What Is A Home Std Test And How Does It Work
Sexually transmitted diseases are infections contracted during sexual contact. Testing for STDs can be stigmatizing, as people might be afraid to disclose their symptoms to their doctor. However, thanks to home STD tests, people can now check their health status conveniently and privately.
A home STD test is a testing kit that you can take in the privacy of your home for a range of STDs that may include chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, syphilis and HIV, says Dr. Apea.
Although most testing kits work for a range of STDs, the testing kits you are given depends on the symptoms or answers you give to questions when completing a home test kit, says Dr. Ross Perry, G.P., at Cosmedics in the United Kingdom.
Home STD tests work by collecting a sample from a specified site. Depending on the tests you request, you may be directed to take a swab , give a urine sample, or give a finger-prick blood sample, says Dr. Apea.
Most test kits will include all the equipment you need, plus instructions on how to test safely and accurately. After taking the test, the samples are mailed straight to the lab for analysis. The results are often delivered privately via text or email in a few days.
Home STD Testing
A comprehensive at-home STD test that can be taken in the privacy of your own home. The test covers various sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, HIV and more.
Are Free Chlamydia Tests As Reliable As Paid Ones
Yes, if they’re 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.
What’s 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.
When Is A Chlamydia Test Performed
A chlamydia infection doesnt usually cause symptoms, so people may not know they have it. Untreated, chlamydia can cause serious health problems and infertility. Thats why providers screen for chlamydia, which means they regularly test certain people who have a higher risk of infection. You should get regular chlamydia screenings if you:
- Are sexually active, especially if youre under 25.
- Are a man who has sex with men.
- Are pregnant and under age 25. Pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases can be dangerous for you and your baby.
- Know that your partner has a sexually transmitted disease or sexually transmitted infection .
- Plan to have sex with a new partner or have more than one partner.
If you previously tested positive for chlamydia and got treated for it, you should get follow-up tests. You usually need a test about a month after treatment and two months after that to make sure the treatment worked.
If you have symptoms of chlamydia infection you may or may not have symptoms of chlamydia. If so, your provider will recommend a test. Symptoms of chlamydia include:
- Burning sensation while urinating .
- Discharge from your vagina, penis or anus.
- Painful intercourse or bleeding after having sex.
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Overall Ratings For Std Testing
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Other Approaches To Prevention
The USPSTF has issued recommendations on screening for other STIs, including hepatitis B, genital herpes, HIV, and syphilis. The USPSTF has also issued recommendations on behavioral counseling for all sexually active adolescents and for adults who are at increased risk for STIs. These recommendations are available at .
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Is Chlamydia Curable
Yes it is and the treatment for this infection is a course of antibiotics. Once you have finished your course of medication you will need to complete another chlamydia test to make sure that the STI has completed cleared up. Its important to remember that if you have had chlamydia in the past and it was treated with a course of antibiotics, you can still catch chlamydia again in the future.
What Is Chlamydia
Chlamydia is an STI thats contracted through sexual contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus.
The bacteria, chlamydia trachomatis, can be transferred without ejaculation or even penetration during sexual contact. For example, the bacteria can be transferred by sharing sex toys that have not been properly cleaned or covered with a new condom with each use. Or, getting infected semen or vaginal fluid in ones eye can also spread infection.
Babies can contract chlamydia during incubation if the mother is living with it, which could result in issues like pneumonia and conjunctivitis.
The that chlamydia is most common in young people, as 2 out of every 3 new chlamydia infections impact people between 15 and 24 years old.
The young women are more prone to the infection, with 1 in 20 women between 14 and 24 years old estimated to have chlamydia.
However, men can also contract, carry, and spread the disease to others.
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Who Is At Risk
So who exactly is at risk? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 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.
