    The results will normally be available in 7 to 10 days. If theres a high chance you have chlamydia for example, you have symptoms of the infection or your partner has been diagnosed with it and youve had unprotected sex with them you might start treatment before you get your results.

    Read more about treating chlamydia.

    Also Check: Chlamydia How Do You Get It

    How To Interpret Chlamydia Test Results

    Lab test results may be positive, negative or in some case inconclusive. A positive test result means the infection is there and the person is suffering from Chlamydia infections. So the person should go for treatment as advised by the doctor. Negative test interprets bacteria is not found and he/she is normal. Sometimes it also means that bacteria are at a very low amount and impact of it is not seen. But if there will be an increment in that then only it will start impacting. Sometimes test result gives inconclusive results. It happens when test result does not clearly indicate whether it is positive or negative.

    How to Conclude Chlamydia Test Result?

    There is a very slight chance of false test result. NAAT accuracy result is almost 100% whereas for Chlamydia culture it is 80%. This test is very necessary to be conducted because it gives accurate results. A person should conduct this test in identified lab only and certified person should see the result. An impact of this infection is huge at later stages. So, diagnosis of this is necessary so that person does not suffer from this infection later and it is easy to curb it at earlier stages later on it becomes difficult to curb its impact.

    This is how, you can read your Chlamydia Test result without any doctor guideline. However, I would suggest you to consult doctor to get proper guideline.

    Originally posted 2016-08-21 15:57:40.

    Sexually Transmitted Disease Test

    Most STDs can be detected using a blood test. This test will often be combined with urine samples and swabs for a more accurate outcome. This test is important for those who have more than one sexual partner to ensure that you are not passing along harmful STDs to others.

    These tests can detect STDs like chlamydia, syphilis, and herpes. Blood tests arent always accurate right after the disease is contracted, so its best to wait at least a month after your last sexual partner to get the most accurate results.

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    How Is Chlamydia Treated

    Your healthcare practitioner will prescribe antibiotics to treat chlamydia. Antibiotics can cure your infection, but damage from the infection may sometimes be permanent. If symptoms do not resolve after a few days, consult your healthcare provider. You should refrain from having sex until you have completed your treatment and should be re-tested three months after treatment.

    How Do You Get An Sti

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    Testing for STIs is free and confidential. Testing may be performed on a urine sample or swab to detect chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomonas or herpes, depending on the site of infection. Blood tests are available which detect antibodies to HIV and syphilis. HPV testing may be performed in women with abnormal PAP smears. Due to the wide spectrum of STIs, there is no one test to detect them all.

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    Is There A Rapid Test For Chlamydia

    There has been a rapid test developed by researchers for Chlamydia. Chlamydia trachoma is the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial infection in the world. The number of diagnoses in has risen steadily since the mid-1990s, spiking in the millions in 2005. If left untreated, the disease can result in complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. However, the disease often goes undiagnosed as up to 70% of infected women do not show symptoms.

    Discuss Your Risk Factors

    Its also important to share your sexual risk factors with your doctor. In particular, you should always tell them if you engage in anal sex.

    Some anal STIs cant be detected using standard STI tests. Your doctor might recommend an anal Pap smear to screen for precancerous or cancerous cells, which are linked to the human papillomavirus .

    You should also tell your doctor about:

    • the types of protection you use during oral, vaginal, and anal sex
    • any medications youre taking

    Recommended Reading: How Fast Does Symptoms Of Chlamydia Show Up

    How To Order Your Own Sti Tests

    If youre ready to order your own STI test, heres where to start.

    Determine the tests you need

    • Self-directed testing is available for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis C.
    • A routine panel consists of testing appropriate body parts for gonorrhea and chlamydia, and blood tests for HIV and syphilis.
    • Hepatitis C: this is a blood test that should be checked at least once after age 18 as specified by the CDC.
    • If you need more information before you decide what tests you would like:
    • SHOP

    Test the right body parts

    • A urine gonorrhea and chlamydia test will only detect infections in the vagina or penis. It will not pick up a rectal or oral infection.
    • You will swab your own body part. Gonorrhea and chlamydia testing can be done with a urine test, a vaginal swab, or rectal swab. You do not need to do both a urine and a vaginal swab, but a vaginal swab is more accurate.
    • Gonorrhea can be transferred with oral sex so you may want to consider testing for oral gonorrhea, even if you have no symptoms. If you have had receptive anal sex you may need to do a rectal swab.

