Chlamydia test at a location near you

Because you usually cannot feel it. In women, up to 90 percent of infections cause no symptoms at all. In men it is about half. You can carry the bacterium for months without noticing anything.

If symptoms do appear, they are often pain when you urinate. More discharge than you are used to also fits, or pain low in your belly. Those symptoms fit more than one STI. On their own they do not tell you which one you have.

No symptoms is therefore no proof that you have nothing. A chlamydia test is the only way to know for sure.

A chlamydia test can make sense if:

• you have had unprotected sex
• you have a new partner
• your partner has been told they have chlamydia
• you have symptoms that could fit an STI
• you simply want certainty before you go on

Chlamydia is most common in young people. Age rules nothing out, so let the risk you took guide you rather than your age.

This test looks at one thing:

• Chlamydia trachomatis, by PCR

PCR looks for the genetic material of the bacterium. That is different from an antibody test. Antibodies show that you have met the bacterium at some point. PCR shows whether it is there now.

If you want to know exactly what is measured, see the biomarker Chlamydia PCR.

The chlamydia test looks at one site and one moment. If the bacterium is there, the test finds it. That is a clear answer, but also a limited one.

A test at one site says nothing about another. Were you at risk through the throat or the anus? Then a test at that site is needed. And the result holds for the moment of collection, not for the weeks after it.

The test also says nothing about other STIs. Those can be present at the same time, with the same symptoms.

Which sample you hand in depends on where you were at risk.

• Urine fits sex through the penis. You catch the first part of your urine.
• A swab fits sex through the vagina. You collect the material yourself with a cotton swab.
• Throat or anus are separate sites, with their own swab.

We do not send you a parcel to post back yourself. You hand in your sample at one of the 700+ locations in the Netherlands. These are run by our partner labs: a network of independent, certified laboratories. We do not own these locations.

That saves a step. Your sample goes straight into the lab instead of spending days in the post.

Testing too early is the most common mistake. Just after sex there is still too little material in your body to find. The result you get is then of no use to you.

The Dutch RIVM guideline is clear. A PCR test gives a reliable result two weeks after transmission. So wait two weeks after the sex you are worried about. Take the chlamydia test after that.

If you have symptoms, those usually appear after one to three weeks. Two weeks after sex stays a good moment to test in that case too.

A PCR result has two outcomes.

Not found. There was no genetic material of the bacterium in your sample at that moment. If you tested on time, so two weeks after sex, that is a reliable answer.

Found. Then you have chlamydia at that moment. It responds well to antibiotics, usually in a short course. Your doctor discusses the next step with you. That often includes letting your partner know they can get tested too.

Handing in urine? Then do not urinate for at least 1 hour before collection. That way there is enough material in your sample.

Bring valid ID. You need to identify yourself at the lab with your name and your date of birth. That is part of it, because your result has to be linked to you. Fully anonymous testing is therefore something we cannot offer.

Nothing else is needed. You do not have to fast.

How soon your result is ready depends on the sample. We plan for roughly two to five working days. That time starts when your sample reaches the lab. A urine sample usually takes a little longer than a swab. Treat this as our planning figure, not as a hard promise.

Every result is reviewed by a doctor registered in the Dutch BIG register. So you do not just read an outcome, but also what it means in your case. You find everything back in your own account.

If you want a wider look, the test for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas is a logical step. You can read more about treatment and about a retest after the course on our blog.