What Is Chlamydia Test
Chlamydia is a type of sexually transmitted disease. It is bacterial in nature and is highly contagious.
An infected person can spread the infection through unprotected sexual intercourse . Whats alarming is that some people have it without any symptoms at all. Therefore, someone can unknowingly spread it.
To find out if you have a Chlamydia, you need to undergo a chlamydia test. It is important to detect the presence of chlamydia infection so as to treat the infection right away.
Chlamydia can be easily treated with antibiotics but if not treated could lead to serious complications.
Picture 1: A chlamydia test kit which enables you to check if you have a chlamydia infection right in the comfort of home.
Image Source: ebayimg.com
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease and a urine test or cell sample are needed to check for the presence of bacteria causing chlamydia.
What Is The Accuracy Of Urine Test For Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a type of sexually transmitted disease, which is caused by a bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. Being very common, it is transmitted via vaginal, oral or anal sex. It may also be transmitted by sharing sex toys that are not cleaned properly. Any symptoms or signs of infection are not seen in people suffering from Chlamydia quite often leading to its spread more easily. In case symptoms appear, they occur typically within 3-21 days after being exposed to the bacteria. This makes testing for Chlamydia very important. However, what is the accuracy of urine test?
Where Can I Get More Information
Health care providers with STD consultation requests can contact the STD Clinical Consultation Network . This service is provided by the National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Training Centers and operates five days a week. STDCCN is convenient, simple, and free to health care providers and clinicians. More information is available at www.stdccn.orgexternal icon.
Division of STD Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-38271-800-783-987
References
1. OFarrell N, Morison L, Moodley P, et al. Genital ulcers and concomitant complaints in men attending a sexually transmitted infections clinic: implications for sexually transmitted infections management. Sexually transmitted diseases 2008 35:545-9.
2. White JA. Manifestations and management of lymphogranuloma venereum. Current opinion in infectious diseases 2009 22:57-66.
3. Kreisel KM, Spicknall IH, Gargano JW, Lewis FM, Lewis RM, Markowitz LE, Roberts H, Satcher Johnson A, Song R, St. Cyr SB, Weston EJ, Torrone EA, Weinstock HS. Sexually transmitted infections among US women and men: Prevalence and incidence estimates, 2018. Sex Transm Dis 2021 in press.
4. CDC. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2019. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services April 2021.
5. Torrone E, Papp J, Weinstock H. Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis Genital Infection Among Persons Aged 1439 Years United States, 20072012. MMWR 2014 63:834-8.
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What Happens If Chlamydia Is Left Untreated
There are many health risks if the infection is left untreated. In women, the infection can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. Pelvic inflammatory disease in turn can give rise to conditions like damaged fallopian tubes or even cause infertility.
Chlamydia can also cause ectopic pregnancy in women. In pregnant women, it can cause premature birth, and infection to new born child . The new born child may develop infection or pneumonia if the mother is infected with Chlamydia.
In men, it can cause a condition called nongonococcal urethritis which is an infection of the Urethra,epididymitis which is an infection of epididymis, that is the tube that carries sperm away from the testesa or proctitis, which is inflammation of the rectum.
Like all sexually transmitted diseases, the precautionary measure against Chlamydia is to practice safe sex and avoid having multiple sexual partners. It is also important to get a screening test done as soon as any symptom is noticed. When treated at the right time, the disease is curable.
Be safe, be healthy!
How Common Is Chlamydia
CDC estimates that there were four million chlamydial infections in 2018.3 Chlamydia is also the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States.4 However, a large number of cases are not reported because most people with chlamydia are asymptomatic and do not seek testing. Chlamydia is most common among young people. Two-thirds of new chlamydial infections occur among youth aged 15-24 years.3 It is estimated that 1 in 20 sexually active young women aged 14-24 years has chlamydia.5
Disparities persist among racial and ethnic minority groups. In 2019, reported chlamydia rates for African Americans/Blacks were nearly six times that of Whites.4 Chlamydia is also common among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men . Among MSM screened for rectal chlamydial infection, positivity has ranged from 3.0% to 10.5%.6,7 Among MSM screened for pharyngeal chlamydial infection, positivity has ranged from 0.5% to 2.3%.7.8
Also Check: How To Cure Chlamydia Without Going To The Doctor
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 Is The Treatment For Chlamydia
Chlamydia can be easily cured with antibiotics. HIV-positive persons with chlamydia should receive the same treatment as those who are HIV-negative.
Persons with chlamydia should abstain from sexual activity for 7 days after single dose antibiotics or until completion of a 7-day course of antibiotics, to prevent spreading the infection to partners. It is important to take all of the medication prescribed to cure chlamydia. Medication for chlamydia should not be shared with anyone. Although medication will cure the infection, it will not repair any permanent damage done by the disease. If a persons symptoms continue for more than a few days after receiving treatment, he or she should return to a health care provider to be reevaluated.
