Men May Experience The Following Symptoms:
- pain when peeing.
- discharge from the tip of the penis .
- 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.
When To See A Healthcare Professional
If you suspect you have chlamydia, see a healthcare professional as soon as possible. Abstain from allsexual activity until your appointment.
If you arent comfortable getting tested for STIs with your usual provider, you can find a clinic in your area.
There are many free or low-cost clinics. Heres how to find one near you.
You can also visit GetTested or call CDC Info at 800-232-4636 to find local clinics.
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How Gonorrhea And Chlamydia Are Tested
Both gonorrhea and chlamydia can be diagnosed with similar methods. A healthcare provider might do a physical examination to look for symptoms, and they may do a urine test to check for the bacteria that cause chlamydia or gonorrhea.
But screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea doesnât have to take place at a clinic. With the Everlywell at-home Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Test, you can easily check for these STIs from the comfort and privacy of your home.
The kit comes with easy-to-follow instructions and everything you need to collect your sample at home, and your physician-reviewed results can be conveniently and securely viewed online on your device. Plus, if you receive a positive result after you get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea with the Everlywell at-home test, youâll have the opportunity to connect with our independent physician networkâand may be prescribed medication to treat the infection.
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Who Is At Risk For Chlamydia
This STD is particularly common in young people. According to a CDC report, chlamydia prevalence among sexually active persons aged 14-24 years is nearly three times the prevalence among those aged 25-39 years. It is more prevalent among young women because at that age the cervix is still developing and is much more susceptible to the bacteria. Additionally, the vagina and cervix provide more surface area than the penis, which makes it easier for women to contract the bacteria.
Whether chlamydia symptoms are present or not, untreated chlamydia can travel to the upper genital tract and cause serious health problems. In women, chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and cause permanent damage leading to infertility or potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy. In men, untreated cases can lead to epididymitis, which can, but very rarely does, cause sterility.
How Does An At
Companies that offer at-home STD testing for common sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia make the process simple, discreet, and convenient. All you have to do is order your test online or by calling the company.
You will receive the home collection kit by mail in a plain envelope for privacy. Youll activate the test and collect a sample , and use a prepaid shipping label to return the sample to the lab. After the lab analyzes your sample, you will receive confidential results, usually via a secure online account you set up when you order the kit. If tests are positive, some companies offer support like follow-up consultation with a medical professional.
Before taking a chlamydia test, you should avoid urinating a couple hours in advance, avoid douching or vaginal creams, and stop taking medications like antibiotics .
Which at-home chlamydia test should you choose?
You can get an at-home test for just chlamydia or select panel kits that screen for multiple STDs. A standard STD panel might include testing for chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Kits that test for chlamydia and gonorrhea are common. And a complete panel of STD tests may include a standard panel, plus testing for herpes, and three types of bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis .
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How Can I Avoid A Chlamydia Throat Infection
Now that you know a bit more about oral chlamydia, heres how to lower your risk of infection:
Use Condoms
When we say wear condoms during sex, dont forget that this includes oral sex, the leading cause of oral chlamydia. If a partner has chlamydia on their genital area and you go down on them, the infection can be passed to your mouth. On the other hand, if your partner has chlamydia on their mouth and they go down on you, it can be passed to your genitals. While condoms dont always prevent STIs, they definitely lower your risk.
Have The Talk With Your Partner
Communication is important in any relationship, whether its a one-night stand or youre with a monogamous partner. Being open with one another, and making sure that you dont fool around with someone who has not been tested, will help you to avoid unwanted infections. Honesty is the best policy when it comes to most things, and that includes sexually transmitted infections. We get it: having the talk can be awkward. But getting an STI is way more inconvenient. Own your confidence and be unabashed about your own wellness.
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Where Can I Get An At
This test kit will be mailed to you via USPS. You will receive an anal swab, as well as other test kit materials. Please review all instructions prior to performing this test. Specimens should be shipped via USPS back to the laboratory. Results take 3-4 days upon receipt of the specimen by the laboratory.
TEST KIT REFUND POLICY- Kits can be cancelled anytime prior to sending the specimen to the lab. There is a $25 fee to cover the kit costs and shipping. So a full refund is minus $25.
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Oral And Rectal Swab Test For Stds
Swab testing is easy and painless. Simply insert the swab in either the throat or rectum and collect a specimen on the swab. Then, all you have to do is bag the specimen and deliver it to your local Quest Lab. Well do the rest and communicate the test results back to you in a discreet fashion.
You can choose to have your test results mailed, delivered online, or you can elect to receive a phone call. Regardless, one of our dedicated team members will be available to answer any questions you may have about STDs or your results.
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What Exactly Causes Chlamydia
A type of bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis causes chlamydia. This bacterium can take hold in the tissues of your genitals, anus, eyes, or throat.
Its usually transmitted from one person to another during penetrative vaginal or anal sex or oral sex, although sex without penetration can also transmit it.
Chlamydia can also be transmitted to a baby during vaginal delivery if the person giving birth has an untreated chlamydia infection.
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Facts About Oral Chlamydia
- In 2016, about 0.23.2% of women, 022.0% of men who have sex with women, and 03.6% of men who have sex with men had pharyngeal chlamydia.
- In 2010, a study looked into the rates of oral chlamydia infection in heterosexuals who had known or suspected genital infection and reported recent unprotected oral sex. And it was identified that 7% of women and almost 3% of men had positive throat swabs.
- About 50% of infections in men and 75% of infections in women have no symptoms.
- According to CDC, among MSM screened for pharyngeal chlamydial infection, the positivity ranged from 0.5% to 2.3%.
How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Without Knowing
Chlamydia is sometimes called a silent infection because the majority of people who have chlamydia regardless of gender never notice symptoms. People who do notice symptoms often dont recognize the signs that they have chlamydia until a few weeks after theyve been infected. Because chlamydia cases are often asymptomatic, its easy to spread chlamydia to someone else without realizing it. And its easy to miss out on receiving the treatment needed to prevent the serious complications that can result from chlamydia.
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Anatomy Of A Pathogen
For around half a millennium, syphilis has been one of the most widely recognized and feared STIs. It spurred the development of the first drug dubbed a magic bullet and, since the advent of penicillin three decades later, has largely been considered curable. With proper condom use, disease transmission can be reduced to near zero. Left untreated, however, the disease can prove deadly, causing severe neurological issues, especially if transmitted at or before birth.
Many syphilis tests detect antibodies against the bacterial family that includes the corkscrew-shaped Treponema pallidum.Credit: Dr Kari Lounatmaa/Science Photo Library
Detecting the disease, which is caused by the corkscrew-shaped bacterium Treponema pallidum, is easy enough, says Deborah Williamson, a microbiologist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, who has spent several decades studying syphilis. At a clinic, a health-care worker usually takes a blood sample and runs an assay to look for antibodies against the bacterial family that includes T. pallidum. If this assay is positive, the clinician runs further tests on the original sample to zero in on a diagnosis.
Who Should Be Tested For Chlamydia
You should go to your health provider for a test if you have symptoms of chlamydia, or if you have a partner who has a sexually transmitted disease. Pregnant women should get a test when they go to their first prenatal visit.
People at higher risk should get checked for chlamydia every year:
- Sexually active women 25 and younger
- Older women who have new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted disease
- Men who have sex with men
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Self Checks And At Home Tests
If you think you may have chlamydia, you may want to go over a symptom checklist. Common signs and symptoms of chlamydia may include discharge from the penis or vagina, a burning feeling while you pee, and/or pain in the rectum and/or testicles.
Because many individuals don’t show any symptoms, ordering an at home STI test may be a good first step. You may want to do so if you are nervous to speak with your healthcare provider about your sexual history, the medical office is far, or if it is difficult to get an appointment.
Research done by individuals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that:
- More people are likely to get tested using at home tests
- The majority of people prefer to take an STI test at home rather than at a medical office
- The majority of healthcare providers surveyed would be willing to use these at home tests in their office as an STI screening tool, which suggests their comparable accuracy to the traditional tests done in medical offices
Another study supports this accuracy claim when vaginal swabs are self collected from assigned females and urine samples are self collected from assigned males.
Keep in mind that these tests are not FDA approved. However, there are companies that have partnered with clinical laboratory improvement amendments, or CLIA certified labs, which meet federal regulations for diagnostic testing. Others also partner with CAP, or college of American Pathologists, certified labs.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Std Testing Without A Doctor
Not visiting a doctors office and heading directly into STD testing could save you time and money, especially if you dont have health insurance. In addition, during the pandemic routine, in-person medical visits are discouraged to protect patients from potential contagion and to allow hospitals to devote resources to the most urgent needs.
However, deciding on the best STD test for you can be difficult theres a large number of available options, and it can be tough to identify precisely what tests you may need . The most common STDs that physicians screen for are chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV.
TheCDC recommends that all sexually active women who are younger than 25 years old be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia every year. Women who are 25 years or older who have new or multiple sex partners or a sex partner with an STD should also be tested every year.
HIV testing often falls into its own category. Testing and care on that front is more likely to be available in clinics but there are also newer tests that can enable sample collection and results at home from start to finish.
Poor sample collection is always a risk in diagnostic testing, but it can be even more of an issue when it comes to collecting a sample by yourself. So be sure to follow the instructions precisely.
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Chlamydia Is Only Contagious From Person To Person
You can only get chlamydia by having intimate sexual contact with an infected person, not from casual contact, touching another persons clothing, or consuming contaminated food or water.
The chlamydia organism lives only in human cells and cannot be transmitted by external contact, such as towels or toilet seats, Schaffir says.
Open The Conversation Up To Questions
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How To Prepare For The Test
You may be asked to avoid taking antibiotics for 24 hours before testing. If you have a vagina, your healthcare professional may recommend you stop using douches or vaginal creams for 24 hours before your test. If youre taking a urine test, try not to urinate for at least 1 hour before the test.
If you think you may have chlamydia, avoid sexual intercourse until you get your test results.
has found that home tests may be as effective for diagnosing chlamydia as swabs collected at your doctors office.
However, its important to note that home testing kits can sometimes return false-negative results. A 2017 study asked men to self-collect a sample for chlamydia testing both at a clinic and at home using a mail-in kit. Researchers found that over one-third of the mail-in samples missed a positive result that was detected in the samples collected at the clinic.
The researchers note that its possible that the collection technique when using a home test may affect the quality of the sample and therefore affect your result. Because of this, be sure to follow all sample collection instructions carefully if you choose to do a home test for chlamydia.
If you receive a positive result from a home testing kit, you will need to go immediately to a doctor to receive treatment. Until you have completed treatment, you can give chlamydia to your sexual partners.
You can get a chlamydia test from:
- your primary care doctor
Get Lowest Chlamydia Test Cost $79
A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018 says that nearly 3 million people are diagnosed with Chlamydia in the United States every year. Nearly half of the people diagnosed with Chlamydia are women who fall under the 15 to 24 year age group.
As the symptoms of Chlamydia are not shown at an initial stage of infection, we highly recommend every sexually active young woman to get tested for Chlamydia at least once a year. We also recommend young men getting tested for Chlamydia as well.
The article below covers the chlamydia test cost, symptoms of chlamydia in men and symptoms of chlamydia in women, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and how to get tested for chlamydia sitting at home.
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What Are Stds And Stis
STIs are infections that are transmitted from one person to another during vaginal, anal, and oral sex.
An STI is considered an STD a disease when it causes symptoms. Usually, an infection is the first step on the road to potentially developing a disease, but it hasnt yet turned into a disease and often doesnt cause any symptoms.
Not all diseases start out as infections. But in the case of STDs, they do.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 1 in 5 people in the United States had an STD or STI on any given day in 2018.
Although common, most people dont realize they have an STI because the majority of STIs have no symptoms or only mild symptoms.
- genital warts or human papillomavirus
- chlamydia
While most STIs are contracted through vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse, some can be transmitted through nonsexual means, such as blood transfusions and shared products like needles and syringes.
As such, its important that youre tested frequently and regularly.