Testing for Chlamydia is straight forward and can be carried out by taking a swab sample of the infected area and then passing that into a test cartridge supplied with the self-test kit. The result is then displayed within the test cartridge within minutes giving a negative or a positive reaction to the bacteria.
Chlamydia can be self-checked at home by noting your symptoms, but it's important to know that many people don't have symptoms. You may self-collect a sample using an at-home test, but none of these are FDA approved for use. How often you should test and retest will depend on many factors.
Because most people with chlamydia don't experience symptoms, doctors rely on screening tests to detect the majority of infections.
A doctor or nurse can test your urine for both chlamydia and gonorrhea. Sometimes, the doctor might take a sample from the vagina, penis, rectum, or throat instead. The test is easy and painless.
You can't tell if you have chlamydia just by the way you feel. The only way to know for sure if you have chlamydia is to get tested — whether or not you have symptoms.
Late-stage chlamydia refers to an infection that has spread to other parts of the body. For example, it may have spread to the cervix (cervicitis), testicular tubes (epididymitis), eyes (conjunctivitis), or throat (pharyngitis), causing inflammation and pain.
As most people do not have symptoms, it is possible the person (who tested positive) could have had chlamydia/gonorrhea from a previous relationship, and has not passed it to their partner yet.
What are the symptoms? Symptoms can occur within 2-14 days after infection. However, a person may have chlamydia for months, or even years, without knowing it.
You can get chlamydia from intercourse, anal sex or oral sex. Because chlamydia often doesn't cause symptoms, many people who have chlamydia don't know it and unknowingly infect other people. Regular screenings can help reduce chlamydia's spread.
If left untreated, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can lead to chronic pain and infertility. In men, untreated chlamydia can cause pain and swelling in one or both testicles. If detected early, chlamydia may be treated with a single dose of antibiotics.
If one partner tests positive for chlamydia and the other does not, there are a few possible explanations: The positive test result could be incorrect. The negative test result could be incorrect. The chlamydia might not have transmitted from the person to their partner.
To diagnose genital chlamydia in women using a NAAT, vaginal swabs are the optimal specimen. Urine is the specimen of choice for men. Urine is an effective alternative specimen type for women. Self-collected vaginal swab specimens perform as well as other approved specimens using NAATs.
By choosing Better2Know's instant Chlamydia test you will receive fast, accurate results in around 10 minutes, and also get the support and guidance of our experienced sexual health advisors. Your Better2Know doctor will prescribe any medication you need to ensure the infection is eliminated.
Getting tested for chlamydia
Anyone can get a free and confidential chlamydia test at a sexual health clinic, a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic or a GP surgery. In England, if you're a woman under 25 years old, you may be offered a chlamydia test when you visit some health services, for example a pharmacy or GP.
Chlamydia is a widespread sexually transmitted infection that can cause serious health problems if left untreated. While it cannot go away on its own, Chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics. Getting tested regularly for this STI is important if you are sexually active and not in a committed monogamous relationship.
Finding out whether you have had the infection in the past is trickier - the bacterium will probably disappear from your system within a year. However the disease may have left scars - and a doctor will be able to pick those up.
Apart from being infected at birth you can not catch chlamydia without performing some form of sexual act. However, you don't have to have penetrative sex to get infected, it is enough if your genitals come in contact with an infected person's sexual fluids (for example if your genitals touch).
How Is Chlamydia Spread? You can only get chlamydia from someone already infected with the STI; it's transmitted by vaginal, anal, or oral sex. If you've had it before, you can get reinfected with it, regardless if you were in contact with bodily fluids or not.
If you're in a monogamous relationship and either you or your partner develops an STI, keep in mind that the infection may not indicate that your partner was unfaithful. An STI screen may provide answers about who infected whom and when the initial infection took place.
Most of the time chlamydia doesn't have any symptoms at first, so there probably won't be any early signs. And sometimes the symptoms are so mild that people don't notice them or mistake them for something else. The only way to know for sure if you have chlamydia is to get tested — whether or not you have symptoms.
On the other hand, if you don't get tested or don't see a healthcare provider for treatment, chlamydia can live in the body for weeks, months, or even years without being detected. This can lead to long-term complications, including infertility.
While it is possible to have vaginal, oral, or anal sex with an infected partner and not get infected, it's unlikely. For more information, check out the “Prevention” link on the home page. What symptoms can develop if you get chlamydia or gonorrhea after giving oral sex?