Can You Test Yourself For Chlamydia At Home

What Happens If An Std Goes Untreated

Infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia that are left untreated or treated inappropriately can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pain, heart disease and arthritis. During pregnancy, STI transmission to the fetus can cause stillbirth, pneumonia or blindness to name but a few potential problems.

Michael Cackovic is a maternal fetal medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and director of the Heart Disease in Pregnancy Program. He’s also an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Ohio State College of Medicine.

Are Test Results Accurate

Nucleic acid amplification testing is considered by experts to be the gold standard for chlamydia testing. Research suggests that self-collected samples generally provide accurate results that are comparable to results from samples collected by medical professionals.

Although not specific to at-home tests, results of chlamydia testing can be affected by:

• Taking certain antibiotics within a few days prior to testing
• Urinating within one hour of collecting a urine sample
• Vaginal douching within 24 hours of sample collection
• Mistakes in sample collection

Doctors are an important resource for patients with questions or concerns about the accuracy of at-home chlamydia testing. You may also find it helpful to contact the companies providing at-home testing to ask if their test kits and laboratory methods have been studied for accuracy. If a sample is required to be sent to a laboratory, check to see if the lab is CLIA-certified and/or CAP-accredited, as these measures indicate a laboratory has met standards for quality assurance.

What Happens If Chlamydia Goes Untreated

If a person is not treated for chlamydia, complications may occur. Women frequently develop pelvic inflammatory disease . PID can cause infertility , chronic pelvic pain, tubal pregnancies, and the continued spread of the disease. In men, untreated chlamydia can cause urethral infection and complications such as swollen and tender testicles. Chlamydia infection during pregnancy may result in premature rupture of membranes, preterm delivery and possible tubal pregnancy in a small percent of women. In addition, chlamydia can cause conjunctival and pneumonic infection in the newborn. Persons with a chlamydia infection have an increased chance of getting other infections such as gonorrhea or HIV.

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What Happens If My Test Is Positive

First of all, please dont worry. Our services are here to support you and one of our experienced clinicians will discuss your treatment options during your appointment.

During the appointment, you will be asked how you would like to tell your sexual partners that they are at risk. This is essential to prevent any further spread of STIs and to make sure they get treatment if needed. This is always done very sensitively and we can do this for you so you dont have to disclose your identity. You can read more about partner notification on this website and how we support you through this.

How To Choose The Right Test For You

With dozens of at-home testing kits available, it can be hard to choose the right test. After all, what does a good at-home STD testing kit look like? What should it entail? What do you need?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Your needs will vary, depending on your situation and circumstances. Whats more, they may change over time.

Use this chart to help determine which test is right for you.

You should also make sure a test is approved by the Food and Drug Administration . To determine if a product is FDA approved, check the FDAs website.

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Who Can Use This Service

You can order an STI self-test kit online if:

• you are 18 or older
• you live in an area covered by Oxfordshire County Council .
• you have no symptoms or other concerns

You will be asked a series of questions to check which STI kit is best for you. We can provide kits whatever your sexuality and gender identity. We sometimes might need to contact you first, just to check your exact needs and make sure the right kit is sent. If you have any worries, it is always best to book a telephone consultation to discuss these.

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.

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Will An Std Go Away On Its Own

No, dont expect an STI to go away on its own. Ignoring symptoms, noncompliance or denial can put both you and your partner at considerable health risk and lead to long-term problems. Even if you dont have symptoms, theres still a risk of complications and passing the infection to your sexual partners.

When Should I Do A Home Test For Chlamydia

If you had unprotected intercourse not too long ago or you are worried your partner might have carried an infection, then you should get tested. The best time to do a test kit for chlamydia is two weeks after youve been exposed.

Gonorrhea and chlamydia need around two weeks to show up on test results, but for any other infection, like HIV, for example, you will need around four weeks.

Chlamydia is easy to detect and treat, so its crucial that you get tested as much as you can. The best way to know for sure if you are carrying the infection is by getting tested every 3 to 12 months. If you have a history of STIs, you should get tested more often.

