A chlamydia test for men is highly recommended especially if they are sexually active with more than one partner. Chlamydia is a bacteria infection known as trachomatis and it affects both men and women. This particular condition is the most common sexually transmitted disease with over 2 million in the US and 7500 news cases of the disease each year in the UK.
A common question that is often asked is chlamydia curable? The good news, is yes, the condition is curable and can be treated easily with a course of antibiotics prescribed by a qualified doctor or health care provider.
Why Men Do Not Know They Are Infected
Chlamydia is spread through unprotected sex with an infected partner. It is very difficult to determine if people have been infected with the condition because many will not show any kind of symptoms especially with chlamydia in men. It is estimated that 50% of men who are infected do not show any signs or symptoms of chlamydia.
If there are symptoms these usually take the form of a white sticky discharge from the tip of the penis. Other symptoms can also include a painful burning sensation when passing urine. If left untreated chlamydia has the potential to result in conditions that are more serious. For example, left untreated can increase your risk of infertility. Infections can also spread to the eyes and in rare occasions lead to arthritis.
As pointed out it is very difficult to know that you have chlamydia because in most cases you will not experience any kind of symptoms. However, high risk groups that include sexually active young men should take the responsibility of getting tested for chlamydia.
Chlamydia Testing For Men
In the past a chlamydia test for men would involve physical exam of the genital area. A urethral swab would be inserted into the tip of the mans penis in order to acquire a sample. As you can imagine, not only is this embarrassing it can also be quite a painful procedure especially if the tip of the penis is inflamed. This has actually prevented more men coming forward to be tested because of the circumstances involved with this type of chlamydia testing.
Other less evasive testing methods were found to have been expensive, time consuming and inaccurate. In certain cases male patients have been misdiagnosed and have gone on to infect their female partner. Chlamydia in women has more serious complications than it does in men.
The good news is that improved forms of testing for chlamydia are being developed for men. One in particular is called the rapid urine test which is being developed in the UK. According to the ScienceDaily.com,
“The Chlamydia Rapid Test, a urine test developed by Dr Lee and colleagues at Diagnostics for the Real World (DRW) and the University of Cambridge, can be used with minimal training. It is designed to be used in conjunction with FirstBurst, a device for collecting the first voided urine from men. FirstBurst collects six times the amount of Chlamydia bacteria compared to a standard urine sample. The test then uses a unique signal amplification system developed by DRW to boost the test’s sensitivity and gives the results in less than an hour.”
Initial testing into the accuracy of the Rapid Test look promising with over a 80% accurate diagnosis based on 1200 males. As well as being more accurate the Rapid Test is also faster at producing test results compared to other forms of STD testing. With the Rapid Test men can do the procedure and have their results ready with one single visit to the clinic.
If you prefer not to go to a clinic there are home chlamydia test for men products that you can buy. With these you usually need to take a urine sample or a swab. If you test positive for chlamydia then you should speak to your doctor immediately. The condition is easily treated with a course of antibiotics. It is recommended that after 3 months after treatment is completed.
References:
Science Daily – http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728201741.htm