How To Check For Chlamydia

How Does Chlamydia Affect Pregnancy

For pregnant women, chlamydia may lead to premature birth, or babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Premature birth is the most common cause of infant death and can lead to long-term health and development problems in children.5

Babies born to mothers who have chlamydia can get:

• Infections in their eyes, called conjunctivitis or pinkeye. Signs include discharge from the eyes and swollen eyelids. The signs most often show up within two weeks after birth.
• Pneumonia. Signs include congestion, cough, and rapid or labored breathing, although these are not always present. Signs most often show up one to three months after birth.

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 â 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.

How Long Does It Take To Show Up On A Test

There are several tests that you doctor might use to diagnose chlamydia:

• Urine test. Youll pee in a cup thats sent off to a laboratory testing facility to see if any chlamydia bacteria are present in your urine.
• Blood test. Your doctor will use a sterile needle to draw some of your blood and send it to a lab to see if antibodies to the chlamydia bacteria are present in your bloodstream.
• Swab. Your doctor will use a cotton round or stick to take a small sample of tissue or fluid that carries the infection, which is then sent to a lab to be cultured so that lab technicians can see what bacteria grows from the sample.

How long it takes for the results to show up depends on the test and on your specific health insurance plan.

• Urine tests take about 2 to 5 days to show a positive or negative result.
• Blood tests can come back with results in a few minutes if the blood is analyzed on site. But they can take a week or more if sent to an off-site lab.
• Swab results take about 2 to 3 days to show a positive or negative.

1 to 3 weeks to show up in people with vulvas.

Symptoms may take up a few months to show up. This is because bacteria are living creatures and have an incubation period that affects how long it takes them to cluster together and become infectious.

This incubation period is dependent on a variety of factors, including:

• how much of the bacteria you were exposed to
• how quickly the bacteria reproduce
• how strong your immune system is against the bacteria

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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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Best For A Fast Response Time: Prioritystd

• Pros: FDA-approved, HIPPA-compliant system, treatment and counseling available, fast results, same-day testing
• Cons: samples collected at testing centers, the company does not accept health insurance

Individuals complete a three-step testing process with PrioritySTD testing. First, they visit the companys website and enter their zip code to find the nearest collection site.

Once a person places their order, they visit a local lab where a healthcare professional will take their sample. They should receive results in 2472 hours. The company also offers treatment options for those with positive results.

Positive reviews mention fast test results, confidentiality, and customer service. Priority STD has a 4.9 out of 5-star average from over 2,000 customer reviews on Trustpilot.

Alongside individual tests for chlamydia, the company offers various other kits that test for single or multiple STIs.

Read Also: Tested Positive For Chlamydia Now What

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:

Can Chlamydia Be Dormant And Undetected

Many people think that STDs are conspicuous diseases. In other words, they expect STDs to produce a lot of obvious symptoms and for those symptoms to appear quickly. Yet, the reality is that its impossible to tell if you have an STD immediately after contraction. In fact, lots of people who have STDs never experience any symptoms at all. This leads us to our question of the day can chlamydia be dormant and undetected? There are two parts to the answer. First, yes, chlamydia can lie unnoticed for long periods of time. However, even if chlamydia remains asymptomatic, tests can still detect its presence.

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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.

Also Check: What Medications Clear Up Chlamydia

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.

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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.

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

Read Also: Amoxicillin For Chlamydia And Gonorrhea

Also Check: Signs You May Have Chlamydia

Are Free Chlamydia Tests As Reliable As Paid Ones

Yes, if theyâre done correctly free tests are a safe and reliable method of testing as long as they are carried out properly. In fact, the free test kits in clinics and the paid home test kits are exactly the same. If you get tested for chlamydia in a GP or sexual health clinic, they will either do the test for you or give you clear instructions on how to do it yourself.

The tests are quite accurate but, its not 100% guaranteed. False test results are usually caused by a mistake when taking the sample or even in the lab. This risk can be lowered if you follow either instructions given by your doctor or on the home test kits.

Whatâs makes them less accurate? factors such as drugs or alcohol should not make the result of your chlamydia test less accurate. Being on your period also should not make the result of the test less accurate.

If you are worried about a false result you can do the chlamydia test twice. If you get two results that are the same, then the result is almost guaranteed to be accurate. If you get tested for chlamydia at a GP or sexual health clinic, however, you are normally only offered one test.

