Chlamydia FAQs

What is Chlamydia?

Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the UK and is easily treated.

How do I get it?

You can contract Chlamydia through unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse and through oral sex and fingers during sex.

How do I know I have it?

Sometimes males and females can get a bit of pain when passing urine but this may pass after a day or two. Often there are no symptoms at all, which is why it is so important to test regularly for Chlamydia.
If left untreated, Chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy and childbirth complications and infertility in women. In men it can lead to a painful infection in the testicles and reduced fertility. It can also cause a reactive arthritis (painful swollen joints) in both males and females.

How do I avoid getting it?

The best way to protect yourself against Chlamydia is to practise safer sex and use condoms. However, as it can be passed on through oral sex or foreplay alone, the best thing to do is screen regularly, particularly following a change in partner.

How do I take the test?

The test is a simple urine test (pee in a pot).

Home Test Kit

You can request a HTK for Chlamydia by either clicking here and filling in your contact details or by texting your name and address to 07781 47 29 81.

Testing is a completely confidential service. The kit will be sent to you in a small white postal bag and will contain all the instructions and free postage to the lab.

In the home test kit you will find:

• Urine collection bottle
• Urine Preservative Kit (UPT bottle & pipette)
• Red capped tube
• Screening request form (with instructions)
• Pre-addressed freepost envelope

All you have to do is:

• Read instructions on the screening request form
• Fill in screening request form giving 2 modes of contact
• Capture the first bit of urine in the collection pot

** Urine must not have been passed for at least one hour before providing the sample**

• Open urine preservative kit, label bottle with sticky label -first name initial, surname, date of birth and today's date
• Firmly tap bottom of the bottle to dislodge any preservative from the lid
• Pipette the urine from the collection pot into the bottle and fill to in between the 2 black arrows at the top.
• Secure the top and shake well to mix in the preservative and place in red capped tube.
• Put red capped tube into the clear bag attached to the form and seal.
• Put into the pre-addressed freepost envelope, seal and post ASAP.
• Alternatively you can access screening at one of the following screening sites
  
  • GP practices
  • Pharmacies
  • Sexual health services
  • Health visitor
  • Maternity services
  • Connexions or Youth Worker
  • At a youth hostel
  • Children’s centres
  • School, College or University

Results

Please allow 14 days for your results. You can choose to have them by a phone call, text message or letter. If you have not received your results please contact the team on 01525 636997.

Treatment

If you test positive for Chlamydia you will need to be treated. The screening office will talk to you about the most convenient place to access your treatment. Treatment is free, simple and effective. The most common treatment is a course of 4 tablets taken in a single dose (Azithromycin 1gm). You should not have sex for 7 days after taking the tablets, after that the infection will be gone.

Treatment is available at a number of Pharmacies across Bedfordshire.

Partner Notification

It is important to treat your regular partner(s), as failure to do this means you are likely to be re-infected. It is sensible to go back and contact sexual partners from the last 6 months to either advise them to get a screen or obtain some treatment. You could e mail or text them the undercover website details in order for them to access free and confidential Chlamydia screening too.

Bedfordshire Chlamydia Screening Team can be contacted on: 01525 636997