Chlamydia Home Testing Kit Trial

Lifetree Clinical Research is studying a home testing kit for Chlamydia. Please contact us at 801-269-8200 for more information. All calls are confidential.

What is Chlamydia?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia is the most frequently reported sexually transmitted disease in the United States affecting an estimated 4 million people in the United States. It is especially common in the sexually active teenage population. It is estimated that 45% of sexually active teenagers are exposed to chlamydia.

How Do You Get Chlamydia?

Chlamydia is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis which is usually transmitted by sexual activity. Semen from the penis, vaginal fluid, and blood can carry the bacteria that cause chlamydia. The bacteria can enter the body of a person through contact with these fluids.

A mutually monogamous sexual relationship with an uninfected partner is one way to avoid this infection. The proper use of condoms during intercourse usually prevents infection.

Symptoms of Chlamydia:

The majority of people infected with Chlamydia have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks after exposure.

Women

Symptoms may include lower abdominal pain, low back pain, nausea, fever, pain during intercourse, or bleeding between menstrual periods. Additionally, if left untreated, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, and ectopic pregnancies.

In pregnant women, chlamydia may cause an infection in the uterus after delivery. Babies born to women with chlamydia may develop conjunctivitis, which may lead to blindness, and pneumonia.

Men

As many as 1 in 4 men with chlamydia have no symptoms. In men, symptoms may include: discharge from the penis or a burning sensation upon urination. Additional symptoms may include rectal pain, discharge, or bleeding. If left untreated, it can cause sterility.

Chlamydia can also occur in the throats of women and men who have had oral sex with an infected partner.

How is Chlamydia diagnosed and treated?

The Center for Disease Control recommends that sexually active females 25 years old and younger should be tested for chlamydia every year. Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics, including tetracyclines, azithromycin, or erythromycin. Sexual partners should also undergo testing and treatment to avoid passing the infection back and forth.

Chlamydia Home Testing Kit

Contact us at 801-269-8200 for more information. All calls are confidential.