ABC of Chlamydia Testing

If you think that you have Chlamydia, or, if you don’t know what Chlamydia is and you have symptoms that are worrying you—for women they include pain during sex, for men a burning feeling while urinating (we’ll discuss more symptoms later on)—you should go and get tested.

Chlamydia testing is simple. There are two ways of getting tested if you are a man: the first is a urine test. Most men will prefer this, because the second test involves the doctor taking a cotton bud to “swab” the urethra at the tip of the penis to test for the presence of Chlamydia. You’ll be happy to hear that, nowadays, most doctors prefer the urine sample test. However, it isn’t as reliable as the swab. There is also a quick urine test, which can take less than an hour to get your results.

The test is the same for women. The difference is that a swab can be taken from the vagina by the patient herself (or by a health care professional). For both sexes, results of Chlamydia testing that are sent to the lab can take up to a week. This is a reason why patients prefer the fast urine test: if you’re concerned, it’s good to know your status quickly. The quicker you know your status, the quicker you can start treatment: if you’re positive, that is.

So, let’s talk about treatment. It’s easy to treat Chlamydia with antibiotics. Primary care doctor recommend azithromycin, which comes in a single dose. Single dose antibiotics can be a little bit hard on the stomach, so if you prefer, take doxycycline twice a day for a week instead. Remember, though: to avoid spreading it, the main thing is to abstain from sex until you are negative for Chlamydia.

Although you might consider Chlamydia to be a minor league STD, remember that it can have worrying complications. In women, it affects the cervix, the neck of the womb, and if it is left untreated it can cause infertility in 10% to 15% of cases. The official name for this is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). Chlamydia comes from the Greek word for “cloak”: which is appropriate, because often this STD infection has no symptoms. You have no way of knowing if you have it, unless you get tested.

Some of the symptoms are, for men, a discharge from the rectum or the penis; a tenderness or pain in the testicles and, as we mentioned earlier, a burning feeling while urinating. Apparently, men have more symptoms than women. Only about 30% of women have symptoms. These can include a discharge from the vagina, pain during intercourse, or a burning sensation while urinating. You will notice that the burning sensation is a symptom that Chlamydia has in common with a Urinary Tract Infection, so it is important to get tested in order to rule the latter out. You can’t treat Chlamydia with Cranberry juice!

More seriously, women who let the infection go for some time without being treated are at risk of PID, which is a bacterial infection of the fallopian tubes, the uterus or the ovaries. This complication occurs when the bacteria from a Chlamydia infection moves from the cervix further into the female reproductive organs. How is Chlamydia caused? Well, as with most STDs, it is caused by having unprotected sex with a partner who is positive for Chlamydia. A simple urine test can tell you if you have the infection. If you do, a simple antibiotic can clear it up. If you don’t, it can lead to infertility in women, and reduced fertility in men.

And, so, you see the importance of why you need to get chlamydia test. If you live in NYC and would like to get STD testing by a board certified STD clinic, log onto STD Clinic for more information. STD Clinic of New York is located just blocks from Grand Central Station and is therefore easily accessible by all means of public transportation. To ask any questions, or to book a convenient appointment, simply call 1-212-696-5900 to speak to a staff member.