Repeat infection with chlamydia is common.49 Women whose sex partners have not been appropriately treated are at high risk for re-infection. Having multiple chlamydial infections increases a womans risk of serious reproductive health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy.50,51 Women and men with chlamydia should be retested about three months after treatment of an initial infection, regardless of whether they believe that their sex partners were successfully treated.40
Infants infected with chlamydia may develop ophthalmia neonatorum and/or pneumonia.10 Chlamydial infection in infants can be treated with antibiotics.
Also Check: Can You Catch Chlamydia Twice
How Is Chlamydia Treated
Chlamydia is treated with the use of oral antibiotics like Azithromycin or Doxycycline. It is important that the patient finishes all the antibiotics even if he is starts to feel better. The treatment usually clears up in about a week or so. After recovery, a person must get re-tested after 3 months to be sure that the infection is cured.
In case of severe Chlamydia infection, a person may need hospitalization, intravenous antibiotics, and other pain medicines.
This Test Will With > 99% Accuracy Tell You Whether Or Not You Have Been Infected With Chlamydia Or Gonorrhea
Like any Everlywell STI test, our at-home Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Test is delivered in discreet packaging and taken in the privacy of your own home. Once you return your test sample to our lab and your sample is processed, youâll be notified via email when your results are ready. You will then be able to access your results through an easy-to-understand report on our secure online platform.
This at-home gonorrhea and chlamydia test checks whether you test positive for gonorrhea or chlamydia.
In the event that your test results are positive, a board-certified physician in your state will contact you at no additional cost to discuss your particular case, and when appropriate, prescribe medication.
We take customer privacy very seriously, and only you will have access to this information. As is the case with all STD testing – whether through Everlywell at-home tests or your healthcare provider â we may be required by law to report positive test results to certain state health departments. This is only done to track the prevalence of a sexually transmitted disease. In rare cases you may not receive a definitive result because of early infection or inadequate sampling and repeat testing is suggested. Donât take a chance on your sexual health. Know where you stand with our at-home Chlamydia & Gonorrhea test. You can also take our at-home STD Test for men or our STD Test for women.
Recommended Reading: How Long Does It Take For Treatment Of Chlamydia
How Is Chlamydia Test Done
If a urine sample is collected for a NAAT test, a person must not urinate for atleast 2 hours before the test. It is also necessary that a person collects the first part of the urine as soon as urination takes place.
A person must not wipe the genital area clean before urinating.
In case, a body fluid is to be collected for testing, the following are the procedures for both men and women:
For men: A doctor will insert a swab into the opening of your urethra or rectum. A man must not urinate for atleast 2 hours before the sample is taken.
For women: A woman has to lie on her back on an exam table with her feet raised and supported by stirrups. The doctor will examine the vaginal and genital areas. The doctor will insert a lubricated speculum into the vagina to open up the vaginal walls. Once the vaginal walls are spread apart,the inside of the vagina and cervix become visible. Samples are collected from a cervix with a swab or brush.
To collect a sample from the eye, the doctor has to gently brush the insides of the lower and upper eyelids with a brush.
There are self-tests that a woman can perform and bring it to the lab for testing. Throat culture is also a test to detect Chlamydia though it is rarely opted for.
Can A Chlamydia Test Result Be False Positive
Can a Chlamydia Test Result be False Positive? This is the most common question. I tried to answer it with helpful examples and reasons.
The precision of tests differs, contingent upon the kind of test that is utilized. Suggested tests are 90-95% sensitive. This implies they will recognize Chlamydia major symptoms in the vast majority who have the disease.
Keep in mind that no test is 100% precise. There is a little risk that a test may indicate negative not with standing when you have Chlamydia. This is widely known as a false negative test result outcome. Accuracy of Chlamydia Swab test is also not 100%. It is as well additionally feasible for a test result to be positive notwithstanding when you dont have Chlamydia. This is known as a false positive test outcome. Both these false tests are exceptionally rare. However, can in some cases clarify why you initially got the other result to your sexual partner.
False positive test result for Chlamydia is 100% possible and below are some common reasons for that. You should try to re-test if you are unsure about your first blood test result.
Also Check: Get Tested For Chlamydia Free
What If My Results Are Positive
The Everlywell Chlamydia & Gonorrhea test includes an easy-to-understand lab report. But if you’re not sure how to read your chlamydia test results, your healthcare provider can help.
A positive STI test result can be unsettling, but you arenât alone: with the Everlywell Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Test, you have the opportunity to speak with a physician in our network to discuss your results further if you test positiveâand you may be prescribed medication.
If your chlamydia test is positive, STI testing is recommended for your sex partner . If they are infected and don’t receive treatment, they can pass the chlamydial infection back to you.
