Can I Test Myself For Chlamydia At Home
Home testing kits for chlamydia are widely available and can be purchased at many pharmacies or online.
These kits typically require a urine sample or tissue swab, which you can collect at home and securely ship back to the lab to receive your results.
Some companies also include a free medical consultation with a doctor if your test results are positive to review your treatment options.
So How Can Women Test For Chlamydia
Women can test for chlamydia by doing a urine or swab test. These tests are simple, pain free and usually reliable, with results available within 7 to 10 days.
A chlamydia test involves taking a sample of cells using a swab, or by urinating into a container and sending sampled to a laboratory for analysis. Chlamydia testing in women is the same as testing in men. Often, a urine sample is preferred method.
All women can get free tests for chlamydia from their GP or local sexual health clinic. Self-test kits for chlamydia are also available from pharmacies online and on the high street. Chemist Click offer discreet home-testing kits for chlamydia. You provide a urine sample and send it to our partner NHS accredited laboratory, using the prepaid envelope provided. Your confidential results take 2 to 3 days.
Signs And Symptoms Of Chlamydia
Chlamydia is known as one of the silent diseases which can produce no symptoms for a long period of time. Approximately 7095 percent of women and 50 percent of men with chlamydia do not observe chlamydia symptoms at all. The symptoms can also be mild and almost unnoticeable.
Another reason why symptoms are not the best way to determine the infection is that it is often confused with gonorrhea as the symptoms are very much alike. Asymptomatic nature of chlamydia makes it difficult to estimate how long a person remains infectious and this period is commonly believed to last until full recovery.
Chlamydia symptoms show up between 1 and 3 weeks after the contraction.
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How To Treat Chlamydia Symptoms In Women
Chlamydia will not clear up on its own. You will need to treat it with antibiotics. There are two types of chlamydia treatments, azithromycin and doxycycline. These are chlamydia tablets or pills that you swallow whole with water.
Doxycycline is the recommended chlamydia treatment as it is more effective. You take doxycycline twice a day for 7 days.
Azithromycin is usually prescribed if you canât take doxycycline. Itâs taken for 3 days. You take two 500mg tablets on the first day and one 500mg tablet on the second and third day.
You should not have sex at any time whilst you are taking the treatment course and for a week after. This is because your body may take up to 7 days after treatment to respond to the antibiotics.
When Do Symptoms Start
Symptoms do not always appear with chlamydia. If you do get symptoms, these usually start to show between 1 and 3 weeks after you had unprotected sex with an infected partner. For some people, chlamydia symptoms dont develop until many months later. Other people may only notice symptoms if the infection spreads to other areas of their body.
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How Often Should I Get Checked For Chlamydia
Sexual health check-ups are recommended for anyone who is sexually active. Frequency of testing also depends on your STI risk:
- An annual sexual health check-up is highly recommended if you are sexually active especially if you are under 25.
- Get checked more often during the year if you frequently change sexual partners.
- Remember, you are at greater risk if you have sex without a condom with 1 or multiple sexual partners.
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How Do I Know If I Have Chlamydia
Chlamydia often has no symptoms, but it can cause serious health problems, even without symptoms. If symptoms occur, they may not appear until several weeks after having sex with a partner who has chlamydia.
Even when chlamydia has no symptoms, it can damage a womans reproductive system. Women with symptoms may notice
- An abnormal vaginal discharge and
- A burning sensation when peeing.
Symptoms in men can include
- A burning sensation when peeing and
- Pain and swelling in one or both testicles .
See a healthcare provider if you notice any of these symptoms. You should also see a provider if your partner has an STD or symptoms of one. Symptoms can include
- An unusual sore
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When Can I Have Sex Again
If you were diagnosed with chlamydia, wait to have sex again until you have finished your treatment.
For some antibiotics, such as doxycycline, this means may need to wait 1 week to have sex, or until you have completed your prescribed course of treatment.
If you were prescribed a single dose of medication, like azithromycin, wait 7 days after taking the medication before having sex.
Who Is Most Likely To Be Infected By Chlamydia
Studies have shown chlamydia infections to be the highest among women aged 15 to 24 years. Infection rates are highest in men at a slightly higher age range from 20 to 24 years old.
Population studies have tried to estimate what percent of the overall population is infected by Chlamydia. One extensive study of individuals between the age of 18 and 26 years found 4.2% to have Chlamydia infections.
