Can You Be A Carrier Of Chlamydia And Test Negative
07 September 2020
Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the UK and is easily passed from one person to another during sex or sexual contact. One of the reasons its passed on so easily is because many people show no symptoms and therefore dont realise they are infectious. In this blog we look at chlamydia testing and a number of different scenarios to answer the question of whether you can carry chlamydia, whilst still testing negative.
A Delay Or No Treatment
A false negative test can be a complete disaster, especially when you have your STD in the advanced stage and you require immediate medical attention or treatment. Chlamydia and Gonorrhea both are asymptomatic diseases in their respective initial stages, meaning they dont show much symptoms or signs on the body during their initial stages. False Negative test result may end up a person thinking that he is not suffering from any diseases. Thus, doesnt require any medical attention.
What Your Chlamydia And Gonorrhea Test Results Mean
Having a negative chlamydia test result means that you do not have an active chlamydia infection, at the time of the test. However, this does not imply that you will remain negative if you had high risk sex. Having a positive chlamydia test result means that you have an active infection that has to be treated by your doctor. The treatment normally consists of an antibiotic, such as the Zithromax, that should clear the infection in one to two weeks. If the chlamydia infection is severe, women might need hospitalization and an intravenous antibiotic.
Having a negative gonorrhea test results means that you do not have an active gonorrhea infection at the time of taking the test. This test is not significant for people will get engaged in risky behaviors such as having unprotected sex with multiple partners, among others. In that case, even if your test is negative, you have to repeat it after a possible infection. Having a positive gonorrhea test indicates an active gonorrhea infection. You will have to check with your doctor to address problem and, get treated with a course of antibiotics.
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Im Pregnant How Does Chlamydia Affect My Baby
If you are pregnant and have chlamydia, you can pass the infection to your baby during delivery. This could cause an eye infection or pneumonia in your newborn. Having chlamydia may also make it more likely to deliver your baby too early.
If you are pregnant, you should get tested for chlamydia at your first prenatal visit. Testing and treatment are the best ways to prevent health problems.
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Can I Test Positive For Chlamydia And My Partner Negative
If someone tested positive for chlamydia and their sexual partner tested negative, there are a few possibilities that could make this happen. As most people do not have symptoms it is possible the person could have had chlamydia from a previous relationship and has not passed it to their partner yet.
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How Trichomoniasis Is Transmitted
Trichomoniais is most commonly spread through unprotected sex and the sharing of sex toys. It is not thought the be passed on through oral or anal sex, and it is unlikely that you or your partner will contract Trichomoniasis outside of sexual activity.
Despite the common myths, it is very unlikely that you will contract Trichomoniasis via toilet seats, public swimming pools or shared baths, food and drink, or through sharing cutlery.
How Trichomoniasis is Transmitted:
- Male-to-female genital contact, even without ejaculation
- Vagina-to-vagina sex
- Use of infected sex toys
How Trichomoniasis is not Transmitted:
- Sharing food and drink
- Sharing items such as clothing or towels
- It is unlikely that you will catch Trichomoniasis trough oral or anal sex
How Is It Diagnosed
When you are seen in the clinic the clinician may take a test from the end of the penis using a swab to collect a sample of cells this will be examined under a microscope.
A urine sample will be taken for sexually transmitted infection screening.
Other more specialised tests may be requested depending on your symptoms. This will be discussed with you.
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What Are Chlamydia And Gonorrhea
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease, affecting both men and women all over the world. It is a bacterial infection, transferred when having unprotected sex: anal, vaginal and oral. It affects all ages and can be easily passed from an infected person to another. The only way to prevent it is by not having sex. Other preventive measures include using a latex condom, consistently, every time you have sex limiting the number of sex partners, getting checked regularly and avoiding douching. Gonorrhea, also, is a bacterial infection considered to be a sexually transmitted disease. It is normally spread through unprotected sex with an infected person, whether its oral, vaginal, or anal.
Chlamydia symptoms, very similar to the gonorrheas, can be numerous, ranging from an abnormal vaginal discharge, and itching as well as burning sensation in the vaginal area, to having bleeding between periods and feeling pain during sex and urination. For men, symptoms are different and consist of a cloudy discharge, burning and itching at the tip of the penis, as well as feeling some pain and swelling around the area of the testicles. While the symptoms of both STDs are similar, the treatment plan is different.
