Chlamydia Tests

Why It Is Done

A test for chlamydia is done to:

• See whether symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) are caused by a chlamydia infection.
• Check people who are at high risk for being infected with chlamydia. A chlamydia infection does not always cause symptoms. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends checking for chlamydia for:
  • All sexually active women age 24 or younger.
  • Women older than age 24 with high-risk sexual behaviors.
  • All pregnant women in the first trimester and again in the third trimester if high-risk sexual behaviors are reported. Treating a pregnant woman who has a chlamydia infection can prevent an infection in her newborn.
  • All women with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
  • All women with symptoms of a cervical infection (cervicitis) found on a pelvic exam.
• Check for infection in a newborn whose mother had a chlamydia infection at the time of delivery.

How To Prepare

A chlamydia test is done on either a urine sample or fluid (direct sample) collected from the area of the body that is most likely to be infected. If your chlamydia test is being done on a:

• Urine sample: Do not urinate for 2 hours before a urine sample is collected.
• Direct sample (usually from the cervix): A woman should not douche or use vaginal creams or medicines for 24 hours before having a chlamydia test.

How It Is Done

Urine sample

If a urine sample is collected for nucleic acid amplification testing (such as PCR testing), do not urinate for 2 hours before the test. Do not wipe the genital area clean before urinating. Collect the first part of your urine stream, immediately as you begin urinating.

Direct sample

In a direct sample, a sample of body fluid is taken from the affected area. In adults, these areas may include the cervix, urethra, vagina, rectum, or eye.

• For men. To collect a sample from the urethra or rectum, your doctor will insert a swab into the opening of your urethra or rectum. A sample from the urethra is more likely to detect chlamydia if a man has not urinated for at least 2 hours before the sample is taken.
• For women. To collect a sample from the cervix, you will take off your clothes below the waist and drape a cloth around your waist. You will lie on your back on an exam table with your feet raised and supported by stirrups. This allows your doctor to examine your vagina and genital area. Your doctor will insert a lubricated speculum into your vagina. The speculum gently spreads apart the vaginal walls so the inside of the vagina and the cervix can be looked at. Samples are collected from the cervix with a swab or small brush.
• To collect a sample from your eye, your doctor will gently brush the insides of your lower and upper eyelids with a swab.

There is also a self-test for women to collect a sample from their vagina and bring it to the lab for testing.

In rare cases, a throat culture may be done.

How It Feels

There is no discomfort in collecting a urine sample.

Collecting a sample of fluid from the urethra, anus, or rectum may cause mild discomfort or pain.

Collecting a sample from the cervix may cause mild discomfort. Most women find that the procedure feels like a Pap test or pelvic exam. Some women feel some cramping when the speculum is inside the vagina.

Collecting a sample from the eye is painless unless the eyelids have sores on them.

What Affects the Test

Reasons you may not be able to have the test or why the results may not be helpful include:

• Stool with the rectal sample.
• Using antibiotics before the test.

What To Think About

• If a chlamydia infection is suspected, do not have sexual intercourse until the test results have come back. If you have a chlamydia infection, do not have sexual intercourse for 7 days after the start of treatment. Your sex partner(s) should also be treated for a chlamydia infection so that you don't get reinfected and so that others don't get infected.
• Screening for and treating chlamydia can help prevent pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). To learn more about the treatment of a chlamydia infection, see the topic Chlamydia.
• Other sexually transmitted infections may be present at the same time as chlamydia. So it is important to be tested and treated for all STIs. Chlamydia as well as other STIs can also increase the chance of getting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). An HIV test may be offered at the same time as a test for chlamydia or other STIs.