Chlamydia Tests: Why It Is Done

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Why It Is Done

A test for chlamydia is done to:

• See whether symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) are caused by a chlamydia infection.
• Check people who are at high risk for being infected with chlamydia. A chlamydia infection does not always cause symptoms. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends checking for chlamydia for:
  • All sexually active women age 24 or younger.
  • Women older than age 24 with high-risk sexual behaviors.
  • All pregnant women in the first trimester and again in the 3rd trimester if high-risk sexual behaviors are reported. Treating a pregnant woman who has a chlamydia infection can prevent an infection in her newborn.
  • All women with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
  • All women with symptoms of a cervical infection (cervicitis) found on a pelvic exam.
• Check for infection in a newborn whose mother had a chlamydia infection at the time of delivery.

Last updated:	February 05, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH - Infectious Disease
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer