How Can I Test For Chlamydia
Testing with Better2Know is easy, fast and painless. Our usual test for Chlamydia is with a urine sample but we can also test you with a swab from your throat, anus or vagina if you choose . The results of our standard test are available 2 days from when the sample is received in the laboratory. At certain clinics, you can have an instant Chlamydia test and get your results in around 20 minutes.
You can also test for Chlamydia with a Home Sample Collection Kit. Visit our Home STD Testing page for more details.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms
As most people do not have any early symptoms, it is often difficult to tell whether you are infected. This is why it is important to get tested regularly. For those people who do get symptoms, these may include:
- Burning or painful sensation when urinating
- In women, discharge or “mucus” coming out of the vagina, back pain, unusual pain during sex and bleeding between periods
- In men, discharge or “mucus” coming out of the penis, inflamed or swollen testicles and/or discomfort around the tip of the penis.
Did you know?
Chlamydia is the most common STI in Ireland, however, 80% of women and over 50% of men have no symptoms. The only way to know if you have it is to get tested.
What Is The Treatment For Chlamydia
Since its a bacterial infection, chlamydia is treated with oral antibiotics. Depending on the severity of the infection, youll need to take your prescription for 5 to 10 days. Be sure to finish the entire prescription. Just because your symptoms improve, doesnt mean the infection has fully cleared.
Youll also need to avoid all sexual activity during the course of your treatment until the infection clears up. This will reduce the risk of reinfection or transmitting the infection.
Due to the prevalence of chlamydia, its important to get annual tests if you:
- are under the age of 25 and are also sexually active, especially if youre female
- have sex with multiple partners
- have a history of STIs, or are treating another type of STI
- dont use condoms regularly
- are male and you have sex with other men
- have a partner who has told you theyve recently tested positive for chlamydia
You may need to get tested more often than once a year.
If youre pregnant, youll need to get a chlamydia test during your first prenatal appointment. Your gynecologist or midwife may also recommend another test later in your pregnancy if you have any of the above risk factors.
Chlamydia can cause complications in pregnant women, but also lead to problems at birth, such as pneumonia and eye infections.
After youve had chlamydia, you should get retested
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How Do You Get Tested For Stds At The Doctor
Most STDs, such as Chlamydia Infection
A common sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria.
, Gonorrhea
A sexually transmitted bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhea.
, HIV, and HPV, are diagnosed with a blood test, urine test, or swab culture performed in a doctors office or sexual health clinic. STDs cause a diverse variety of symptoms or may present with no symptoms at all. If you think you may have been exposed to an STD it is important to get tested.
How Chlamydia Is Treated
Chlamydia can usually be treated easily with antibiotics.
You may be given a course of doxycycline to take for a week or azithromycin to take once a day for 3 days.
If you have doxycycline, you should not have sex until you and your current sexual partner have finished treatment.
If you have azithromycin, you should wait 7 days after treatment before having sex .
It’s important that your current sexual partner and any other recent sexual partners you have had are also tested and treated to help stop the spread of the infection.
Under-25s who have chlamydia should be offered another test 3 to 6 months after being treated.
This is because young adults who test positive for chlamydia are at increased risk of catching it again.
Sexual health or genitourinary medicine clinics can help you contact your sexual partners.
Either you or the clinic can speak to them, or they can be sent a note advising them to get tested.
The note will not have your name on it, so your confidentiality will be protected.
Recommended Reading: Signs Of Gonorrhea Or Chlamydia
A Few Questions First
To decide what exams or tests you might need, the health care provider will ask you questions about your sexual health history. To get the best care, it helps to be as honest as you can. Ask questions if you need more information.
In BC, positive test results for HIV, chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea and hepatitis C are shared with public health to ensure that you and your partners are offered treatment, support and follow-up.
When you test for HIV, you may choose to use your name , or initials and birth date .
STI and HIV testing is confidential, which means your health information is private.