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How To Test For Chlamydia

You can use an at-home chlamydia test or get tested at a clinic. A chlamydia test kit like the Everlywell test requires a urine sample you collect with materials included with the kit. You then send the sample to a lab and get secure, online results a few days later. Screening at a clinic may require a urine sample or oral and/or rectal samples collected with a swab . How you get your results will depend on the clinic you go to.

Hereâs how to test for chlamydia at home using the Everlywell Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Test kit:

• Register your kit online. Use the unique ID included inside your kit and go to www.everlywell.com/register. Write your date of birth and the sample collection date on the transport tube provided by the kit.
• Collect your sample by urinating into the specimen collection cup thatâs included with the kit.
• Use the pipette to place the sample into a transport tube, and put the tube into the biohazard bag .
• Place the bag into the shipping envelope , apply the prepaid shipping label, and place your envelope in the mail. Your sample will then arrive at a laboratory, where it will be analyzed for chlamydia and gonorrhea.
• Just days later, youâll be notified that your results are ready. You can privately view your results online on our secure platform.

Taking a chlamydia test at home is a great way to skip the trip to your doctorâs office âand, instead, check for chlamydial infections from the comfort and privacy of your home.

Does Cvs Do Std Testing In

Some CVS locations offer in-store STD testing within the CVS Minute Clinic. During your appointment, practitioner will review your medical history, discuss your concerns, and perform a STD test if necessary. The results of your tests can be sent to your primary care physician for further review and discussion with your permission.

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How Can You Protect Against Getting Chlamydia

Because chlamydia spreads easily, and because you dont have to have actual intercourse in order to get the disease , its important you practice safer sex. This means :

• Use oral barriers such as dental dams when having oral sex with a partner whose sexual history has not been confirmed safe
• Have sex when you are in full control, i.e. you are not drunk or high
• Try to avoid multiple partners where possible
• Ask new sexual partners to get tested before engaging in a new relationship

In addition to all of these safe sex approaches, you yourself should also get tested regularly. Because chlamydia is very frequently asymptomatic, many people who have it dont know they have it yourself included. Testing dramatically increases the chances of it spreading person to person. The only way to detect it in such cases is to use verifiable scientific methods of identification.

Chlamydia Symptoms In Guy

Several guys do not see the symptoms of chlamydia. Many guys have no signs and symptoms in any way.

If symptoms do appear, its typically 1 to 3 weeks after transmission.

A few of one of the most typical signs of chlamydia in males include:

• burning feeling throughout urination
• discomfort in the lower abdominal area
• pain in the testicles

Having oral sex with a person that has the infection increases the danger of getting chlamydia in the throat. Symptoms can include an aching throat, cough, or high temperature. Its additionally feasible to lug bacteria in the throat and not know it. Can You Test Yourself For Chlamydia At Home

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Can Chlamydia Cause Complications

If you have chlamydia, you want it diagnosed because untreated chlamydia can lead to health problems in men and women.

In some men, untreated chlamydia can lead to urethritis , epididymitis , and prostatitis .

Untreated chlamydia in women can lead to serious complications like pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. In pelvic inflammatory disease, the female reproductive organs become inflamed. The fallopian tubes can become scarred or blocked, which can lead to infertility. PID also increases the risk of developing an ectopic pregnancy, which can be fatal in some cases.

Chlamydia can also be passed from infected pregnant women to their infants during childbirth, leading to conjunctivitis or pneumonia in newborns.

Lastly, untreated chlamydial infection is a risk factor for contracting the human immunodeficiency virus .

Men May Experience The Following Symptoms:

• pain when peeing.
• pain in the testicles
• burning or itching in the genital area.

Remember: most people have no symptoms, so if you notice any of the above, get a full sexual health check at your local GUM/STI clinic.

The best way to make sure you dont get chlamydia is to use condoms.

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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.

Can You Test Yourself For Chlamydia At Home

Chlamydia is a common STD that can contaminate both men and women. It can trigger serious, permanent damage to a ladys reproductive system. Can You Test Yourself For Chlamydia At Home

This can make it difficult or difficult for her to obtain pregnant in the future. Chlamydia can additionally trigger a possibly fatal ectopic maternity a maternity that takes place outside the womb.

