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How To Screen For Chlamydia

This Test Will With > 99% Accuracy Tell You Whether Or Not You Have Been Infected With Chlamydia Or Gonorrhea

How to use chlamydia rapid test kit / STDrapidtestkits.com

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.

What Tests Are Available For Chlamydia

The most common method of testing for chlamydia involves collecting a urine sample in combination with collecting swabs of the affected area. The most thorough method of screening involves urine collection along with throat swabs, rectal swabs, and genital swabs. Genital swabs will collect a sample from the urethral opening of the penis or from the cervical opening in the vagina.

For people with a penis performing a urine sample, collecting the “first-catch” of urine increases the chances of detection. To do this effectively, do not clean your penis immediately prior to providing the urine sample and do not urinate within the two hours before. When providing the urine sample, try to ensure that when you first begin urinating, the initial stream enters the collection cup directly. Only the first 30 mL of urine is needed.

Urine analysis alone can sometimes miss infections if swabbing is not also done. Throat and rectal infections can be missed, especially when asymptomatic.

Testing for STIs is free and covered by healthcare in Canada, even for uninsured individuals.

How To Test For Chlamydia: Naat

The main test for a Chlamydia infection is the nucleic acid amplification test or NAAT. This test is used to detect the DNA of the Chlamydia bacterium. The NAAT test is the most accurate test for Chlamydia infections that is available. It comes with the advantage that it can be done on a urine sample.

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Suggestions For Practice Regarding The I Statement

Potential Preventable Burden. Chlamydial and gonococcal infections are often asymptomatic in men but may result in urethritis, epididymitis, and proctitis. Uncommon complications include reactive arthritis and disseminated gonococcal infection. Infections at extragenital sites are typically asymptomatic. Chlamydial and gonococcal infections may facilitate HIV transmission in men and women.1,4,5 Median prevalence rates among men who have sex with men who were tested in STD Surveillance Network clinics in 2012 were 16% for gonorrhea and 12% for chlamydia.1

Potential Harms. Potential harms of screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea include false-positive or false-negative results as well as labeling and anxiety associated with positive results.

Costs. According to the CDC, STIs in the United States are associated with an annual cost of almost $16 billion.8 Among nonviral STIs, chlamydia is the most costly, with total associated costs of $516.7 million . Gonococcal infections are associated with total costs of $162.1 million .9

In 2008, estimated direct lifetime costs per case of chlamydial infection were $30 in men and $364 in women. Similarly, gonococcal infections were associated with direct costs of $79 in men and $354 in women.9

How Chlamydia Is Treated

Fewer Women Are Getting Tested for ChlamydiaHere

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.

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Benefits Of Early Detection And Treatment

The USPSTF reviewed 4 trials and concluded that screening was associated with reduced risk of PID vs no screening.49-52 One recent large, good-quality trial of men and women in primary care clinics found that screening for chlamydia was associated with a reduction in risk of hospital-diagnosed PID compared with usual care , but the absolute difference was small . No differences were seen in rates of PID or epididymitis in clinics.52 No studies reported the association between screening and disease acquisition or transmission or between screening and clinical outcomes other than PID or epididymitis.19

The USPSTF previously found fair-quality evidence that treatment of chlamydial infection during pregnancy is associated with improved outcomes for infants and mothers.53,54 The USPSTF reviewed large cohort studies of screening at the first prenatal visit in pregnant women at increased risk for infection. These studies found that treatment of chlamydial infection was associated with significantly lower rates of preterm delivery, early rupture of membranes, and infants with low birth weight compared with no treatment or treatment failure.53,54 No subsequent studies met inclusion criteria for the current USPSTF review.19,32

The USPSTF found no studies comparing the effectiveness of cotesting for concurrent STIs or using different screening intervals.19,32

What About Rectal And Oral Swabs

Rectal swabs and oral swabs may also be considered for those who have receptive anal sex or unprotected oral sex.