What Can Be Done To Address The Problem

Klausner says a three-way approach is needed:

• Control the spread of new infections through prevention, screening, and treatment. However, there is much less funding for such efforts. The CDC says that more than half of state and local STD programs have seen budget cuts in years. âThe money taken out of budgets absolutely correlates with the increases in cases of STDs that weâre seeing,â Englund says.
• Develop new antibiotics. Thereâs good news here: A new antibiotic now being tested has shown promising results in recent trials. When and if it will be effective and enter the market is unknown.
• Develop tests to identify the best treatments. Klausnerâs lab has developed a test, now in use at UCLA Health System, that can tell physicians which antibiotic a particular case of gonorrhea will respond to. This has allowed them to successfully treat many cases of gonorrhea with older, less expensive antibiotics.

Jeffrey Klausner, MD, professor of preventive medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Kristin Englund, MD, Cleveland Clinic.

World Health Organization: âGrowing antibiotic resistance forces updates to recommended treatment for sexually transmitted infections.â

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How Is The Test Used

Chlamydia testing is used to screen for and diagnose sexually transmitted infections caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis.

Testing for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae is often done at the same time since the infections caused by these two bacteria can have similar signs and symptoms. These bacteria may be acquired at the same time, and you may have infections with both. A definitive diagnosis is important since the two infections require different antibiotic treatment.

Repeat testing is recommended to ensure that treatment has been effective. This is done about three months after you have completed treatment.

What Does A Positive Chlamydia Test Result Mean

If the test is positive, the lab detected the bacteria that cause chlamydia. This means you have a chlamydia infection and will need treatment . You will also need to notify your sexual partners, so they can get tested, too.

After finishing treatment, you will need additional follow-up chlamydia tests. You may need another test three weeks after treatment and possibly another test three months later. Ask your provider when you should get a follow-up test.

Also Check: How Do Females Know They Have Chlamydia

Chlamydia Testing: How To Test For Chlamydia

There are lots of ways to test for Chlamydia. If you are not sure which test you have had then please check with your doctor.

Chlamydia is not tested for with a blood test. It is a bacterial infection which means it is living somewhere in your body and can be treated with antibiotics, but is unlikely to show up in a blood test.

Chlamydia can be tested for in urine or with a swab or the site where the infection might be. The urine test is a small urine sample and will identify most Chlamydia infections in men and womens from vaginal sexual intercourse.

Most people have no symptoms if they have early Chlamydia so the only way to know is to get tested. It is important to get tested and treated to help prevent infertility and painful side effects in the future.

Better2Know can test for chlamydia by urine and swab at any of its private STD Testing clinics across the UK.

How Can I Prevent Getting Chlamydia And Gonorrhea

Get some information about their sexual history. Get some information about any recently treated diseases. Have safe sex with right utilization of a condom. Utilize a condom each time you have vaginal, oral, or butt-centric sex. Get tried for explicitly sent diseases in the event that you or your partner are not mono

gamous

Recommended Reading: What Happens If You Leave Chlamydia Untreated

What Does The Test Measure

Chlamydia testing looks for evidence of infection with the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. There are several types of tests that can be used to detect chlamydia, including molecular testing, also called Nucleic Acid Amplification Test , and cell culture.

Other types of chlamydia tests are available but are rarely used given the accuracy and availability of NAAT.

How Do They Test For Chlamydia In Men

Chlamydia is one of the most common bacterial infections that are spread through sexual intercourse not only in the United States but in several other areas of the world too. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1.7 million cases of this sexually transmitted infection were reported in 2018. This data accounts for the United States alone. The World Health Organization estimates that about 2.7% of men around the world have been infected with Chlamydia between 2009 and 2016.

Due to the fact that chlamydia is a condition that affects male and female patients in unique ways, it is important to consider the differences in testing for these conditions too. In this post, we will consider some unique ways that chlamydia tends to affect men and take a look at what tests are performed to identify the presence of this bacterial infection in a male patient.

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Other Sexually Transmitted And Blood

STBBI screening varies by age, gender/sex, medical and sexual history. Screen anyone who presents with STBBI risk factors and treat as appropriate to prevent transmission and reinfection.

People with Neisseria gonorrhoeae often have a co-infection with C. trachomatis.Footnote 20Footnote 21

Infection with C. trachomatis can increase the risk of acquisition and transmission of human immunodeficiency virus .Footnote 22Footnote 23Footnote 24

People being evaluated or treated for a chlamydia infection should be screened for:

• HIV, as per the recommendations in the HIV Screening and Testing Guide

Because of high rates of co-infection, people being evaluated or treated for LGV should be screened for: