Explaining How They Test For Chlamydia
Many of you will be familiar with term MSU (mid steam urine) as many urine tests do not want the first part of the urine which may be contaminated.
However, with Chlamydia you must collect even the first drop of urine and you must not clean yourself for at least an hour before doing it.
So that's the first thing to know about Chlamydia testing but when you get tested there are a lot of confusing abbreviations for the form of test you have.
Let's look into what it all means There are at least 3 technologies generically called nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), that can be used to detect the DNA of infecting organisms.
These are: • TMA (transcription mediated [DNA] amplification) • PCR (polymerase chain reaction) • SDA ( the DNA strand displacement assay) Each has been used for commercially available tests for Chlamydia.
PCR was developed first and is recognized more often.
Therefore, sometimes the term "PCR" is used to mean any NAAT -- just as Xerox is often used generically rather than for the particular brand.
Commonly the test is done with a urine sample but can also be done with urethral or in women, cervical, or vaginal swabs.
These are the standard, well studied specimens for Chlamydia testing.
Blood is not a standard or well studied specimen for Chlamydia testing, indeed, most (maybe all) commercial manufacturers advise to avoid contaminating specimens with blood.
It will detect antibodies if you have or have ever had Chlamydia.
But there it is not a way to tell if you have it now.
As you can see it is a very simple test and there is no reason to go without it.
According to new medical research women should test for Chlamydia whenever they have a new sexual partner and not just once a year.
So it is interesting that a recent study in the UK found that 16% of men tested positive for Chlamydia whereas only 6% of women did.
Shouldn't all sexually active people be tested?
However, with Chlamydia you must collect even the first drop of urine and you must not clean yourself for at least an hour before doing it.
So that's the first thing to know about Chlamydia testing but when you get tested there are a lot of confusing abbreviations for the form of test you have.
Let's look into what it all means There are at least 3 technologies generically called nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), that can be used to detect the DNA of infecting organisms.
These are: • TMA (transcription mediated [DNA] amplification) • PCR (polymerase chain reaction) • SDA ( the DNA strand displacement assay) Each has been used for commercially available tests for Chlamydia.
PCR was developed first and is recognized more often.
Therefore, sometimes the term "PCR" is used to mean any NAAT -- just as Xerox is often used generically rather than for the particular brand.
Commonly the test is done with a urine sample but can also be done with urethral or in women, cervical, or vaginal swabs.
These are the standard, well studied specimens for Chlamydia testing.
Blood is not a standard or well studied specimen for Chlamydia testing, indeed, most (maybe all) commercial manufacturers advise to avoid contaminating specimens with blood.
It will detect antibodies if you have or have ever had Chlamydia.
But there it is not a way to tell if you have it now.
As you can see it is a very simple test and there is no reason to go without it.
According to new medical research women should test for Chlamydia whenever they have a new sexual partner and not just once a year.
So it is interesting that a recent study in the UK found that 16% of men tested positive for Chlamydia whereas only 6% of women did.
Shouldn't all sexually active people be tested?