While neither rectal nor oral swabs are currently approved for the detection of chlamydia, research suggests that doing these extragenital tests is important.

For example, a 2017 study found that among men who have sex with men , 13% had a rectal chlamydia infection but only 3.4% had a positive urethral swab. In women in an urban setting in the United States, 3.7% were found to have an extragenital infection. Those under the age of 18 had the highest incidence of extragenital infection.

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Chlamydia And Gonorrhea: Screening

Recommendations made by the USPSTF are independent of the U.S. government. They should not be construed as an official position of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are among the most common sexually transmitted infections in the US.1 Approximately 1.8 million cases of chlamydia and more than 600,000 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2019. The rate of chlamydia infection among women was nearly double the rate among men . Gonorrhea infection was more prevalent in men than in women . Infection rates are highest among adolescents and young adults of both sexes. In 2019 almost two-thirds of all reported chlamydia infections, and in 2018 more than half of new gonococcal infections, were among persons aged 15 to 24 years.1,2

The US Preventive Services Task Force concludes with moderate certainty that screening for chlamydia in all sexually active women 24 years or younger and in women 25 years or older who are at increased risk for infection has moderate net benefit.

The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that screening for gonorrhea in all sexually active women 24 years or younger and in women 25 years or older who are at increased risk for infection has moderate net benefit.

How To Test For Chlamydia

How to use an iCare Chlamydia test kit – by LT Labs

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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Why It Is Done

A test for chlamydia is done to:

  • See whether symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection are caused by a chlamydia infection.
  • Check people who are at high risk for being infected with chlamydia. A chlamydia infection does not always cause symptoms. The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends checking for chlamydia for:
  • All sexually active women age 25 or younger.
  • Women and men with high-risk sexual behaviours.
  • All pregnant women in the first trimester and again in the third trimester if high-risk sexual behaviours are reported. Treating a pregnant woman who has a chlamydia infection can prevent an infection in her newborn.
  • Check for infection in a newborn whose mother had a chlamydia infection at the time of delivery.
  • How Much Does The Test Cost

    The cost of chlamydia testing varies based on many factors. Chlamydia testing may be paid for by health insurance when ordered by a doctor. Because health plans vary, its important for patients to discuss the cost of testing, including any copays or deductibles, with their health plan.

    For patients without health insurance coverage, the cost of testing may include the cost of the office visit and sample collection as well as technician fees. Testing may also be available for free or at low cost through community-based organizations and local health departments.

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    What Happens If Chlamydia Is Left Untreated

    There are many health risks if the infection is left untreated. In women, the infection can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. Pelvic inflammatory disease in turn can give rise to conditions like damaged fallopian tubes or even cause infertility.

    Chlamydia can also cause ectopic pregnancy in women. In pregnant women, it can cause premature birth, and infection to new born child . The new born child may develop infection or pneumonia if the mother is infected with Chlamydia.

    In men, it can cause a condition called nongonococcal urethritis which is an infection of the Urethra,epididymitis which is an infection of epididymis, that is the tube that carries sperm away from the testesa or proctitis, which is inflammation of the rectum.

    Like all sexually transmitted diseases, the precautionary measure against Chlamydia is to practice safe sex and avoid having multiple sexual partners. It is also important to get a screening test done as soon as any symptom is noticed. When treated at the right time, the disease is curable.

    Be safe, be healthy!

    Screening For Ct And Ng

    Chlamydia test and home chlamydia test for men and women

    Because of the largely asymptomatic nature of the infections, screening may be necessary to reduce the clinical consequences discussed above related to the natural course of infection. Screening refers to systematically offering a test to detect an infection in those asymptomatic or not purposively seeking care for symptoms. It includes the associated follow-up including treatment and partner notification, as well as possibly re-testing for re-infection and counseling on future STI prevention. At a population level, the aim of screening is also to reduce transmission of the infections. However, screening might lead to negative physical or psychosocial consequences. Possible benefits from reducing CT-related consequences relative to harms from the procedure need to be considered during decision making about implementing and participating in screening.