How Does A Chlamydia Test Work
The most commonly used type of chlamydia test is called a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test . A NAAT detects the DNA of the bacteria that cause the chlamydia infection. You provide a sample of urine. Or your provider collects a sample of secretions from the vagina or urethra . The lab tests the sample for signs of the bacteria.
Less often, providers use a cell culture to test for chlamydia. Your provider swabs your vagina, urethra or anus to collect a sample of fluid and cells. They send the cells to a lab to test. If bacteria are present, they will grow, which indicates an infection. Providers may choose this type of chlamydia test to detect infections in the anus. Or they may use a cell culture to see how chlamydia treatments are working.
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Can You Test Negative For Chlamydia And Still Be A Carrier
Modern medical testing is incredibly accurate and this includes STD tests. However, no medical testing method is 100% accurate and there can be a very small number of false negative test results. A false negative is where a person has a condition, despite the medical test saying they are all clear. As well as these small amounts of false negatives there are a number of scenarios that can cause a person to have chlamydia and still test negative.
What Happens During A Chlamydia Test
If you are a woman, your health care provider will use a small brush or swab to take a sample of cells from your vagina for testing. You may also be offered the option of testing yourself at home using a test kit. Ask your provider for recommendations on which kit to use. If you do the test at home, be sure to follow all the directions carefully.
If you’re a man, your health care provider may use a swab to take a sample from your urethra, but it is more likely that a urine test for chlamydia will be recommended. Urine tests can also be used for women. During a urine test, you will be instructed to provide a clean catch sample.
The clean catch method generally includes the following steps:
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What Are The Symptoms Of Nongonococcal Urethritis
It usually takes one to three weeks after the infection occurs before a man develops any symptoms of NGU. The first symptom is usually a leakage of milky fluid from the tip of the penis. The amount of discharge may vary from a little to quite a lot. There also may be mild burning in the penis during urination. If the symptoms are ignored, the discharge may decrease although the infection is still present. Sometimes there are no symptoms.
If the infection is not treated, it may move up around the testicles, causing pain, swelling, and sterility. The infection also may spread to other parts of the body, causing severe illness. A similar infection can occur in females and potentially lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and sterility.
A Word From Same Day Std Testing
At Same Day STD Testing, we provide all of our visitors with unparalleled support and service. A dedicated team member will contact you before and after your tests to ensure that we address all of your questions and concerns. Our goal is to provide safe, accurate, and fast STD tests to all who need them. We only use the most sophisticated tests on the market, and your health and wellness is our number one priority. Contact us at or else find a facility near you here.
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Can You Get Chlamydia More Than Once
Its possible to have chlamydia multiple times. The bacteria will not create antibodies to protect your body from further infection. You can get re-infected by continuing sexual relations with a partner who is untested and untreated.
Its best to always use condoms with partners who may have chlamydia.
How Do Window Periods Affect My Test Results
Just like your Scruff pics, your test results are an intimate glimpse of the recent past.
Say for example that you come in and get a test done for all STIs, and all your results are negative. What that means is that one week ago you didnt have chlamydia and gonorrhea, six weeks ago you didnt have syphilis, and so on. If youve acquired any of these infections since then, they may not show up yet, says Cornelisse. Thats one of the reasons its so important to get tested regularly.
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Atesting During The Incubation Period
The reason being the incubation period of both Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. What happens is when you test for Gonorrhea within the 7 days of contraction, the test result may appear negative. As Gonorrhea is an asymptomatic disease, its testing during its incubation period can result in false negative test result. Similarly for Chlamydia, if tested within most results are accurate after 2 weeks but it can take up to 6 weeks.
False negative test results are just not limited to Chlamydia or Gonorrhea alone. Diseases like HIV too have a complicated window period of getting tested accurately. Refer the Incubation chart of the STD which states the suitable time to get tested with accurate results for STDs.
What Kind Of Discharge Can You Get From A Std
It might be white and thick or clear and watery, depending on the underlying cause. While penile discharge is a common symptom of many sexually transmitted diseases , including gonorrhea and chlamydia, other things can cause it as well.
Although any STD tests can be false negative there are predominantly two such diseases where there is a greater chance of having a false negative reason. Which STD test results are more likely to be False Negative? Although chances of false negative STD test results are very rare, they do happen.
What happens is when you test for Gonorrhea within the 7 days of contraction, the test result may appear negative. As Gonorrhea is an asymptomatic disease, its testing during its incubation period can result in false negative test result.
