Screening for chlamydia is done by urine test in men and by vaginal swab in women. Where to get tested? How long to wait for the results? How do we know if we are positive? Can the test be done without a prescription?
There chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) related to bacteria: Chlamydia trachomatis. It is transmitted exclusively through sex. “The majority of STIs are silent (i.e. asymptomatic) from where the importance of massive and regular screening“ straightaway recalls Dr Stéphane Romand, medical biologist, who recommends at least 1 screening per year when having regular sexual activity, even when there are no symptoms. What is the test to detect chlamydia in women? In humans? Where to take a test for chlamydia? Without a prescription? How find out if the test is positive ? How interpret the results?
What is the test to detect chlamydia in women?
“In women, local vaginal sampling should be preferred because the urine test is less sensitive.“advises Dr. Romand. Indeed, the urinary tract in women is independent of the vaginal duct. “We really need avoiding urine tests to diagnose chlamydia in women“ insists the medical biologist. Vaginal sampling can be done self-sampling in the laboratory or at home (and the swab is brought back to the laboratory). “Today we have a PCR test diagnostic method via a very sensitive molecular method that detects the bacteria very well. In particular, it allows detect several bacteria at the same time (same swab), this is called duplex PCR“says our interlocutor. blood test can also detect antibodies chlamydia, i.e. showing a past or cured infection but not a current infection.
What is the test for chlamydia in men?
In man, perform a urine test. “We no longer need to perform urethral swabs, which was very unpleasant“says Dr. Romand. The sample urine is then analyzed with the molecular biology method in PCR.
Where to get tested for chlamydia? Without a prescription?
The chlamydia test can be performed with or without a prescription (the difference lies only in the reimbursement), in several places:
- medical biology laboratories
- free information, screening and diagnostic centers (CeGIDD): anonymous and free screening centers (CDAG), STI information, screening and diagnosis centers (CIDDIST)
- sexual health centers
- IMP centers (maternal and child protection)
- AIDS associations
- PASS (Permanent access to health care for people in precarious situations)
Can you do the chlamydia test in a pharmacy?
“To date, chlamydia detection tests are only possible in the laboratory and not yet in the pharmacy. They can, however, be made at home bringing the swab back to the laboratory“says Dr. Romand.
Do you have to fast for the chlamydia test?
It is not no need to fast. “You just need a two-hour retention for urine tests“Advocates the expert. Nothing for vaginal tests in women.
How long does it take to get the results?
In laboratory, the delay is quite short, the test result comes out the same day or the next day. The turnaround time for the results is several days if the screening is carried out in a health centre.
How long to wait after sex?
“The incubation of chlamydia infection requires at least 2 days so it is recommended to carry out the screening test at least 48 hours after sexual intercourse“advises the biologist.
A line in your drug test report says “chlamydia trachomatis“:
► if on the right is written “positive” this means that you are infected with the bacteria responsible for chlamydia infection. You must therefore return to the doctor to prescribe treatment. “Biologists are there to explain their results to patients and give them treatment advice, especially if the person came to be tested without a prescription (therefore without an associated doctor). We mention in particular the importance of testing the sexual partner(s)“underlines Dr. Romand.
► if you read “negative” then you are not affected by the infection.
What can distort the result of a chlamydia test?
The molecular tests of the PCR being hypersensitive, they can detect the genome of the bacterium when it is “dead”. “This is why it is necessary respect a period of at least 4 weeks after stopping treatment to check that the chlamydia infection is completely cured, recalls the medical biologist. In addition, in women, it sometimes happens that very weak detections of the genome of the bacterium come out at the end of the test (especially when the test is carried out on urine). In this case, a new vaginal swab test is performed to confirm or refute suspicions.
Thanks to Dr Stéphane Romand, medical biologist at Unilabs France.