How Do You Prevent Chlamydia
Using a new male or female condom or dental dam every time you have sex is the best way to protect against chlamydia.
Chlamydia can be passed on by sharing sex toys. Always cover sex toys with a new condom and wash them after use to reduce your risk of getting chlamydia and other STIs.
Its important to regularly test for chlamydia, even if you dont have any symptoms, especially if youve had multiple sexual partners.
The contraceptive pill and other types of contraception wont prevent you getting chlamydia, and neither will PrEP.
How Long Does It Take To Show Up In The Throat
Symptoms of chlamydia in your throat are typically caused by having oral sex with someone whos contracted the infection.
Its much less common to notice throat symptoms, but they may still appear after a week or so, up to a few months or longer.
STI tests that look for chlamydia arent always done on the throat since its an area that does not carry the infection often. Ask your doctor for a throat swab or other chlamydia test if you think youve been exposed through oral sex.
Here are the most common symptoms of chlamydia in both people with penises and people with vulvas.
Determinants For Uptake Of Testing
Table Table44 shows the univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses of determinants associated with chlamydia retesting through 35 weeks after assigned date. In multivariable analysis, retesting was significantly associated with the female sex , older age , Dutch ethnicity , and earlier assigned retest interval .
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Where Can I Get Tested For Chlamydia
You can get tested for chlamydia and other STDs at your doctors office, a community health clinic, the health department, or your local Planned Parenthood health center. In some states, you can do an online visit and take a chlamydia test at home.
STD testing isnt always part of your regular checkup or gynecologist exam you have to ask for it. Be open and honest with your nurse or doctor so they can help you figure out which tests you may need. Dont be embarrassed: Your doctor is there to help, not to judge.
How Soon Do Std Symptoms Appear
How long it takes for an STD to show up in testing is entirely dependent on the STD itself, how long its own incubation period is, and your own bodys immune response. You can test for some STDs, like chlamydia, only a day after potential exposure. Meanwhile, HIV and syphilis can take a month or more before you can accurately test for them. Its all pretty confusing but lucky for you, we created a nifty little chart that breaks down each STDs average incubation period.
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How Long Does It Take To Show Up On A Test
There are several tests that you doctor might use to diagnose chlamydia:
- Urine test. Youll pee in a cup thats sent off to a laboratory testing facility to see if any chlamydia bacteria are present in your urine.
- Blood test. Your doctor will use a sterile needle to draw some of your blood and send it to a lab to see if antibodies to the chlamydia bacteria are present in your bloodstream.
- Swab. Your doctor will use a cotton round or stick to take a small sample of tissue or fluid that carries the infection, which is then sent to a lab to be cultured so that lab technicians can see what bacteria grows from the sample.
How long it takes for the results to show up depends on the test and on your specific health insurance plan.
- Urine tests take about 2 to 5 days to show a positive or negative result.
- Blood tests can come back with results in a few minutes if the blood is analyzed on site. But they can take a week or more if sent to an off-site lab.
- Swab results take about 2 to 3 days to show a positive or negative.
1 to 3 weeks to show up in people with vulvas.
Symptoms may take up a few months to show up. This is because bacteria are living creatures and have an incubation period that affects how long it takes them to cluster together and become infectious.
This incubation period is dependent on a variety of factors, including:
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Retesting After Treatment To Detect Repeat Infections
Retesting 3 months after diagnosis of chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis can detect repeat infection and potentially can be used to enhance population-based prevention . Any person who has a positive test for chlamydia or gonorrhea, along with women who have a positive test for trichomonas, should be rescreened 3 months after treatment. Any person who receives a syphilis diagnosis should undergo follow-up serologic syphilis testing per current recommendations and follow-up testing for HIV . Additional information regarding retesting is available elsewhere in this report .
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When Will The Signs And Symptoms Go Away
You should notice an improvement quite quickly after having treatment.
- Discharge or pain when you urinate should improve within a week.
- Bleeding between periods or heavier periods should improve by your next period.
- Pelvic pain and pain in the testicles should start to improve quickly but may take up to two weeks to go away.
If you have pelvic pain or painful sex that doesnt improve, see your doctor or nurse as it may be necessary to have some further treatment or investigate other possible causes of the pain.
Does Chlamydia Cause Cervical Cancer
No, chlamydia doesnt cause cervical cancer.