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Can Chlamydia Be Cured
Yes, chlamydia can be cured with the right treatment. It is important that you take all of the medication your doctor prescribes to cure your infection. When taken properly it will stop the infection and could decrease your chances of having complications later on. You should not share medication for chlamydia with anyone.
Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. You should be tested again about three months after you are treated, even if your sex partner was treated.
Causes Of Faulty Results
If you get false results on an STD test, there could be a variety of reasons why. It depends on a few different factors:
- The specificity and sensitivity of the test
- The type of test: urine, swab, or blood test
- If the disease is common or rare
- Improper testing procedures
- How quickly you take the test
However, there are even more factors that can affect your results. You must take the right STD test to get the right results. For example, if you have anSTD that causes itching, like herpes, but you get an HIV test, youre not going to get accurate results.
For STD tests that require a urine sample, its important to wait as long as possible after urinating to take the test. If you have urinated within the last two hours before you give the specimen, it could skew the test results.
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Can You Be A Carrier For Chlamydia
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Vaginal swabs are the specimens of choice when screening for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae: results from a multicenter evaluation of the APTIMA assays for both infections. Having multiple chlamydial infections increases a womans risk of serious reproductive health complications, i was just diagnosed with Chlamydia. But its more likely that she hasnt had sex just with him alone, copyright 2018 Healthgrades Operating Company, i have only had one sexual partner and he has been tested negative. When symptoms do occur, positivity has ranged from 3. Chlamydia can damage the body, the WHO wants countries to start taxing sugary drinks, nucleic acid amplification tests can you be a carrier for chlamydia the diagnosis of chlamydial and gonococcal infections of the oropharynx and rectum in men who have sex with men.
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What Does The Test Measure
Gonorrhea testing detects evidence of infection with the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. There are several types of gonorrhea tests:
- Gonorrhea nucleic acid amplification testing: NAAT testing detects the genetic material of the gonorrhea bacteria and is considered the optimal test for gonorrhea infection. This type of test can be performed on a urine sample or a swab taken from a site of potential infection.
- Gram stain: Gram stains look for certain types of cells that are characteristic of a gonorrhea infection under a microscope. This test is performed on urethral swabs and is used primarily in men who are experiencing urinary symptoms.
- Gonococcal culture: Gonococcal cultures attempt to grow the gonorrhea bacteria from swabs taken from sites of potential infection. Cultures are the only tests that detect the infections susceptibility to antibiotics. Doctors may order a gonococcal culture if they suspect that a patient has an antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea.
- Rapid gonorrhea tests: While rapid testing for gonorrhea isnt common, several tests are being developed to allow health care professionals to give same-day gonorrhea testing results.
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Can Chlamydia Be Dormant And Test Negative
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. In this way, can you test negative for chlamydia and still have it?
You could still have chlamydia even if a partner has tested negative. The only way to make sure you dont have chlamydia is to get tested yourself. You can have a test for chlamydia even if there are no symptoms.
Likewise, how long can chlamydia lie dormant? Chlamydia is a very common disease, which is primarily transmitted through sexual intercourse. It is known as the silent infection because it is often symptomless and can lie dormant for up to 20 years.
Also question is, can you pass chlamydia if it is dormant?
Because chlamydia can be dormant for years without being symptomatic, infected persons may easily transmit the disease to sexual partners without knowing. The ability to lie dormant may also be a reason why chlamydia is so good at hiding in the digestive system despite being eradicated elsewhere.
Can gonorrhea be dormant and test negative?
Another important test is RPR/VDRL, the test for syphilis. Cultures of the cervix can be used to test for chlamydia and gonorrhea, other diseases that can possibly lie dormant. Herpes is unlikely to lie dormant without your experiencing symptoms, but a test can be performed if there is a questionable lesion present.
Understanding Negative Std Test Results
If you took an STD test that came back negative, it doesnt necessarily mean that youre in the clear. You could get a false negative result, which would mean that you have the disease even though the test is negative.
Each STD has a window period, which is the time it takes for the disease to appear on a test. There are also differences between STDs, likeoral STDs or genital STDs, and each requires a different test. Its for these reasons that you should get regular STD tests. If the first test you take is negative, come back and take another test to recheck your status and get the most accurate results possible.
False negatives can be dangerous because the longer sexually transmitted infections go untreated within your body, the more damage they can cause. Not to mention, theres a high risk of passing the STD to another partner unknowingly.
To check your status, you can order a rapid STD test for same-day testing and get your confidential results within one to three days.
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