Am I At Risk For Chlamydia
Anyone who has sex can get chlamydia through unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex. However, sexually active young people are at a higher risk of getting chlamydia. This is due to behaviors and biological factors common among young people. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are also at risk since chlamydia can spread through oral and anal sex.
Have an honest and open talk with your health care provider. Ask whether you should be tested for chlamydia or other STDs. If you are a sexually active woman younger than 25 years, you should get a test for chlamydia every year. If you are an older woman with risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has an STD, you should get a test for chlamydia every year. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men as well as pregnant women should also get tested for chlamydia.
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Urine And Blood Tests
How do doctors test for STDs using your blood and urine? Just like the blood and urine samples you probably provide during your yearly check-up, doctors need just a small sample to analyze in the lab. Blood and/or urine tests are common for the following STIs:
- Chlamydia
- Herpes
In certain cases, blood and urine tests may not provide accurate results. Furthermore, blood tests may only become reliable about a month after exposure to the STI. For instance, HIV takes anywhere from several weeks to a couple of months to show up in a blood test. Tests conducted earlier than this may come back negative for HIV.
Syphilis Testing In Men
Unlike gonorrhea and chlamydia, syphilis is not treated with a urine test. If a male does experience symptoms in the early stage of syphilis, then a doctor will collect a body fluid sample such as discharge from the penis or open sore. This sample will then be sent to a lab to be tested for the syphilis bacteria.
If a male does not experience symptoms in the early stage of syphilis, this does not mean he is not infected. Like many other STDs, syphilis can fly under the radar in its early stage and sneak up in later stages when the infection is more advanced and harmful. In the later stages of syphilis a doctor will collect a blood sample to check if the infection is present. If the test comes back positive, the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic to clear the infection.
If syphilis remains untreated, it is possible that it will advance into the tertiary stage, where the infection can spread through the bloodstream and infect other parts of the body. This phase can lead to heart problems, neurological issues, blindness, paralysis and even death.
If you have or think you may have syphilis, refrain from any sexual activity until you have a clean bill of health. Learn more about syphilis testing
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Who Needs To Get Tested For Chlamydia And Gonorrhea
The recommendations for getting tested for chlamydia and for gonorrhea are the same.
For women:
- If you’re age 24 or younger and having sex, get tested once every year
- If you’re age 25 or older, get tested if you have more than 1 sex partner, a new sex partner, or a sex partner with an STD
For men:
- Talk with a doctor to find out if you need to get tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, or other STDs
Hiv Hepatitis And Syphilis
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , women between the ages of 13 and 64 should get HIV testing at least once as part of routine medical care. The CDC recommends annual HIV testing if your risk of getting STIs is high.
Hepatitis C screening is advised for everyone born between 1945 and 1965, as this demographic tends to see a higher incidence of hepatitis C.
You should get tested for syphilis, hepatitis, and HIV if:
- Youve had multiple sexual partners since you last had STD testing
- Your test for another STI is positive
- You use intravenous drugs
- You are pregnant or planning to become pregnant
- You were sexually assaulted and are concerned that you may have contracted an STI
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How Do You Get Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection. The bacteria are usually spread through sex or contact with infected genital fluids .
You can get chlamydia through:
- unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex
- sharing sex toys that are not washed or covered with a new condom each time they’re used
- your genitals coming into contact with your partner’s genitals this means you can get chlamydia from someone even if there’s no penetration, orgasm or ejaculation
- infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eye
It can also be passed by a pregnant woman to her baby.
Chlamydia cannot be passed on through casual contact, such as kissing and hugging, or from sharing baths, towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or cutlery.
Where Can I Get Tested For Chlamydia
You can get tested for chlamydia and other STDs at your doctors office, a community health clinic, the health department, or your local Planned Parenthood health center. In some states, you can do an online visit and take a chlamydia test at home.
STD testing isnt always part of your regular checkup or gynecologist exam you have to ask for it. Be open and honest with your nurse or doctor so they can help you figure out which tests you may need. Dont be embarrassed: Your doctor is there to help, not to judge.