Other risk factors include:
- Having unprotected sex with new partners
- Having sex with multiple partners, which makes it more difficult to tell who is a safe and who is a risky partner
- Making sexual decisions while drunk or high, especially with new partners
- Going for years without getting tested
- Using IV drugs and sharing needles
Women should also keep in mind that, if they deliver a baby while they have a chlamydia infection, their babies can contract it as well. This can cause serious health problems. If you are pregnant and think you might be at risk, get tested immediately, so that you can get treatment before you give birth.
No matter what, the best way to protect yourself against any of the following is to test regularly. That way, you reduce the chances that you will unknowingly transmit the disease to someone else. You also give yourself the right to ask your new partners to get tested before you sleep with them, which is empowering.
What Happens If I Dont Get Treated
The initial damage that chlamydia causes often goes unnoticed. However, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems.
If you are a woman, untreated chlamydia can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes . This can cause pelvic inflammatory disease . PID often has no symptoms, however some women may have abdominal and pelvic pain. Even if it doesnt cause symptoms initially, PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive system. PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, inability to get pregnant, and potentially deadly ectopic pregnancy .
Men rarely have health problems linked to chlamydia. Infection sometimes spreads to the tube that carries sperm from the testicles, causing pain and fever. Rarely, chlamydia can prevent a man from being able to have children.
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How Accurate Are Chlamydia Tests
No STI tests are 100% accurate, but all our tests are processed by an expert STI testing laboratory.
It is very rare for a chlamydia test to be positive if you dont have chlamydia.
If your chlamydia test result is negative but a sexual partner tests positive for chlamydia, or you get symptoms, go to a sexual health clinic.
How Can You Test For Chlamydia At Home
Sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia are a serious problem for many countries, only in the UK, more than 200,000 individuals tested positive for this infection. With more than 127 million newly reported cases in 2016, chlamydia is the topmost prevalent STIs in the world. But, the real problem is that chlamydia often doesnt show any symptoms, so people might be infected without even knowing it.
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Symptoms Of Chlamydia In Men And Women
What symptoms will you experience if you have chlamydia?
This depends on whether you are a female or male. Lets take a look at both symptom types for each respective gender:
Chlamydia Symptoms in Women
- Vaginal discharge that is abnormal and may be accompanied by a strange odor
Chlamydia Symptoms in Men
- Burning or itching around the penal opening
- Swelling or pain around the testicles
- Clear or cloudy discharge which forms around the tip of the penis
If you have any of these symptoms, its time to order an at home Chlamydia test. These tests are taken in the comfort of your home, and offer the utmost in privacy and confidentiality. You can be treated for this disease, but it requires that you take action immediately, especially if youre a woman.
Women who are currently pregnant or become pregnant and have chlamydia can pass the disease onto their child. If you seek treatment that is successful, your child will not have this disease. Disease will be contracted during childbirth itself, and can cause:
- Eye infections
- Pneumonia
Complications do occur during childbirth in some cases. If you are pregnant, you should be tested for chlamydia at your very first prenatal visit. Getting tested is the smart choice for any mother to be, and this is essential if you have more than one sex partner and you engage in unprotected sex.
If you are suffering from any of the symptoms listed above, its time to get tested.
How Often Should I Get Tested
The CDC recommends that sexually active women younger than 25 years old get tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia every year. Women 25 years and older with a new partner, multiple partners, or a partner who has an STI should also get tested annually.
Sexually active gay and bisexual men should be tested for syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea annually. In cases of frequent sexual encounters with multiple partners, the CDC recommends testing every 3 to 6 months.
If youre experiencing any symptoms of an STI, you should get tested immediately.
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When Should I Get Tested For Chlamydia
The only way to know if you have chlamydia is to get tested.
You can get a chlamydia test at any time but a test cant always detect chlamydia in the early stages.
If its less than 2 weeks since you might have been exposed to chlamydia, you can still take a test now, but you may need another test later.
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.