Its possible to get a sexually transmitted infection by having sex with someone who has an STI, even if they have no symptoms.
The following measures will help protect you from most STIs including chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV.
If you have an STI, theyll also help prevent you from passing it on to someone:
- Avoid sharing sex toys. If you do share them, wash them or cover them with a new condom before anyone else uses them.
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Who Should Get Tested For Chlamydia
We recommend getting tested for chlamydia if you:
- Have had sex with an infected partner
- Have new or multiple sex partners
- Show chlamydia symptoms
- Want to check your status
- Are entering a new relationship
How Often Should You Get Tested?
If you believe you may have been exposed to chlamydia, you should get tested for chlamydia asap. Because certain people are at higher risk of getting chlamydia, the CDC recommends at least yearly testing for the following groups:
- Sexually active women under 25
- Women with risk factors like new or multiple sex partners
- Men who have sex with men
Pregnant women should test for chlamydia during their first prenatal visit and again during the third trimester if they are under 25 or have risk factors.1
Getting tested regularly for chlamydia and other common sexually transmitted diseases is important. Untreated chlamydia infection can cause serious health complications like:
- Increased risk of contracting other sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, if exposed
What Should You Do If You Test Positive?
We understand how stressful testing positive can be. The good news is that chlamydia is curable and, if caught early, it wont cause lasting health problems. You should also discuss your status with your sexual partner so they can get tested and treated.
Read more about our doctor consultation.
Where Can I Get Tested
Sexual health clinics, a genitourinary medicine clinics or GP surgeries provide free and confidential chlamydia testing. In England there is a national screening program for people under 25 years test kits are available in many pharmacies, contraception clinics, or colleges. Home testing kits may also be purchased in some pharmacies and online.
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How Soon Should I Retest After Treatment
Follow-up testing can be very helpful and give you peace of mind. In most cases, it is important to retest after treatment to be sure you are no longer infected. For example, if you test positive for gonorrhea or chlamydia, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics to treat these STDs. Retesting after completing the course of antibiotics is an effective way to ensure the treatment was successful. If you are still testing positive, you will need to discuss additional treatment options with your healthcare provider.
An exception is HSV-2 which is a lifetime infection. Retesting after testing positive for HSV-2 is not needed. Individuals testing positive for HIV and HPV often require additional testing during or following treatment. This type of testing is best done by the clinical provider treating you.
There is disagreement among major medical and public health organizations about retesting time schedules. In many cases, there is limited data or even no data to make an evidence-based recommendation. Given the current state of knowledge, our recommendations for retesting emphasize staying healthy and disease free. Retesting is especially important when sex partners do not receive treatment, individuals have sex with new infected partners, or sex occurs without using condoms.
- Genital Herpes: 2-14 days
How Do I Protect Myself
Chlamydia is common, but theres one cheap, easy, and accessible way to prevent it: Condoms! Because the infection lives in fluids , condoms provide great protection against it. Well even give you some for free!
You can also avoid re-infection by getting treated if you have symptoms and making sure your partner gets treated, too. That way you can avoid passing the infection back and forth.
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Why Is It Important To Treat Chlamydia
If left untreated chlamydia is unlikely to go away. It can be passed onto sexual partners and can cause serious harm. Women can get cervicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease. This can result in permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, which may lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy. Chlamydia also can cause a reactive arthritis. Men can suffer with urethritis , this can spread to the contents of the scrotal sac – epididymis and testicles. This causes pain, and in severe cases infertility. Men can also get a reactive arthritis.
How Is Chlamydia Treated
Chlamydia can be easily cured with prescription antibiotics. If you are positive, you need to notify your sexual partners so they can get tested and treated. Not getting treated can cause serious health problems, and you may be at high risk for re-infection if infected sex partners arent treated. There are a few different chlamydia pills for treatment options.
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Does Azithromycin Also Cure Chlamydia
Azithromycin was the first choice antibiotic to treat chlamydia until February 2019 when BASHH guidance was issued recommending a 7-day course of doxycycline as the first choice treatment based on recent data. Azithromycin is now recommended only for pregnant women and those with an allergy to doxycycline.
How Common Is Chlamydia
Chlamydia is very common. In the United States, its the most common bacterial STI. The CDC estimates that almost 3 million people get chlamydia annually. New cases are most common among people ages 14-24.
