How long does chlamydia take to go away after treatment

How soon after sex can I have a test?

It’s important not to delay going for a test if you think you might have chlamydia. A test can be carried out straight away but you may be advised to have another test two weeks after having sex. You can have a test for chlamydia even if you don’t have any symptoms.

What does a chlamydia test involve?

• If you have a vulva, you may be asked to take a swab around the inside of your vagina yourself.
• A doctor or nurse may take a swab during an internal examination of your vagina and cervix (entrance to the womb).
• You may be asked to provide a urine sample. Before having this test, you’re advised not to pass urine (pee) for 1–2 hours.
• A doctor or nurse may take a swab from the entrance of the urethra (tube where urine comes out).
• If you’ve had anal or oral sex, a doctor or nurse may swab your rectum (back passage) or throat (you may be given the option to do your own tests). These swabs aren’t done routinely on everyone.
• If you have symptoms of conjunctivitis (an eye infection) swabs will be used to collect a sample of discharge from your eye(s).

A swab looks a bit like a cotton bud but is smaller and rounded. It sometimes has a small plastic loop on the end rather than a cotton tip. It’s wiped over the parts of the body that could be infected. This only takes a few seconds and isn’t painful, though it may be uncomfortable for a moment.

Cervical screening (smear tests) and routine blood tests don’t detect chlamydia.

If you’re not sure whether you’ve been tested for chlamydia, just ask.

How accurate are the tests?

The accuracy of a chlamydia test depends on the kind of test used and the type of sample that’s collected. The recommended tests are over 95% accurate in picking up chlamydia. As no test is 100% accurate there’s a small chance that the test will give a negative result when you do have chlamydia. This is known as a false negative result. This can sometimes explain why you might get a different result from another test or why you and a partner might get a different test result.

It’s possible for the test to be positive if you haven’t got chlamydia, but this is rare.

Where can I get a test?

There are a number of services you can go to. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with.

A chlamydia test can be done at:

• a genitourinary medicine (GUM) or sexual health clinic
• your general practice
• contraception and young people’s clinics
• some pharmacies.

Abortion clinics, antenatal services and some gynaecology services may also offer a chlamydia test.

In England, if you’re a woman aged under 25 years old, you may be offered a chlamydia test as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) when you visit some service for other reasons, for example at a pharmacy or your GP. 

The NCSP aims to identify people without symptoms to reduce the complications of untreated infection.  If chlamydia is not treated, it can cause health complications, especially in women.  Untreated chlamydia in women can cause pain in the pelvis, ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy in the fallopian tubes) and infertility (being unable to have children).

If you are a woman aged under 25 years old and you are offered a chlamydia test as part of the NCSP you should consider taking it. 

In many areas, free home self-sampling tests for chlamydia are available to order online. This is where you take your own sample and send it to be tested. See www.nhs.uk

It’s also possible to buy a chlamydia test to do at home. The accuracy of these tests varies. Some types are very accurate when carried out according to the instructions, others can be less reliable. If you buy a testing kit make sure you get advice from a pharmacist or your doctor.

You can also choose to pay for a chlamydia test at a private clinic.

Will I have to pay for tests?

All tests are free through NHS services and the National Chlamydia Screening Programme. Treatment from these services is also free (see Treatment).

Will I know how long I've had the infection?

A chlamydia test can’t tell you how long the infection’s been there.

If you feel upset or angry about having chlamydia and find it difficult to talk to a partner or friends, don’t be afraid to discuss how you feel with the staff at the clinic or general practice.

Chlamydia treatment is straightforward and has a success rate of 95% or more.

An infected person will usually receive a single dose of an antibiotic. In some instances (eg in men with testicular pain or women with pelvic pain) a longer course of antibiotics may be warranted.

Results for chlamydia tests take seven working days. If you test positive you may be asked to return to clinic for treatment. However in some instances you may be given chlamydia treatment on the day of your test, ie without waiting for your results. This may occur if you report a sexual partner has been infected with chlamydia or if a condition known as an NSU is diagnosed in men who have a urethral swab taken.

If you have been infected with chlamydia it is possible you may also have another STI. Therefore it is advisable that you have a full sexual health screen for gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV. Any of our three sexual health clinics routinely offer sexual health check-ups alongside chlamydia tests.

If you are pregnant, you may be asked to return following treatment to make sure the chlamydial infection has been eradicated.

In women using the combined contraceptive pill or patch, the antibiotics used in your chlamydia treatment may temporarily reduce the effectiveness of your contraception. Our staff will advise on how to ensure you are protected from pregnancy throughout the course of your treatment.

Effects of chlamydia treatment

After you have begun your course of chlamydia treatment, you should start to notice an improvement in your symptoms within a few days. Generally, most symptoms should resolve completely within 2–4 weeks. If any symptoms persist, such as pelvic pain or pain during sex, please return to the clinic as further treatment or investigations may be necessary.

If you are diagnosed with chlamydia you may need to inform anyone you have had sex with within the last six months as they may also be infected. They should be advised to attend a sexual health clinic for a chlamydia test and will usually be offered treatment on the day they attend. This advice is regardless of whether they have any symptoms or not, or whether or not you used a condom.

If you feel unable to inform previous sexual partners one of our Health Advisers will be able to notify them on your behalf without revealing your identity.

You should not have oral, anal or vaginal sex during your course of chlamydia treatment or for seven days after a single dose of chlamydia treatment and also until your current partner completes their treatment and until both you and your partner’s symptoms have abated. This is to avoid being re-infected and requiring further treatment.

How do you know if chlamydia is going away?

Why do I still have chlamydia symptoms after treatment?

Is chlamydia 100 gone after treatment?