What's it used for?
What are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Trichomoniasis?
Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are common sexually transmitted infections caused by a bacterium. Chlamydia is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, while Gonorrhea is caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. While these infections infect both genders, they are more prevalent among women. They are both spread through sexual contact with an infected person, via three routes: vaginal, oral and anal. While chlamydia can affect the reproductive system and the rectum, gonorrhea infects the female reproductive tract, urethra, eyes, throat, vagina and anus.
Both bacteria have symptoms that rarely appear. For Chlamydia, symptoms can be an abnormal vaginal discharge and a burning sensation for women. Gonorrhea shows more symptoms such as watery, creamy and slightly greenish discharge from the vagina, having the urge to urinate and experiencing pain and a burning sensation while urinating, having heavier periods, fever, witnessing sharp pain in the lower abdomen, and feeling pain while having sex.
Trichomonas is a parasite leading to a sexually transmitted disease called Trichomoniasis. This infection can equally infect men and women. While most subjects do not have any symptom; some report having discomfort during sex or urinating, having a thin and frothy discharge that is smelly, as well as having some irritation and itching in the genital area. The swab test, collecting samples of the vaginal discharge, can detect the presence of this protozoan.
According to the American Sexual Health Association, in 2015, chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea were the three most reported sexual infections in the United States. Reports also showed that 65% of chlamydia cases and 50% of gonorrhea cases were among women who are between the ages of 15 and 24 years.
Why take the at-home Chlamydia/Gonorrhea/Trichomoniasis test?
This at-home test can screen for and detect both chlamydia and gonorrhea as well as trichomoniasis infections. It can also verify the successful treatment adopted. Theseinfections rarely show symptoms; so, they can be easily disregarded, which will lead to complications. For women, gonorrhea, that is left untreated;may spread in the reproductive system such as the uterus, fallopian tubes, as well as the ovaries, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease. Untreated chlamydia, can also lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which could permanently damage the woman’s reproductive system leading to infertility, as well as deadly ectopic pregnancies.
Men rarely have drastic complications caused by chlamydia; however, the consequences of untreated gonorrhea can lead to scarring of the urethra, the development of a penile abscess inside the penis, as well as infertility. Gonorrhea infections could spread in the body, reaching the bloodstream and causing arthritis, heart valve damages, as well as the inflammation of the brain lining and spinal cord.
This is a forgotten parasitic infection that will show symptoms in only 30% of infected individuals. This makes it a dangerous infection since it has a high chance of being undiagnosed and untreated. The STD at-home test for Trichomoniasis can help screen for and detect the parasite; as well as assess and monitor the effectiveness of the chosen treatment.
If you feel that might be infected, you have to get tested. An untreated Trichomoniasis infection increases the risk of contracting HIV; and, can lead to many other chronic illnesses. if you have been infected with this parasite previously or have a history of sexually transmitted infections; then, you are at high risk of contracting Trichomoniasis. In that case, including it in your regular health exams in recommended.
Getting tested can lower the risk of having complications caused by an undetected trichomoniasis infection. For women, untreated infections may result in pelvic inflammatory disease(PID). PID may cause chronic abdominal or pelvic pain, infertility, or fallopian tube blockage due to scar tissue from infection. Since the parasite is found in the urethra, leaving there untreated can cause infections and complications to both the male reproductive system as well as the urinary tract. As a result, an infected and undiagnosed man can develop urethritis, chronic urinary tract infections, chronic bladder infections, prostatitis, epididymitis, orchitis, prostate cancer and infertility. Epididymitis is the inflammation and swelling of the epididymis, which is the tube that transports the semen. Having an at-home test can provide the privacy and convenience needed to get tested for this intimate infection.
If you are at risk of contracting any of these infections, you need to get tested. Risky behaviors include having multiple sex partners, having unprotected sexual relationships, having a partner who has sexually transmitted diseases, having a sex partner who has many sex partners, as well as being young.
The CDC recommends that every woman, who is younger than 25 years and sexually active, should get tested for both gonorrhea and chlamydia. Also, women who are older than 25 years and are at risk of getting infected with these two bacteria need to tested every year. The recommendations also apply to pregnant women. These need to be tested early during pregnancy and repeat the test, if needed and as much as needed. Also according to the CDC, all sexually active gay and bisexual men need to be tested once a year for gonorrhea and chlamydia. If these men have multiple partners, they will have to be tested more often, such as once every three or six months. Also, men who practice unsafe sex or share injection needles (drug users) need to be tested routinely.
What can cause the levels to rise?
Your test results will not be affected by the food you eat, the medicines you take or your vitamins and supplements. Since the test is vaginal for women, it is recommended to avoid any vaginal creams and sprays. It is also recommended to avoid douching to have a more accurate result. However, getting tested too early can lead to a false negative. Every infection has an incubation period during which it replicates. For the trichomonas parasite, it is between 5 and 28 days.
What your at-home Chlamydia/Gonorrhea/Trichomoniasis test results mean?
Having a positive/detected test result means that you have an active infection that needs to be treated with a course of antibiotics. A negative/not detected test result indicates the absence of the infection at the time of the test. If you re-engage in risky behaviors, you will have to be screened again.
Being infected with any of these two bacteria and receiving the appropriate treatment will only help getting rid of the infection. It will not protect you from getting re-infected as the immune system will not build a defense mechanism, like the case of hepatitis B infections.
Where can I get an at-home Chlamydia/Gonorrhea/Trichomoniasis test?
This test kit will be mailed to you via USPS. You will receive a specimen collection device, as well as other test kit materials. Please review all instructions prior to performing this test. Specimens should be shipped via USPS back to the laboratory. Results take 3-4 days upon receipt of the specimen by the laboratory.
TEST KIT REFUND POLICY- Kits can be cancelled anytime prior to sending the specimen to the lab. There is a $25 fee to cover the kit costs and shipping. So a full refund is minus $25.
TEST COLLECTION INSTRUCTIONS PDF
Reviewed By: Dr. Kurt Kloss, MD
Last Reviewed Date: Jul 17, 2020
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