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How Accurate Are At

Most at-home tests are processed at certified laboratories, so as long as your sample was collected and preserved correctly until it was processed and then analysed at a CLIA-certified laboratory, your at-home test results should be comparable to what you would receive otherwise.

A 2015 review looked at 2,100 studies comparing the sensitivity and specificity of at-home vs. physician ordered chlamydia and gonorrhea tests. Sensitivity refers to a testâs ability to determine a positive result and specificity refers to the tests ability to determine a negative result. The study determined that the tests had sufficient sensitivity and specificity.

The quality of the lab results depend mainly on the quality of sample collection. The likelihood of a contaminated or unusable sample is higher in home-collection compared to physician collected samples.

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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. Medication for Chlamydia should not be shared with anyone.

Repeat infection with Chlamydia is common. You should be tested again about three months after you are treated, even if your intimate relations partner was treated.

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How Does A Chlamydia And Gonorrhea Test Work

Screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea can be done at home or at a clinic. A sample of urine is typically sent to a laboratory, which checks the urine for chlamydia and gonorrhea DNA. If you are using the Everlywell at-home test, youâll receive secure, online results just a few days after the lab receives your sample.

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What Does An At

Most at-home chlamydia testing detects evidence of the genetic material, known as DNA or RNA, of the bacteria chlamydia trachomatis. These test kits allow you to collect your own samples of body fluid and return them to a laboratory for a type of analysis called nucleic acid amplification testing .

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Can You Reacquire Chlamydia Through Your Sex Toy

Chlamydia trachomatis cannot survive for long outside the body, so a person is highly unlikely to reacquire chlamydia via their sex toy.

However, a person should still wash their sex toys thoroughly after every use.

Sharing sex toys with someone with chlamydia can cause the infection to spread. For this reason, individuals should avoid sharing sex toys or clean them and cover them with a new condom before every use.

Why Get Tested For Stis At Home

• Convenient. Thereâs no trip to the doctorâs office required. You can complete your sample at a time that works best for you.
• Confidential. You can take your test from the privacy of your own home. The shipping package does not say Planned Parenthood.
• Safe. Taking your test at home keeps you and our staff safe by reducing the number of people in our health centers.
• Accurate. The test results are just as reliable as getting tested in-person.
• Affordable. It costs the same as getting tested in person. STI testing is covered under most health insurance plans. Uninsured? We have a sliding fee scale and other special programs that could make your testing cost less.

Credit: samritk Shutterstock

Thankfully, most STIs can be very easily treated but it all hinges on you taking the test first. You should never feel embarrassed about taking care of yourself, but if the idea of taking a trip to the clinic makes you flush, you can test yourself at home.

If you have unprotected sex, youâll probably want to get tested ASAP to find out about any infections early. But while this is obviously a good attitude to have, youâre actually better off waiting a couple of days before first getting tested.

It can take a while for STIs to show up on test results as they all have different window periods .

How long you should wait to get tested for STIs and STDs?

Hereâs a list of the main STIs and how long it can take each one to show up on a test:

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If You Tested Positive For One Stis

Generally speaking, your game plan may look like:

• starting treatment
• pausing sexual activity until treatment is complete
• informing any recent and current sexual partners so they can get tested and treated
• resuming safer sex practices when you get the green light for sexual activity from a doctor or other HCP
• getting retested if a doctor or other HCP recommends it

If you tested positive for gonorrhea, chlamydia, or trichomoniasis

Usually, a doctor or other HCP will prescribe a single dose of an antibiotic. The infection should clear up within a week.

You may be asked to return a few weeks after diagnosis for a test of cure to ensure that the antibiotic fully cleared the infection.

If you tested positive for HIV

Youll take a second test to confirm those results.

If your second test is HIV-positive, your HCP will prescribe antiretroviral therapy to help manage the condition.

This combination of meds helps ensure that the infection doesnt develop into AIDS. It also reduces the risk of transmitting the infection to current or future sexual partners.

Within 6 months of treatment, the virus will become undetectable in most people.

If you have a partner whos HIV-negative, they may choose to take preexposure prophylaxis to help minimize the risk of contraction.

If you tested positive for HPV

There are more than 100 different kinds of HPV. Although theres no current cure for HPV, many strains dont cause complications.

Some cause genital warts, which can be removed.