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How Easy Is It To Get Rid Of Chlamydia
It is relatively simple to get rid of chlamydia after receiving a diagnosis. The typical recovery time isnt much longer than two weeks for an average case. One of the largest hurdles for many patients comes with detecting chlamydia in the first place. This is why its important to regularly schedule STD screenings that include chlamydia and gonorrhea while sexually active with multiple partners.
Over The Counter Chlamydia Tests
We also offer a range of home testing kits which you can buy online, some of these only test for chlamydia whereas others offer a more comprehensive test for STIs and STDs .
The SELFCheck Female Chlamydia Test Kit is a two-step at home chlamydia test which allows you to easily and conveniently self-test for chlamydia in the privacy of your home. The test can be carried out in less than five minutes all you need to do is swab the inside of your vagina to collect a sample and place the swab into the provided test tube. The test then produces a reliable, clear and easy to read visual result within minutes.
We offer a range of LetsGetChecked STI testing kits, each of which test for a different number and combination of STIs including chlamydia. Each test includes simple instructions for you to follow, allowing you to take the samples needed in the comfort of your own home. Once you have taken these samples you can then post them in a discreetly packaged box to an accredited laboratory for analysis. Your accurate and confidential results will then be delivered to your personal account within five days, if you test positive a member of the LetsGetChecked nursing support team will contact you to provide treatment and aftercare.
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Which Std Tests Should I Get
If you are sexually active, getting tested for STDs is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health. Make sure you have an open and honest conversation about your sexual history and STD testing with your doctor and ask whether you should be tested for STDs. If you are not comfortable talking with your regular health care provider about STDs, there are many clinics that provide confidential and free or low-cost testing.
Below is a brief overview of STD testing recommendations. STD screening information for healthcare providers can be found here.
You can quickly find a place to be tested for STDs by entering your zip code in the form below.
Find an STD testing site near you.
How Can You Catch Chlamydia In The Mouth
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection transmitted through sexual contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus of an infected partner. As we mentioned earlier, some STIs can affect other regions such as the mouth and throat as well. Chlamydia is one of these.
Usually you get chlamydia in the throat by engaging in oral sex with a partner that has chlamydia. Chances are, like 80 percent of Americans, youve engaged in oral sex. Believe it or not, this is exactly why you should get an oral chlamydia test. Although chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, you probably wont know if you have oral chlamydia without specifically testing for it.
The area where you become infected is often linked to your sexual activity. For example, it is possible to catch oral chlamydia through performing oral sex on a partner who is carrying a genital infection. In the reverse example, if you are infected with throat chlamydia, you can spread the infection to your partners genitals.
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Studies Conducted In Low Income And Resource
Two similar trials were conducted concurrently in South Africa and Brazil comparing home-with clinic-based screening for GC, CT, and Trichomonas vaginalis . In Gugulethu, South Africa, Jones and colleagues randomized 626 women to self-collection using a test kit at a clinic under supervision of a nurse, or using an identical test kit at home to be mailed back to study staff. Women in the home testing groupwere more likely to self-collect a vaginal sample than women in the clinic testing group , and a majority of women in both the home and clinic testing groups said self-collection was easy/very easy. However, compared to home-testers, more clinic-testers reported self-collection to be easy/very easy . Among home-testers, self-collection at home was acceptable and preferred by a majority of women , whereas most clinic-testers preferred self-collection at the clinic. These findings indicate that self-collection of vaginal specimens for STI screening is a feasible practice in both clinic and home settings. Making home test kits easily available may be particularly valuable in this setting as 22% of women in the study population tested positive for CT, 10% for TV, and 8% for GC.
When Should I Get An At
You may consider using an at-home chlamydia test if STD testing conducted by a doctor is unavailable or inconvenient. While testing for chlamydia at home may be appropriate for screening certain people, at-home test kits should not be used if you have active symptoms of chlamydia or if you have a sexual partner that has been diagnosed with this condition.
To diagnose or rule out chlamydia, you should talk to your doctor about the benefits and drawbacks of at-home chlamydia testing.
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