Testing for Chlamydia

FAQ About Chlamydia Testing

Whether you are experiencing concerning symptoms, like pain when urinating, or just want to take a screening exam for peace of mind, you might have questions about testing for chlamydia.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States. It typically spreads through oral, vaginal, and anal sex. Untreated chlamydia can cause serious complications ranging from reactive arthritis to infertility, so early detection and treatment are key.

Because chlamydia infections don’t always cause symptoms, most people don’t even know they have it. When symptoms do appear, they often look like other STIs. What does all of this mean to you? It means chlamydia testing is the only way to know if you have the infection.

Fortunately, chlamydia tests are typically painless, reliable, and quick. In fact, a rapid STD test can get you results in just one to three days.

Who Should Get Tested for Chlamydia and Why

When you have chlamydia, early detection is key. Testing for chlamydia early on can prevent you from experiencing some of the more serious health issues that come from untreated infections. It can also protect your sexual partners from contracting the infection.

Let’s go over who should get tested for chlamydia — some at-risk groups should schedule routine testing to protect their health.

People with Symptoms of Chlamydia

While chlamydia often doesn’t make you feel any different, you should get tested if you have any of the following chlamydia symptoms.

Symptoms of chlamydia in women include:

  • A burning sensation or pain while urinating
  • Any unusual discharge from the vagina
  • Pain in your abdominal or pelvic region
  • Pain during intercourse or bleeding afterwards
  • Bleeding between periods

Symptoms of chlamydia in men include:

  • A burning sensation or pain when urinating
  • Any white, cloudy, or watery discharge from the penis
  • A burning sensation or itching in the urethra (the tube that takes urine out of the body)
  • Pain in the testicles or anus

However, keep in mind that many people — including at least 70% of women and 50% of men — don’t have any symptoms at all.

If you do experience symptoms, you typically notice them between one and three weeks after having unprotected sex with an infected person. But you might not develop symptoms until several months later, or you may have symptoms that disappear after just a few days.

Even without any symptoms, you could still pass the infection on to others. Whether or not you have any signs of chlamydia, same-day testing with Rapid STD Testing will let you know for sure if you are infected.

People Belonging to High-Risk Groups

While you may not consider yourself high-risk, the pervasiveness of chlamydia means that a large portion of the American population falls into this category.

If you are in any of the following groups, CDC recommendations suggest regular chlamydia screening exams.

  • Sexually active women under 25. The chlamydia infection rate is highest in this group, so an annual screening test is recommended.
  • Pregnant women. You may be screened for chlamydia at your first prenatal exam. If you give birth while infected, you can give chlamydia to your baby.
  • Men who have sex with men (MSM). Because chlamydia is also common in this group, MSM should consider more frequent chlamydia screening.
  • Anyone of any age who:
    1. Has more than one partner or plans to have sex with a new partner
    2. Has a partner who has a sexually transmitted disease or who has sex with other people
    3. Has HIV
    4. Lives somewhere with higher chlamydia infection rates, such as a prison

If any of these criteria apply to you, you should get tested for chlamydia even if you do not have symptoms.

spread-img
med-img

Types of Chlamydia Tests: What to Expect

So you’ve decided you want to get tested for chlamydia. How does it all work?

Testing for chlamydia involves collecting a sample of cells and sending the sample to a lab for testing. You don’t necessarily have to be examined by a medical professional first.

At Rapid STD Testing, you can order a single chlamydia test or a comprehensive 10-panel STD test without anyone knowing — not your doctor or your insurance company.

Chlamydia Swab Tests vs Urine Tests

When you get a chlamydia test, your provider will collect a sample in one of two ways:

  • Swab tests: A swab test involves wiping a small cotton swab gently over the potentially infected area, such as the vagina or anus.
  • Urine tests: With a urine test, you simply urinate into a container (ideally at least one hour after the last time you went to the bathroom).

Turnaround times for chlamydia tests in the United States are often very quick. You can typically expect results from urine samples in about a day.

Swab tests using cell cultures are not as fast. If your provider took a sample with a swab, it may take around a week to get results.

Testing for chlamydia is sensitive, accurate, and reliable. However, if you are tested less than two weeks after having unprotected sex, you may need to repeat the test just to make sure you were not infected.

When To Schedule a Chlamydia Test

You can get tested for chlamydia at your doctor’s office, the health department, a community health clinic, or a rapid testing center. Rapid STD Testing can help you locate a testing center near you.

You can get a chlamydia test any time after you have unprotected sex. However, not all infections are detectable in the early stages. The incubation period for chlamydia is 7 to 21 days, which means you may not see symptoms for several weeks (if you have any at all). If you receive a negative result less than two weeks after the potential exposure, you might be asked to repeat the test.

Is Chlamydia Testing Covered by Insurance?

If your healthcare provider ordered your chlamydia test, your health insurance may cover it. Health plans vary, so you will need to discuss the cost of testing with your insurance company.

Unfortunately, health insurance plans sometimes raise your rates if you test positive for an STD. In that case, you may prefer the privacy of ordering your own STD test through a company like Rapid STD testing.

If you don’t have health insurance (or don’t want to use it), the cost for a chlamydia test may include the price of an in-office visit, sample collection, and technician fees. You may be able to find free or low-cost testing at your local health department or community health center.

At Rapid STD Testing, we offer affordable, private single STD tests, so find a local testing center near you and schedule your test.

Post-Diagnosis: Treatment and Partner Notification

If you test positive for chlamydia, don’t panic. It is treatable. Still, a positive result can produce all kinds of questions, like “How is chlamydia treated?”

Doctors prescribe antibiotics to treat chlamydia infections. Depending on the specific medicine you receive, you might take a single dose or you may need to take it daily (or multiple times a day) for a week. Typically, chlamydia infections clear up within one to two weeks of taking antibiotics.

After completing your antibiotic treatment, your provider may recommend that you test again. Follow-up tests may occur about three weeks after treatment (to make sure the infection is gone) and about three months after finishing treatment (to check for reinfection).

Preventing Reinfection

Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. For that reason, you will need to take steps to prevent catching it again.

Even if you have received treatment, you can still spread chlamydia at first. Avoid any sexual contact until your infection clears. If you took a single-dose antibiotic, this means not having sex for seven days. If you took a seven-day course of antibiotics, don’t have sex until you complete treatment and your symptoms are gone.

In addition, make sure any sexual partners you had in the last 60 days seek screening and treatment, even if they have no symptoms. Otherwise, you may pass the infection back and forth. Avoid sex until all exposed partners receive treatment.

Finally, remember that you can lower your chances of contracting chlamydia by doing the following:

  • Having a mutually monogamous sex partner who has tested negative for STDs
  • Using condoms properly every time you have sexual intercourse

You can’t get chlamydia from bad hygiene. Having chlamydia doesn’t come from skipping a shower or forgetting to wash your hands after being in public. However, bad hygiene may indirectly lead to catching chlamydia if you engage in certain behaviors like not washing sex toys between partners.

positive
pregnant-mom.png

Take Charge of Your Health With a Chlamydia Test

If you don’t know if you have chlamydia, getting tested is the only way to find out.

Testing for chlamydia can also benefit those around you. Informing sexual partners of any communicable diseases is not always easy, but it’s usually smart. It protects them from getting infected with chlamydia, and it can even prevent you from catching it again.

Ready to get started? Chlamydia testing at Rapid STD Testing is quick, painless, private, and affordable. We offer confidential results in as little as one day. Call us for more information, order STD tests online, or visit a testing center near you.