Chlamydia Testing
Chlamydia is the most reported sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the U.S. About seventy-five percent of infected women and about fifty percent of infected men show no signs of having Chlamydia. Which is why Chlamydia is sometimes called the "silent" disease. If symptoms appear, it is usually 1 to 3 weeks following exposure.
Who gets Chlamydia?
Chlamydia transmits during oral, anal or vaginal sex. Infected mothers might give Chlamydia to their infant during vaginal childbirth.
Sexually active teen girls and younger women have a higher risk of a Chlamydia infection because their cervix is not fully matured. And, because Chlamydia can be passed via anal, or oral sex, men having sex with men are also at risk for being infected with Chlamydia.
How is Chlamydia treated?
Antibiotics easily treat and cure Chlamydia. Either one dose of azithromycin or doxycyline for a week (given two times a day) are given to treat the infection.
Chlamydia Test Information
Chlamydia is detected through a urine sample. A morning urine sample is preferred, but also acceptable is a specimen from an individual who has not urinated for at least one to two hours prior to testing.
Chlamydia Symptoms
Chlamydia symptoms can be mild, or non-existent. The infection, however, can cause irreversible damage if not treated. Complications such as infertility can occur in a woman before she even discovers she has Chlamydia. With women, Chlamydia bacteria infect the urethra and the cervix first.
- When Chlamydia spreads from the cervix to the fallopian tubes, some women still may exhibit no symptoms; others may experience pain with intercourse or bleeding in between periods, fever, nausea, lower back pain, or lower abdominal pain.
- Women with symptoms might also have a painful or burning feeling while urinating and a vaginal discharge that does not seem normal.
- Men may experience itching or burning near the penis opening. Pain and swelling are uncommon in the testicles.
- Men showing symptoms might also have penile discharge or a burning feeling while urinating.
Although Chlamydia bacteria typically infect the urethra, cervix, or rectum, the throat can also be infected through oral sex. Also, if an infected area is touched, and then the eye is touched, Chlamydia bacteria can infect the eye. In underdeveloped areas when treatment is not readily available, these eye infections can lead to blindness.