Ways To Test For Chlamydia

When To Speak With A Doctor

STI tests are often a standard part of a gynecological exam or regular health checkup, but this is not always the case. With this in mind, anyone who believes they may have chlamydia should consider a test.

One symptom of chlamydia is a burning sensation when urinating. A person experiencing this issue should contact a doctor, even if a home chlamydia test has returned a negative result.

If a home test returns a positive result, individuals should consult their doctor to get confirmation.

How Can I Know If I Have Chlamydia

If you think you have chlamydia, or any STI, contact your healthcare provider. He or she will examine you and perform tests, if necessary, to determine if you have an STI.

To check for chlamydia, a woman is given a pelvic exam. A sample of fluid is taken from the vagina. In men, a sample of fluid may be taken from the penis. The fluid is sent to a laboratory for testing. The cultures can also be taken from a urine test. Your provider will discuss which way is the best way to check for an infection in your particular situation.

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 Do People Get Chlamydia

Chlamydia is transmitted through sexual contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus of an infected partner. Ejaculation does not have to occur for chlamydia to be transmitted or acquired. Chlamydia can also be spread perinatally from an untreated mother to her baby during childbirth, resulting in ophthalmia neonatorum or pneumonia in some exposed infants. In published prospective studies, chlamydial conjunctivitis has been identified in 18-44% and chlamydial pneumonia in 3-16% of infants born to women with untreated chlamydial cervical infection at the time of delivery.9-12 While rectal or genital chlamydial infection has been shown to persist one year or longer in infants infected at birth,13 the possibility of sexual abuse should be considered in prepubertal children beyond the neonatal period with vaginal, urethral, or rectal chlamydial infection.

People who have had chlamydia and have been treated may get infected again if they have sexual contact with a person infected with chlamydia.14

What Should I Expect After A Chlamydia Test

After collecting a sample, your provider sends the sample to a lab. If youre using an at-home kit, you will mail the sample to a lab. The lab will test the sample to check for bacterial DNA. Your provider will contact you when the results are ready and discuss the next steps.

While youre waiting for results, its very important to avoid having sex. If you do have the infection and you have sex, you can spread it to others.

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Can Chlamydia Be Cured

Yes, chlamydia can be cured with the right treatment. It is important that you take all of the medication your doctor prescribes to cure your infection. When taken properly it will stop the infection and could decrease your chances of having complications later on. You should not share medication for chlamydia with anyone.

Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. You should be tested again about three months after you are treated, even if your sex partner was treated.

Questions For Your Doctor After At

After at-home chlamydia testing, you may find it helpful to ask your doctor questions about your test result and need for future STD testing. Questions for a doctor may include:

• What is the significance of my test result?
• Are additional tests recommended to confirm my test result?
• When should I be tested again for chlamydia?
• What other STD tests are recommended for me?
• If I tested positive, should I share this information with sexual partners?

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Urine Testing Vs Bacterial Culture

Urine testing is currently primarily used to detect bacterial STIs. Chlamydia and gonorrhea urine tests are widely available. Trichomoniasis urine tests are also available, but they are less common.

The gold standard for diagnosing bacterial STIs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, used to be a bacterial culture. That involved attempting to grow bacteria out of samples that were taken directly from the cervix or urethra.

These days, bacterial DNA testing is considered a better option. It works differently than a bacterial culture. Instead of trying to grow bacteria, these tests just look for bacterial DNA. This can be done using a process called ligase chain reaction or with other DNA amplification techniques.

These types of testing are sensitive to even very small amounts of bacterial DNA. Even better, they do not require a live bacterial sample. As such, they can be run on urine samplesnot just urethral or cervical swabs.

For most people, the thought of getting a gonorrhea urine test or chlamydia urine test is a lot less intimidating than the thought of needing a physical exam.

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How Easily Is Chlamydia Transmitted During Sexual Intercourse

Unfortunately, chlamydia is very easily transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. This is especially true because chlamydia infections are sometimes asymptomaticâmeaning they donât cause noticeable symptoms.

In fact, any time you come in contact with the bacteriaâeven if your sex partner doesnât ejaculate or you arenât fully penetratedâyou could become infected or pass along the chlamydial infection. This being the case, men and women should get tested for STIs before beginning any new sexual relationship.

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Best Chlamydia Test Options

While almost everyone has heard the word chlamydia, few people know what it actually is let alone how to protect themselves from it.

Unfortunately, chlamydia can have serious long-term consequences if you fail to take the disease seriously. According to Everyday Health, untreated chlamydia in women can lead to Severe infection with pain and fever requiring a hospital stay Pelvic inflammatory disease, an infection of the upper reproductive tract Scarring in the reproductive tract that causes infertility Higher risk of ectopic pregnancy.

They add that Men are less likely than women to have major health problems linked to chlamydia, although they can develop epididymitis, an inflammation of a structure within the testicles called the epididymis that can result in infertility. Also, A chlamydia infection can sometimes result in reactive arthritis in both men and women.

In other words, this is a disease best avoided if at all possible and that means both understanding the disease and taking steps to ensure you treat it quickly if you have it. Lets start with the former.

In Both Males And Females

Complications that may be seen in anyone include:

• Other STIs. Chlamydia and gonorrhea both make you more susceptible to other STIs, including human immunodeficiency virus . Having chlamydia can also increase your risk of developing gonorrhea, and vice versa.
• Reactive arthritis . Also called Reiters syndrome, this condition results from an infection in your urinary tract or intestines. Symptoms of this condition cause pain, swelling, or tightness in your joints and eyes, and a variety of other symptoms.
• Infertility. Damage to reproductive organs or to sperm can make it more challenging or, in some cases, impossible to become pregnant or to impregnate your partner.