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Is There Anything Else I Need To Know About A Chlamydia Test
Chlamydia testing can help you avoid lasting health problems and stop the spread of this disease. You can also take steps to protect yourself from getting chlamydia.
- Having sex with only one partner who has tested negative for STDs and who has sex only with you
- Using condoms correctly every time you have sex
Can Chlamydia Go Away And Come Back
If youve had unprotected intercourse, its likely you may not have chlamydia if your partner is not infected. If treated chlamydia can go away and not come back if you abstain or ensure protected sex.
However, dont assume chlamydia will go away without taking medications. You may not have symptoms immediately and may still have chlamydia long-term problems.
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How To Get Tested For Chlamydia
If youre wondering how to test for chlamydia safely, here are several ways you can do so. Depending on your medical history and health concerns, your healthcare provider may suggest more than one test to see if you have a sexually transmitted infection. A panel might require a blood sample, genital swab, or urine sample.
While chlamydia isnt a bloodborne disease, blood tests can determine whether you have chlamydia antibodies, which can reveal current or past chlamydia infections.
A penile or vaginal swab is another method your healthcare provider may use to test for STIs. For this type of test, your doctor uses a cotton swab for specimen collection.
Can you test for chlamydia through urine? The answer to this question is âyes,â and itâs quite a common testing method. In fact, you can use a urine sample to test for chlamydia at home. With the Everlywell Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Test, you simply urinate in a collection cup and place your urine specimen in the mail. Your sample is then tested in a CLIA-certified laboratory. The lab that tests your sample uses molecular testing techniquesâknown as nucleic acid amplification testsâwhich identify the DNA of gonorrhea and chlamydia in your sample.
If I Have Chlamydia Am I At Risk Of Other Sexually Transmitted Infections
Yes. By definition, having unprotected sex means risk of STI. As well as chlamydia, there are also genital warts, genital herpes, gonorrhoea, HIV, pubic lice, and syphilis. Like with chlamydia, gonorrhoea may well cause no symptoms, so being tested is the only way to really know. This can be done at your local sexual health clinic.
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How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Getting Chlamydia
If you are sexually active, you can do the following things to lower your chances of getting chlamydia:
- Be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and has negative STD test results
- Use latex condoms the right way every time you have sex.
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What Will The Results Show
The results will state either detected or not detected. If your results say not detected, then you have not been infected with chlamydia or gonorrhea. If your results say detected, that means that you had a positive result for the test and will be able to discuss treatment options with one of the physicians that we work with. You will not be charged anything extra to speak with a physicianthat consultation is included with test.
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Just Diagnosed Next Steps After Testing Positive For Gonorrhea Or Chlamydia
If youve just found out that you have gonorrhea or chlamydia, you may be trying to figure out what to do next. Here are the three most important steps that you can take:
WHY?Many people with gonorrhea and chlamydia dont have symptoms. Why does this matter? Because an untreated infection can lead to serious and permanent health problems, even if you never have symptoms. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can be cured with the right medicine from your doctor. Just make sure you take all of your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you to.
WHERE?Your regular doctor can prescribe antibiotics to cure the STD. But if you dont have insurance or want to see someone else for treatment, there are other low-cost or free options. You can get tested and treated at your local health departments STD clinic, a family planning clinic, a student health center, or an urgent care clinic. You can also find a clinic using GetTested and ask if they offer treatment for gonorrhea and chlamydia.
- In women, untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to health problems like ectopic pregnancy or infertility .
- In men, chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause a painful condition in the tubes attached to the testicles. In rare cases, this may prevent him from being able to have children.
- Untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV the virus that causes AIDS.
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Anogenital And Conjunctival Chlamydia
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Notes:
- Erythromycin is associated with significantly higher gastrointestinal side effects than other treatment regimens.Footnote 8Footnote 9Footnote 10Footnote 11Footnote 12
- Equivalent dosages of other formulations may be substituted for erythromycin base.
- Topical therapy for conjunctivitis is inadequate, systemic treatment is sufficient.Footnote 13
Consult with a pediatric specialist or an experienced colleague and relevant clinical guidelines when chlamydia is diagnosed in a child. Perinatally acquired C. trachomatis can persist for up to three years. Consider sexual abuse when a chlamydial infection is diagnosed in any prepubertal child.Footnote 14
Note: Suspected sexual abuse of children must be reported to the local child protection agency.
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