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How Do Men Get Tested For Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
Gonorrhea and chlamydia are two of the STDs mentioned earlier that do not always cause signs of infection. Symptoms or not, a simple urine or body fluid sample should do the trick. With some caveats, that is. This test is meant to seek out the DNA of specific STDs, and is very accurate in doing so if the DNA is present in your system. If a person is tested within what is called the window period, the DNA may not yet be present, and a test may come back negative when the person is indeed infected. One way to avoid this inaccuracy is by getting tested twice. The first test can be taken 12 weeks after exposure and the second 90 days after possible exposure.
In order to prepare for a gonorrhea or chlamydia test, you should not urinate 2 hours prior to giving a urine sample. If your doctor needs to gather the specimen from a specific orifice, he or she will use a cotton swab to gather fluids from the urethra, rectum or eye, depending on the area of transmission. The urine or body fluid will then be sent to a lab for testing.
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.
Also Check: Can You Pass Chlamydia Through Saliva
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
How Does A Doctor Test For Stds
By | Aug. 5, 2010, 11:49 a.m.
Category:
What procedure will a clinician follow in testing someone for STIs?
It depends on the infection. When health care providers test for sexually transmitted infections, they usually test for a few different ones. To decide what to test for, providers examine their clients. They talk with them about their visible symptoms, other symptoms they may feel, and what kind of risks they may have taken.
Depending on whats found during the examination and conversation, the health care provider may take samples of
- blood to check for CMV , hepatitis, herpes, HIV, or syphilis
- urine to check for chlamydia and gonorrhea
- cells to check for BV , chlamydia, gonorrhea, HPV , molluscum contagiosum, or scabies
- fluid, secretions, or discharge to check for BV, gonorrhea, herpes, HPV, pelvic inflammatory disease, syphilis, or trichomoniasis
- cells from the cervix for Pap tests to detect changes associated with certain types of HPV that can cause cancer
- saliva can be used to test for HIV
Recently, some health officials have called for similar tests on cells collected from the rectum if people have anal sex.
Most health care providers will not do a screening for sexually transmitted infections unless the client asks. So, dont let embarrassment become a health risk. If youre sexually active, you should ask to be screened for infections.
Tags: STDs, going to the doctor
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Do You Get Tested For Chlamydia When Pregnant
Pregnancy is a beautiful stage in any womans life. However, such a journey of pregnancy might not always be a smooth ride. There might be a lot of challenges, hiccups, and roadblocks in such a path. Among all challenges, one of the tricky challenges is getting infected with an STD such as Chlamydia. However, in the normal conscience, it is important to understand whether one should get tested for Chlamydia when pregnant?
Are Test Results Accurate
Although chlamydia testing is an important method of finding and treating this common STD, test results could be impacted by the following:
- The use of antibiotics within several days before testing
- Urinating within one hour of sample collection
- Vaginal douching within 24 hours of testing
- Improper sample collection
- Contamination of rectal samples with fecal matter
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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.
Std Testing: How Do Doctors Test Women For Stds
Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding STDs means that too many people dont get prompt testing and the appropriate treatment. In fact, sometimes it even discourages people from getting tested at all.
STD testing is something that youll need to speak to your doctor about. Read on to learn more about it, including when you should go, what tests are available, and how the tests work.
If youre sexually active, its good to get STD testing on a regular basis. Its particularly important to talk to your doctor about STD testing if:
- You are beginning a new relationship
- You and your partner are considering having sex without condoms
- Your partner has multiple sexual partners or has cheated on you
- You are having sex with multiple partners
- You are experiencing symptoms and signs that suggest you may have a sexually transmitted infection
If youre in a mutually monogamous, long-term relationship and both you and your partner were tested for STDs before entering the relationship, then you may not require regular STD testing.
But the reality is that most people dont get STD testing before they enter relationships, long term or otherwise. If you fall into this group, its a good idea to consider STD testing to rule out the possibility that youre carrying an undiagnosed STD that isnt producing symptoms.
Below weve compiled guidelines for some of the most common STD tests:
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