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When Should I Do A Home Test For Chlamydia

If you had unprotected intercourse not too long ago or you are worried your partner might have carried an infection, then you should get tested. The best time to do a test kit for chlamydia is two weeks after youve been exposed.

Gonorrhea and chlamydia need around two weeks to show up on test results, but for any other infection, like HIV, for example, you will need around four weeks.

Chlamydia is easy to detect and treat, so its crucial that you get tested as much as you can. The best way to know for sure if you are carrying the infection is by getting tested every 3 to 12 months. If you have a history of STIs, you should get tested more often.

Epidemiology In Rhode Island

The surveillance data on chlamydia and gonorrhea in Rhode Island are available through 2010. Chlamydia is by far the most commonly reported STI in Rhode Island with a total of 3,480 cases reported in 2010 this number is unchanged over the last five years. In contrast, reported cases of gonorrhea have decreased from 508 cases in 2006 to 291 cases in 2010 , with rates unchanged since 2008. Females comprise 42% of gonorrhea cases, compared to 71% of chlamydia cases . However, for both infections, rates are highest in 15 to 24 year olds among both males and females. By race and ethnicity, African-Americans are most disproportionately affected followed by Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in Rhode Island.

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This Test Will Tell You Whether Or Not Your Reproductive Or Urinary System Has 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.

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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How To Test For Chlamydia: Dna Probe

The DNA probe test or nucleic acid hybridization test might also be used and although it is not as accurate as the NAAT, it is still a reliable type of test. There are also quick tests such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or direct fluorescent antibody test which is used to detect Chlamydia antigens, substances that are released by the immune system to fight against Chlamydia infections.

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.

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How Common Is It

Unfortunately, chlamydia is very common. According to Teensource, A lot of people have chlamydia as many as 1 in 10 young women test positive for it. In 2016, over 1 and a half million cases of chlamydia were reported to the CDC in the US. In California alone, there were almost 200,000 reported cases of chlamydia in 2016.

Chlamydia is most common in the 20-24 set. This is a highly sexually active crowd, which accounts for the 1,700 male cases per 100,000 population members and almost 4,000 female cases in 2017. The 15-19 set also had high numbers, with the 25-29 set falling just behind that. Surprisingly, these numbers remain significant right on up to the late 30s, when they fall off sharply.

The takeaway: Chlamydia is a widespread infection with considerable risk to anyone who is sexually active and not taking the proper precautions.

Women Problems Of Unattended Chlamydia

Some women establish PID, an infection that can harm the womb, cervix, as well as ovaries. PID is an uncomfortable illness that usually calls for healthcare facility treatment.

Females can likewise come to be infertile if chlamydia is left untreated since the fallopian tubes might become scarred.

Expecting ladies with the infection can pass the germs to their infants during birth, which can trigger eye infections and also pneumonia in infants. Different Ways To Catch Chlamydia

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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.

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Why Should I Get Tested

Almost all STIs go undetected. Even though chlamydia can be easily treated, due to the lack of visible symptoms, the younger population often ignore it or have no idea they have it. Individuals who often change partners are exposed to chlamydia and other STIs as well, such as gonorrhea and syphilis.

If left untreated, its incredibly easy to transmit this infection onto your partner and cause numerous problems that can later affect your health.

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Specimen Collection And Handling

How Can You Tell If You Have Chlamydia

You can have chlamydia without experiencing any symptoms. In fact, many womenâapproximately 70% of those who are infectedâare completely asymptomatic, which means that they are also unaware that they are carrying Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria.

The lack of symptoms can cause health problems over time because an untreated chlamydia infection can lead to complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease . Also, if you become pregnant and have chlamydia, you may develop an ectopic pregnancy . Some people with untreated chlamydia may develop reactive arthritis, a form of joint inflammation thatâs caused by the chlamydia bacterium . Untreated chlamydia can also damage your reproductive organs, which could potentially lead to infertility.

Thankfully, effective treatments exist for chlamydial infections. But to get treatment, you first need to determine if you have chlamydia in the first place. As mentioned above, you could have chlamydia without any symptoms. But there are certain telltale symptoms you may experience that can help identify it.

Chlamydia symptoms look very different in men and women. If your male partner experiences urethritis , or has discharge from his penis, he may have chlamydia. If thatâs the case, you should both test for sexually transmitted infections.

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Chlamydia Signs In Men

Lots of guys do not see the symptoms of chlamydia. Most guys have no signs in any way.

If symptoms do show up, its usually 1 to 3 weeks after transmission.

Several of one of the most common signs and symptoms of chlamydia in males consist of:

• melting experience throughout peeing
• yellow or green discharge from the penis
• pain in the lower abdominal area
• discomfort in the testicles

Its likewise feasible to obtain a chlamydia infection in the rectum. In this situation, the main signs are usually discharge, pain, and bleeding from this area.

Having foreplay with a person who has the infection elevates the threat of obtaining chlamydia in the throat. Signs can include a sore throat, cough, or high temperature. Its likewise possible to bring germs in the throat and not know it. Different Ways To Catch Chlamydia

How Chlamydia Is Transmitted

Chlamydia is transmitted when unprotected mucous membranes of two individuals touch, as they do during anal and vaginal sex. Full sexual penetration is not required. Chlamydia is less likely to be transmitted during oral sex.

Chlamydia is not passed through shaking hands or by using unclean toilet seats.

A person with chlamydia should be considered infectious until the bacteria is completely eliminated from their body.

People infected with chlamydia are often infected with gonorrhea, too. This is why many doctors recommend testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea simultaneously.

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