Chlamydia test kit

You can use the chlamydia test if you think you might have chlamydia.

You should test for chlamydia around 2 weeks after you’ve had unprotected sex. If you do the test before this, you may get a false negative result. This is because the number of bacteria in your body will not be high enough for the test to detect.

Many people who have chlamydia will not get any symptoms. Sometimes an infection can remain dormant (inactive) until a trigger, such as stress, gives way to symptoms. Also, you may pass the infection on to other sexual partners. It’s better to detect an STI sooner rather than later and get treated.

If you get symptoms of chlamydia, you might notice pain when peeing or pain in your genitals. Women are less likely to get symptoms of chlamydia, with around 70% of women and 50% of men not having any symptoms.

In men, symptoms of chlamydia can include:

• pain in your testicles
• burning or itching sensation in your urethra
• discharge from the tip of the penis that can be cloudy, white or watery

In women, chlamydia symptoms may include:

• pain or bleeding during sex
• pelvic pain or a stomach ache
• bleeding in between your periods

If you’re a woman, you might also get similar symptoms with other vaginal infections. Doing a chlamydia test can rule out the chance of the symptoms being an STI, especially if you’ve recently had unprotected sex.

Untreated STIs can lead to more serious complications such as difficulties in getting pregnant.

A chlamydia test will detect whether there is a chlamydia infection present in your body at the time of testing.

Our test detects the genetic material of the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis.

For men, you can take the test by providing a urine sample. Urine samples are less accurate for women, in which case you’ll be provided with a swab sample.

Chlamydia can also happen at the same time as another STI called gonorrhoea. You can request a gonorrhoea test kit from ZAVA.

Our chlamydia test kit comes with all the material that you need to complete the full test. It will have a leaflet with full instructions on how to complete the chlamydia test.

Make sure you wash your hands with warm, soapy water before and after using a chlamydia test kit.

If you’re a man, you’ll need to provide a urine sample. Your test kit will contain 2 bottles, one large and one small.

• use the small bottle to collect your urine sample
• fill the bottle up at least halfway

Try to collect the first flow of urine, meaning the urine that comes out first. This will contain the most amount of bacteria and give a more accurate test result.

• secure the lid of the small bottle tightly
• place it inside the larger bottle with absorbent paper

If you’re a woman, your test kit will be a vaginal swab test.

• break the seal of the swab but do not touch the tip of the swab
• use one hand to spread the skin outside your vagina and the other hand to point the swab towards you
• insert the tip of the swab in the vagina but do not insert it too deeply; there should be no pain when you insert the swab
• rotate the swab inside the vagina for 10 to 15 seconds and take it out without touching other parts of your skin
• place the swab inside the tube and secure it

For both tests, make sure you fill out your details on the label given and affix it to the sample bottle or tube. Place the completed test sample inside the prepaid envelope provided. Try and post your sample as soon as possible after you’ve completed the test.

Once our lab partners have received the test kit, you’ll get your test results within 1 to 3 working days. Your results will be sent to your confidential ZAVA account. We will not send your results to anyone else.

You should take the chlamydia test around 2 weeks after you’ve had unprotected sex. This is to make sure your result is accurate and to avoid any false negatives.

The test can be taken at any time during the day.

When you receive your chlamydia test results, our doctors will help you to understand what they mean. They’ll also guide you on the next steps to take.

If you get a positive test result, it’s likely that you have chlamydia. You should speak to your doctor or sexual health clinic about getting treated for chlamydia. You can also request chlamydia treatment from ZAVA.

Chlamydia is treated with a short course of antibiotics, such as doxycycline. The antibiotics kill the bacteria to clear the infection. It’s important to finish the whole course to make sure the infection is completely removed.

Antibiotics will not protect you from getting chlamydia in the future. You should practice safe sex and use a condom to avoid getting chlamydia or other STIs.

If your test result is positive, consider telling your sexual partner. They may choose to get tested as well.

If your test result is negative, you do not have chlamydia. If you have symptoms that show you may have chlamydia or if your partner has tested positive, the test could be a false negative. In this case, it might be better to take a course of antibiotic treatment. You should speak to your doctor or sexual health clinic for more information.

Our chlamydia tests are 90 to 95% accurate and are processed by our UK based accredited lab partner. This is the same lab that processes NHS and other clinical samples. You can be assured that your sample will be put through the same rigorous testing process.

You can make sure you provide the most accurate test sample by following our instructions properly. Try to avoid using vaginal douches within 24 hours of testing and make sure there is no contamination in the sample, like with fecal matter.

If you’ve taken a course of antibiotics within a week before testing, this might also affect your test result. This can happen even if you’ve taken antibiotics for a different infection.