Another national survey found 1.7% of people between 14 and 39 years had the infection. Out of all states, Alaska had the highest rates of Chlamydia.
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How Do You Know If You Have Chlamydia
The only way to know if you have chlamydia is by amedical exam. Most women with chlamydia do nothave any signs of infection. See your health careprovider to be tested for chlamydia each year if you:
- Are age 25 or younger and are sexually active
- Are older than 25 with new or multiple sex partners
- Do not practice safe sex
- Are having sex with someone who might be havingsex with others
Treatment Of Chlamydia Is There A Cure For Chlamydia
Chlamydia can be cured easily and effectively with simple antibiotics once it has been diagnosed. The treatment can consist of a single dose or last up to 2 weeks depending on the type of chlamydia. The infected person should not have penetrative sex until receiving a negative Chlamydia test at an after-treatment check-up. Both partners must be treated for chlamydia and undergo re-testing after 34 months.
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Can Women Who Have Sex With Women Get Chlamydia
Yes. It is possible to get chlamydia, or any other STI, if you are a woman who has sex only with women. Chlamydia lives in the reproductive tract of an infected woman and can pass to a sex partner, whether male or female.
Talk to your partner about her sexual history before having sex, and ask your doctor or nurse for an STI test if you are at risk.
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Top Things To Know About Chlamydia:
- Chlamydia is often asymptomatic, meaning that many people donât know they have it
- Chlamydia symptoms can include pus-like yellow discharge frequent or painful urination spotting between periods or after sex and/or rectal pain, bleeding, or discharge
- Untreated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy, and/or infertility in women and people with female reproductive tracts
- Antibiotics are used to treat chlamydia infections
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Who Should Get Tested For Chlamydia
Pregnant women should be screened for chlamydia according to the above guidelines, with a second test during the third trimester of pregnancy. If a pregnant woman tests positive for chlamydia, she should be tested again three to four weeks after treatment to ensure that it was effective, plus once more within three months.
Men who have sex with men should also get screened for chlamydia yearly, with any potential areas of contact urethra, rectum, or throat included in these tests, regardless of whether condoms were used. Men in this group with multiple sex partners, or whose partner has multiple partners, should get tested every three to six months instead.
The CDC recommends screening all men for chlamydia at certain high-risk facilities, such as prisons and jails and STD clinics.
People with HIV should be tested for chlamydia at their first HIV evaluation, and at least once a year after that if theyre sexually active, depending on their sexual practices.
Are Instant Tests Reliable
You can certainly find instant tests on the market, but these are not reliable. Being able to see results in minutes is worthless if they arent lab-certified. Many of the home STI testing kits you see on the market are just smoke and mirrors. These services may claim instant results but most of them use subpar testing methods. It is illegal to sell these within the United States.
On the other hand, at-home testing offers trustworthy and accurate results. These tests require that you provide a sample that will then be sent to a lab for, you guessed it, lab-certified results. The only difference from a clinic test is that you can screen for these infections from the comfort of your own home.
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Chlamydia Discharge In Women
Though it is normal to have light vaginal discharge in healthy women as a part of the natural cleansing process of the vaginal cavity, the discharge becomes changed in color, odor, quantity and consistency when you have Chlamydia infection. The excessive vaginal discharge in women is caused due to the infection of the uterine cervix. It is one of the most common manifestations that are connected with Chlamydia in women. When you have Chlamydia infection, your vaginal discharge becomes thick, discolored and smelly.
Chlamydia Test For Women
To diagnose the infection, your doctor can use a few different chlamydia tests. Your doctor will likely ask you about your symptoms and why you think you have the infection. When this happens, its important to be as honest as possible.
Although many physicians do it, a chlamydia test is not automatically done at the time that a Pap test is done.
For this reason, its important for women, especially sexually active women aged 25 and under, to ask their health care provider whether theyre getting tested for chlamydia every year.
If you think you may have been exposed to an STD, youll have to ask for a screening.
Fortunately, chlamydia is easy to treat. If you suspect that you have it, youll need to:
- See your health care provider immediately before the infection does damage to your reproductive organs.
- Listen to your doctor and take all of your medicine. Even if your symptoms go away, you should finish your pills.
- Tell your sexual partner. They should know about the infection so that they too can be tested and treated.
- Avoid having sexual intercourse until you and your partner have been cured.