    Test at the right time

    For sexually active students we recommend you test regularly and make this testing part of your regular health care.

    When you test is very important. Sometimes testing too early after sex can produce false negative results. Below is a list of approximate times it takes for an infection to show up in a test after youve been exposed:

    Time needed for STIs to show up in test results

    STI

    How Is Chlamydia Spread

    iCare Rapid Chlamydia Test Kit

    You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has chlamydia.

    If your sex partner is male you can still get chlamydia even if he does not ejaculate .

    If youve had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can still get infected again. This can happen if you have unprotected sex with someone who has chlamydia.

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    How Much Does The Test Cost

    The cost of chlamydia testing varies based on many factors. Chlamydia testing may be paid for by health insurance when ordered by a doctor. Because health plans vary, its important for patients to discuss the cost of testing, including any copays or deductibles, with their health plan.

    For patients without health insurance coverage, the cost of testing may include the cost of the office visit and sample collection as well as technician fees. Testing may also be available for free or at low cost through community-based organizations and local health departments.

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    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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    What Std Requires A Blood Test

    There are certain STDs that can only be detected by a blood test. These include:

    • HIV
    • Hepatitis B
    • Hepatitis C

    All three of these are viruses that are found in the bloodstream. They can be sexually acquired, or they can enter the bloodstream in other ways, such as through sharing needles. HIV infects certain cells of the immune system, while hepatitis B and C both infect liver cells. Because these viruses are found in other parts of the body rather than infecting the genital or urinary tracts, blood tests are the only way to find these particular STDs.

    How Long Does It Take To Show Up In The Throat

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    Symptoms of chlamydia in your throat are typically caused by having oral sex with someone whos contracted the infection.

    Its much less common to notice throat symptoms, but they may still appear after a week or so, up to a few months or longer.

    STI tests that look for chlamydia arent always done on the throat since its an area that does not carry the infection often. Ask your doctor for a throat swab or other chlamydia test if you think youve been exposed through oral sex.

    Here are the most common symptoms of chlamydia in both people with penises and people with vulvas.

    Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Chlamydia Discharge

    Can You Test Chlamydia Through Blood And Urine

    Along with urine sample, this disease can also be tested by taking a blood sample. Chlamydia is not a blood borne disease but human body produces antibodies to respond to these types of diseases. So, this test can give a positive result even though the person is not suffering from it. This test can be conducted to interpret whether a person has suffered from this disease in past. So, a blood test is not trusted and is usually not done to diagnose this disease in the present. The accuracy level of the Chlamydia blood test is very low. So, a blood test is avoided and various doctors do not recommend this test.

    How Do I Know If I Have Chlamydia

    Most people who have chlamydia have no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with an infected partner. Even when chlamydia causes no symptoms, it can damage your reproductive system.

    Women with symptoms may notice

    • An abnormal vaginal discharge
    • A burning sensation when urinating.

    Symptoms in men can include

    • A discharge from their penis
    • A burning sensation when urinating
    • Pain and swelling in one or both testicles .

    Men and women can also get infected with chlamydia in their rectum. This happens either by having receptive anal sex, or by spread from another infected site . While these infections often cause no symptoms, they can cause

    • Rectal pain
    • Discharge
    • Bleeding.

    You should be examined by your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms or if your partner has an STD or symptoms of an STD. STD symptoms can include an unusual sore, a smelly discharge, burning when urinating, or bleeding between periods.

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    What Abnormal Results Mean

    A positive result on a screening test does not confirm that the person has HIV infection. More tests are needed to confirm HIV infection.

    A negative test result does not rule out HIV infection. There is a period of time, called the window period, between HIV infection and the appearance of anti-HIV antibodies. During this period, antibodies and antigen may not be measured.

    If a person might have acute or primary HIV infection and is in the window period, a negative screening test doesnt rule out HIV infection. Follow-up tests for HIV are needed.

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