Chlamydia

Do I need a test of cure or just the three month retest?

Treated for chlamydia two weeks ago. A friend says get retested straight away to check it worked, the clinic told me to come back in three months. Those are very different answers and I do not know which to follow.

low_tide 1 month ago

NoteMember experience, not medical advice. Symptoms overlap between infections and only a test can tell them apart.

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kite_and_string 4 weeks ago

Both are real things, they just answer different questions.

A test of cure asks whether the treatment worked. Under the CDC guidance that is routinely recommended in pregnancy, not for everyone, partly because the test can still pick up dead organism material soon after treatment and give you a positive that means nothing.

The three month retest asks something else entirely: have you been reinfected. That one is recommended for everybody, and it is the one your clinic booked.

second_tuesday 4 weeks ago

The reinfection point is the one people underestimate. Reinfection is common enough that the guidance treats it as expected rather than unlucky, usually from a partner who was not treated at the same time.

Go at three months. Testing next week mostly generates anxiety and an unreliable result.

new_leaf 4 weeks ago

One thing worth asking your own clinic: if you are pregnant, or become pregnant, the advice changes and they will want an earlier test. Say so if that applies to you.

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