Where and when can you get tested for chlamydia?

Please note that some of the following information describes the situation in Germany specifically. You may find that things are different in other countries.

If you have typical chlamydia symptoms and it’s possible you were infected during sex in the past few weeks. It is also a good idea if someone you have sex with has chlamydia. In situations like those, your public health insurer will pay for a test at a family doctor’s practice.

Experts recommend regular testing for people who have an increased risk of infection (due to having sex with lots of different partners, for example) even if they don’t have symptoms. They usually pay for these tests themselves. But there are some exceptions: Women who have public health insurance in Germany and are 25 or younger can get a chlamydia test once a year free of charge.

And experts recommend testing for all pregnant women too. If the result is positive, the woman can be treated right away so there aren’t any complications and the baby isn’t infected during birth. These tests are offered as part of the first prenatal check-up and are also free of charge.

The test usually involves having to give a urine sample. Because chlamydia get into your urethra (urine tube), they’re flushed out of your system when you pee. So it’s important to use first-catch urine (the first urine that comes out when you pee) for your sample. When taking urine samples, it's important to wait at least one hour after your last pee.

Chlamydia bacteria also show up on a smear test. Typically, this involves using a cotton swab or small brush (cytobrush) to take samples from the mucous lining of the urethra, vagina, or cervix, which is where the bacteria tend to collect. Depending on how you caught the infection, the bacterial could be in your throat or rectums too. So it’s important to tell the healthcare provider if you had oral or anal sex so they can take a sample from your mouth or anus. The smear test usually doesn’t hurt.

If the doctor thinks the bacteria have got into your internal sex organs and done damage there, you might need more tests, like an ultrasound scan. Tests for other STIs are often offered at the same time. These include a gonorrhea test, for example.

The tests can be done by dermatologists, urologists and gynecologists. Other doctors, like some family doctors, offer them too. It usually takes a few days to get the results.

It can take courage to talk openly with a doctor about sex and any STIs you might have caught. It is important to remember that doctors aren’t allowed to share this information – just like any other information about your health. Apart from in the state of Saxony, chlamydia cases generally don’t have to be reported to the authorities in Germany. Doctors there have to inform the local health department if they detect chlamydia in a patient, but the name of the infected person is not passed on.

You can also get tested for chlamydia and other STIs at your local health department or an AIDS information center. Testing there is anonymous and they give advice on things like what to do if your test result is positive. The test costs between 10 and 60 euros. The more expensive ones also check for other STIs. Some places do the test for free. The Deutsche Aidshilfe organization has an online search tool for finding test centers. There is also a search tool on the liebesleben.de website (also available in English), which is run by Germany’s Federal Institute of Public Health (BIÖG) (formerly the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA)).

It is also possible to get a test kit sent to your home. Responsible suppliers will advise you beforehand – typically by phone – and explain how the test works. You take the samples yourself by following the instructions, and then send them to a lab for analysis. If the result is negative, you’ll usually receive a text message telling you that within a few days. If it’s positive, reputable suppliers will contact you again to provide advice and tell you how and where you can get treatment. These types of test cost between 10 and 75 euros. You have to pay for them yourself.

There are also rapid antigen (lateral flow) tests on the market, which can be used at home and provide immediate results. But experts do not recommend using these tests because they can't yet diagnose chlamydia reliably enough.