Anything Else I Should Know
Chlamydia is spread through any form of unsafe sex. So if your test shows that you have chlamydia, its really important that you let your sexual partners know that you have it, as they may have it too. Your current sexual partner and any recent partners should all get tested and treated.
The staff at the clinic can get in touch with your partners confidentially if youre not up to it.
To make sure that you don’t re-infect each other, you must not have any sex or share sex toys with your partner until seven days after you have both completed your treatment.
Re-test after six weeks to confirm that treatment has been successful and that the test result was accurate.
If your original test was positive its also important to get a repeat test after three months. We will contact you to remind you.
Recommended Reading: Chlamydia In The Throat Symptoms Female
Other Complications Of Untreated Chlamydia In All People
- Conjunctivitis, spread by touching the infected area and then touching the hand to the eye
- Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the rectum , if the chlamydia is from anal sex
- Varied symptoms, such as joint and eye inflammation, caused by bacterial infection
- Lymphogranuloma venereum, or LGV. This is caused by a type of chlamydia that is usually rare in Canada and the United States, but it is becoming more common in men who have sex with men. It causes open sores in the genital area, headache, fever, fatigue, and swelling of the lymph nodes in the groin. It also causes proctitis in people who get chlamydia through anal sex.
What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia
Chlamydia is known as a silent infection because most infected people are asymptomatic and lack abnormal physical examination findings. Estimates of the proportion of chlamydia-infected people who develop symptoms vary by setting and study methodology two published studies that incorporated modeling techniques to address limitations of point prevalence surveys estimated that only about 10% of men and 5-30% of women with laboratory-confirmed chlamydial infection develop symptoms.21.22 The incubation period of chlamydia is poorly defined. However, given the relatively slow replication cycle of the organism, symptoms may not appear until several weeks after exposure in those persons who develop symptoms.
In women, the bacteria initially infect the cervix, where the infection may cause signs and symptoms of cervicitis , and sometimes the urethra, which may result in signs and symptoms of urethritis . Infection can spread from the cervix to the upper reproductive tract , causing pelvic inflammatory disease , which may be asymptomatic 23 or acute, with typical symptoms of abdominal and/or pelvic pain, along with signs of cervical motion tenderness, and uterine or adnexal tenderness on examination.
Men who are symptomatic typically have urethritis, with a mucoid or watery urethral discharge and dysuria. A minority of infected men develop epididymitis , presenting with unilateral testicular pain, tenderness, and swelling.24
Also Check: Chlamydia And Trichomoniasis At The Same Time
How Can I Prevent Chlamydia
It’s easier to prevent an STI like chlamydia than it is to treat it:
- Don’t have more than one sex partner at a time. The safest sex is with one partner who has sex only with you. Every time you add a new sex partner, you are being exposed to all of the infections that all of their partners may have.
- Use a condom every time you have sex. Latex and polyurethane condoms keep out the viruses and bacteria that cause STIs.
- Be responsible. Don’t have sex if you have symptoms of an infection or if you are being treated for an STI.
- Wait to have sex with a new partner until both of you have been tested for STIs.
Can Chlamydia Be Mistaken For Uti
The symptoms The main symptom that chlamydia does not share with UTIs is penile or vaginal discharge. A chlamydial infection can cause a yellowish, strong-smelling vaginal discharge or a watery, milky penile discharge. Urinary tract infections are not known to cause any sort of abnormal genital discharge.
Read Also: Is Chlamydia An Std Or Sti
D Sexually Transmitted Infections
A urinalysis can give clues to the presence of sexually transmitted infections. A positive dipstick for leukocyte esterase or increased numbers of white blood cells in the microscopic exam is suggestive of chlamydia or gonoccocal infection. However, because of its low sensitivity this test should not be considered an effective screening method for these infections. For example, in one study, the presence of leukocyte esterase was only 61% sensitive for chlamydia infections in males.3 For a complete discussion of screening refugees for STIs, see Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections.
It Is Easy To Get Tested For Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection that can affect both men and women. While both genders can be affected, the specific effects and method of diagnosis for the bacterial infection differs between male patients and female patients. We looked at the methods used to assist in the diagnosis of chlamydia among men in this post, as well as some particular factors that are unique to a male patient with this condition.
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How Will I Get My Results
If you don’t have chlamydia, we will let you know the result by text.
If you do have chlamydia and need treatment, we will call you to arrange an appointment at a clinic of your choice.
You should return for a repeat test/treatment if:
- you think you have come into contact with chlamydia again
- you and your partner had any form of unsafe sex within seven days of taking the chlamydia treatment
- you didn’t finish taking your treatment or didn’t take it according to the instructions
- the signs and symptoms dont go away.
You should also get tested at a GUM clinic if your original test was negative but you then develop symptoms of chlamydia.
If your symptoms dont improve, you should contact a clinic or on 0808 802 1221. This includes any pelvic pain that doesn’t improve or any pain when having sex.