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    Lois McGuire, R.N., M.S.N., W.H.N.P.

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  • April 25, 2009

    Blog: Have you had your chlamydia test this year?

    By Lois McGuire, R.N., M.S.N., W.H.N.P.

6 comments posted

To get a chlamydia test, you don't need a complete gynecologic exam — just a urine sample. If you're age 24 or younger and you've ever had sex, you owe it to yourself to get tested as soon as you can. A yearly chlamydia test is recommended for all sexually active women younger than age 25.

Some common questions

Why does this recommendation focus on young women?

  • The highest rate of chlamydia is in women age 15 to 19.
  • Most chlamydia infections don't cause symptoms in women or men.
  • Up to 40 percent of untreated chlamydia infections in women lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause infertility, a sad legacy that may not be apparent for years.
  • Women infected with chlamydia are five times more likely to become infected with HIV.

Why do you need a test every year?

  • Your partner can reinfect you after you've both been treated at once. People without symptoms of an infection often forget to take prescribed antibiotics on schedule or stop treatment before they should. The infection persists, and it can ping-pong back to you.
  • You can catch chlamydia over and over again. Treatment doesn't protect you from another chlamydia infection, even if you only have sex once or twice after you're treated.

Chlamydia testing is also a must for pregnant women. You should be tested as early in your pregnancy as possible. If your test is positive, you and your partner should both be treated. Also, if you start a new relationship during your pregnancy, tell your provider so you can get tested again.

The good news

Uncomplicated chlamydia is easy to treat and cure with antibiotics. The treatment is the same for men and women. There are two main treatment options.

  • Azithromycin. This antibiotic can be given as a single dose. Because azithromycin is a one-time treatment, you won't need to worry whether your partner remembered to take all of it. Azithromycin is safe during pregnancy.
  • Doxycycline. You take this antibiotic in two doses — one in the morning and one at night — for seven days. Doxycycline is not safe during pregnancy.

Tips for couples

Before you start treatment:

  • Ask your health care provider to write a prescription for both of you. Some providers do that routinely.
  • Make sure your partner is not allergic to the medication.

During and after treatment:

  • Abstain from intercourse for the entire time you're on medication and for one week afterwards to prevent reinfection.
  • If you and your partner finish the medication as directed, it is not necessary to go back to your provider for a recheck.
  • If your symptoms persist, make an appointment to see your provider for further evaluation.

6 comments posted

blog index

  • July 9, 2009 9:38 a.m.

    Dear ee mann, For women, the symptoms may include: abdominal pain, abnormal vaginal discharge, bleeding between menstrual periods, low-grade fever, painful intercourse, pain or a burning feeling while urinating, swelling inside the vagina or around the anus, the urge to urinate more than usual, vaginal bleeding after intercourse, a yellowish discharge from the cervix that may have a strong smell. When men have symptoms, they may experience: pain or a burning feeling while urinating, pus or watery or milky discharge from the penis, swollen or tender testicles, swelling around the anus. In both women and men, chlamydia may cause the anus to itch and bleed. It can also result in a discharge and diarrhea. If chlamydia infects the eyes, it may cause redness, itching, and a discharge. If chlamydia infects the throat, it may cause soreness. Remember!!! 75% women experience no symptoms. 50% of men do not have symptoms.

    - Lois McGuire

  • July 3, 2009 3:15 p.m.

    Have I missed something essential or is an actual description of a chlamydial discharge and concomitant symptoms nowhere to be found in these two articles?

    - ee mann

  • June 5, 2009 1:00 p.m.

    Excellent information related to chlamydia. If a woman is on Medicaid in Michgian, a chlamydia test is a covered benefit. More commercial insurance companies should pay for this test.

    - Samantha

  • May 13, 2009 10:02 a.m.

    Very helpful post, these days there are free tests you can take to find out if you have chlamydia or not. You can get a free chlamydia test from freetest.me.uk in the UK. Or else try seaching in google for somewhere more local. Hope this is helpful!

    - Kylie

  • May 2, 2009 4:05 p.m.

    If you are low-income, many healthcare providers will offer free or low cost STD tests. In fact, if you are living in Iowa, have Medicaid, and are under 25 year old, you can get tested for free.

    - Nicole

  • April 26, 2009 8:06 a.m.

    In the UK, you can get free Chlamydia postal tests from the www.freetest.me.uk website!

    - Tim

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