Since chlamydia is a bacteria, your doctor will prescribe you antibiotics.
In most cases, the infection resolves within one to two weeks.
Regardless of the type of the antibiotic, you and your sexual partners will need to follow the dosage carefully to make sure the infection goes away for good.
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What Happens If You Have Chlamydia For Too Long
More than 95 percent of those who follow their treatment regimens will be cured. Any symptoms you have may improve in as quickly as a few days and most will be free of the infection within a week. Three months after treatment you should be retested to make sure the treatment worked and that you werent re-infected by a partner who wasnt adequately treated.
If left untreated, chlamydia in women can spread to the fallopian tubes and uterus, potentially causing pelvic inflammatory disease. Although typically asymptomatic, pelvic inflammatory disease can cause abdominal pain and potentially cause permanent damage to the reproductive system. In some instances, this can lead to infertility or increase a womans chances of an ectopic pregnancy.
In men, untreated chlamydia symptoms do not necessarily indicate additional health problems, but in extreme cases, it can cause extreme pain and the infection can even cause infertility.
How Is Chlamydia Diagnosed
The most common test for chlamydia is called a nucleic acid amplification test . Your provider takes a sample of fluid by doing a vaginal/cervical swab or collecting a urine sample. Then, they send the sample off to a lab to check for the bacteria that causes chlamydia. Your provider may do the test in an office, or they may ask you to do an at-home chlamydia test. Follow your providers instructions carefully to ensure you get accurate test results.
Because most chlamydia cases are asymptomatic, its important to get screened for chlamydia even if you dont notice any signs of infection. The CDC recommends that sexually active cisgender women who are high-risk for chlamydia get screened regularly. Women, more so than men, experience the most severe complications from chlamydia. Transgender men and nonbinary individuals with vaginas should be screened regularly, too, as they can experience the same complications of chlamydia.
Youre considered high-risk if you:
- Have had chlamydia infections previously.
Cisgender men, or trans and nonbinary individuals with penises, should be screened for chlamydia if:
- They live in a setting where chlamydia spreads frequently, like correctional facilities, adolescent clinics and sexual health clinics.
- They have sex with other men.
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Am I At Risk For Chlamydia
If you are sexually active, have an honest and open talk with your healthcare provider. Ask them if you should get tested for chlamydia or other STDs. Gay or bisexual men and pregnant people should also get tested for chlamydia. If you are a sexually active woman, you should get tested for chlamydia every year if you are:
- Younger than 25 years old.
- 25 years and older with risk factors, such as new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted infection.
Most Effective Home Based Remedies For Chlamydia
There are so many effective home based remedies that can be used for the complete treatment of Chlamydia
some of these are listed as below:
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How Is Chlamydia Treated
Chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics to kill the bacteria. After getting a diagnosis, it is recommended that any partner that you have had sexual contact with in the last 60 days, and/or your last sexual partner, be tested.
It is possible to transmit chlamydia even while being treated with antibiotics. Stay away from sexual contact until 7 days after completion of the full course of antibiotic medicationâeven if symptoms have already gone away. Three months after treatment, you should get re-tested for chlamydia .
Chlamydia Signs And Symptoms
Many people with chlamydia have few or no symptoms. In fact, 75% of women and 50% of men do not experience symptoms. If symptoms do show up, itâs 1-3 weeks after infection.
In men, the following symptoms can indicate a chlamydia infection:* Pain and/or swelling in your testes* Pain or burning whenever you pee* Increased amount of clear or cloudy discharge from the penis* Itching in or around your urethra
In women, the following chlamydia symptoms may appear:* Pain or burning when you pee* A change in color, odor, or consistency of your discharge from your normal* Pain or discomfort during sex or after sex* Bleeding after sex or outside of your normal menstrual cycle* Lower abdominal pain or discomfort
The most common and serious complications occur in women. Chlamydia in women can lead to serious consequences like pelvic inflammatory disease , ectopic pregnancy, tubal factor infertility, and chronic pelvic pain.
Symptoms of chlamydia in the throat are caused by having oral sex with someone with the infection. Chlamydia in the throat is considered a mouth infection and may look a lot like pharyngitis.and swallowing can be painful.
Throat symptoms donât show up very often, but if they do, youâll notice them a week or several months after the initial infection.
If you think you contracted the virus through oral sex, let your provider know so they can do a throat swab and test for the infection that way.
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