If you tested positive for chlamydia and think it is a mistake, then you need to find out the reason for the positive results. It is even more frustrating when your spouse's test came back negative. Read on to find out why you may test positive for a sexually transmitted disease.
How Do Doctors Test for Chlamydia?
The two ways to test for chlamydia are from a urine sample or fluid. A urine sample consist of you peeing in a cup. You also have to wait two hours to urinate before taking the actual test.
A fluid sample involves taking a fluid sample directly from the infected area. It is usually taken from your cervix area. You also must not use medication, vaginal creams or douche 24 hours before your test.
How Accurate are Chlamydia Tests?
How accurate a STD test is depends on the type of test. According to NHS, the recommended tests for chlamydia are 90 to 95 percent sensitive to the disease. This means the test usually detects the disease in patients the majority of the time when tested at a health clinic.
What is the Reason for a False Positive Test?
A false positive result is when your STD test comes back positive when you do not have the disease. You can also test negative for chlamydia and still have it. However, these results are very rare. It helps to understand that no test is 100 percent accurate.
According to Sexual Health, you should get tested two weeks after getting exposed to the disease and retested six weeks later. These type of results occur because sexually transmitted diseases have to mature before they are detected using a test. If you want accurate results, then you should get tested again six weeks later after taking the first test.
Where to Get Tested?
If you have been exposed to chlamydia, then you should not hesitate to get tested. Some people have different reasons for not getting tested as soon as possible. If you are worried about health insurance, then this is not a problem. Many medical facilities offer free std testing. Here are the medical facilities that you can go to for a free and private STD test: contraceptive clinics, sexual health clinics and genitourinary medicine clinics.
STD testing kits are available for home use, but the results are not always accurate. If you want accurate results, then you should make an appointment with your gynecologist. However, you should always follow up with another test when you think the first STD test for chlamydia was incorrect.