    Preferences for or against a screening strategy are influenced by the relative importance people place on the expected or experienced outcomes incurred . Evidence on how people weigh the relevant outcomes is important to inform guideline panels when considering the balance of benefits and harms and determining whether this balance might vary across different individuals .

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    Should I Get A Chlamydia Test

    It can be a good idea to screen for chlamydia and other STIs if youâre considering having sexual intercourse with a new partner. If you believe you have been exposed to chlamydia or are experiencing symptoms , consider screening for infection by visiting a local clinicâ âor take a chlamydia test at home.

    Also, according to the CDC, if you’re a sexually active woman younger than 25, you should test for chlamydia and gonorrhea at least once a year . You should also get tested yearly if you’re 25 or older and have risk factors like new or multiple sex partners. The CDC also recommends annual gonorrhea and chlamydia testing for gay and bisexual men.

    Specimen Collection And Handling

    Urine specimens are the specimen of choice for males and post-hysterectomy female patients.

    For females in general, urine is a second-line option, because it is less sensitive than cervical swabs for CT/GC NAAT. For testing non-post-hysterectomy female patients, please refer to the test information sheet for specimen collection and testing information.

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    How Soon Can I Get Tested For Stds After Unprotected Sex

  • Trichomoniasis Incubation Period
  • Lets say youve recently had unprotected sex and now youre worried that you may have picked up a sexually transmitted disease . With STD rates rising higher than ever before, this is a totally valid and legitimate concern. So what do you do? Getting tested would be a very smart decision, but you may be surprised to learn that you can actually test too early.

    If you feel like you could have contracted an STD, your instinct may be to get tested immediately, but this can be a huge mistake. Testing too early can cause inaccurate results, possibly leading you to believe youre STD-free when youre really not. This is because each STD has its own unique incubation period, which you must out wait in order to get accurate results. Like many things in life, timing is everything.

    Complications Of Chlamydia In Male Patients

    How to Test for STD (Chlamydia & Gonorrhea) DNA Rapidly?

    Chlamydia is an infection that is far more prevalent among women, particularly during young adulthood, compared to the prevalence of the condition in men. Still, men do need to understand that the condition can affect them and will often not yield any symptoms. This, however, does not mean the bacterial infection poses no harm.

    In cases where symptoms do develop in a male patient, the individual may experience the following signs of chlamydia:

    • There may be a discharge from the mans penis
    • The testicles may become painful
    • There may be pain during urination
    • The lower abdominal might also develop pain conditions

    Since chlamydia is a bacterial infection in nature, men do need to understand that there are certain complications that can develop. These complications can sometimes be serious and require medical attention.

    Urethritis is a common complication of chlamydia in men. The condition causes a bacterial infection to develop in the urethra. This is a tube that runs throughout the patients penis it is used to expel both urine and semen from the body.

    Urethritis causes irritation in the tip of the patients penis and can make the inside of the penis feel itchy. There may also be a burning or stinging sensation within the penis this is the urethra showing signs of the infection. A discharge can also occur from the penis.

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    What To Think About

    • If a chlamydia infection is suspected, do not have sexual intercourse until the test results have come back. If you have a chlamydia infection, do not have sexual intercourse for 7 days after the start of treatment. Your sex partner should also be treated for a chlamydia infection so that you don’t get reinfected and so that others don’t get infected.
    • Only one laboratory test is needed to diagnose chlamydia. Your doctor can choose which test to use.
    • Screening for and treating chlamydia can help prevent pelvic inflammatory disease . To learn more about the treatment of a chlamydia infection, see the topic Chlamydia.
    • Other sexually transmitted infections may be present at the same time as chlamydia. So it is important to be tested and treated for all STIs. Chlamydia as well as other STIs can also increase the chance of getting human immunodeficiency virus . An HIV test may be offered at the same time as a test for chlamydia or other STIs.

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