Where can I get a Free NHS Chlamydia Test by Post?

In this generation, men and women are less conservative and more outgoing. Teenagers and young adults tend to go out in places where sex is likely to happen. Meeting new friends and developing earned friendship into intimate relationship becomes a part of today’s generation routine. This makes the younger group prone for sexually transmitted disease especially Chlamydia. Chlamydia infection is asymptomatic thus diagnosing it is quite difficult. With that, the government took steps to screen people with Chlamydia and that is through NHS Chlamydia test. Where can I get a free NHS Chlamydia test by post?

Chlamydia infection is a common type of sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. It should be noted that not all Chlamydia infection are STD. Other infections caused by a bacteria coming from the family Chlamydiaceae is called chlamydia infection. The only Chlamydia that infects human beings is C. trachomatis. If this infection is left untreated it can cause infertility and blindness.

Statistics reveal that Chlamydia is the most common disease reported in the United States and is constantly increasing in terms of cases reported annually. In 1997, there were about 537,904 Americans who were diagnosed to have the disease and this number had more than doubled in 2009 which accounts to 1,244,180 infected Americans that year. Also in 2009, the incidence rate of Chlamydia in blacks is 8 times higher than in whites.

The increasing number of Chlamydia infection cases is brought about by the increase in Chlamydia screening tests. However, full numerical value of Chlamydia infection cases could not be well determined because of the people’s lack of knowledge regarding this disease and the availability of screening kits in every community. Those who are in far places are could not avail the free screening kits thus could not submit themselves for analysis.

Chlamydia infection does not just affect men but also women. One reason why people do not mind submitting themselves for a Chlamydia test is that they do not know that they have the infection already. Unlike with gonorrhea, Chlamydia infection has no symptoms. There are no painful discharges that could warn the person that there is something wrong with his/her genitourinary tract.

Chlamydia infection is transmitted during anal, oral and vaginal sex. However, infected mothers could also pass the infection to their newborns during vaginal birth. Signs and symptoms of Chlamydia infection are as follows:

Genitals

In women, majority of those with Chlamydia infection experiences cervicitis or the inflammation of the neck of the womb. Here, about 70% of those who are infected do not know that they have the disease unless visually inspected by their doctors and tested for Chlamydia. If this condition is left untreated, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease which can cause scarring in the reproductive organs. Scarring can cause serious complications that may include difficulty in becoming pregnant, chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and other dangerous complication of pregnancy. However, there are infected women who complains of unusual bleeding, fever, painful urination, pain during sexual intercourse and voiding more frequently but these symptoms are not specific of Chlamydia and may indicate other problems (unless their urine analysis says they are positive for Chlamydia).

In men, inflammation of the urethra may occur or urethritis. Here, men may experience pain during urination, unusual discharge from the penis which is less viscous and lighter than the discharge seen in gonorrhea, swollen testicles and fever. If this condition is left untreated, the bacteria may rise up to the epididymis and cause epididymitis. This can lead to sterility.

Eyes

Chlamydia infection can cause Chlamydia conjunctivitis or trachoma which is a common cause of blindness worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it accounts for 15% of blindness cases in 1995 and only 3.6% cases in 2002. Increase in screening and availability of treatment brought a decrease in the rate of trachoma worldwide. Trachoma can be transmitted from eye to eye by fingers, infected towels, coughing, and sneezing. Newborns can also be infected through vaginal birth.

Joints

Chlamydia infection can also cause reactive arthritis or reiter’s syndrome. It is common in men and is thought to affect 15,000 men in the Unites States every year. It shows a triad of symptoms which are arthritis, conjunctivitis and urethritis.

Lymph Nodes

Chlamydia can cause infection of the lymph nodes called lymphogranuloma venereum . This disease presents with genital ulceration, swollen lymph nodes in the groin, inflammation of the rectum or proctitis, fever and inflammation of lymph nodes in other parts of the body.

Diagnosis

The best way to detect Chlamydia infection is through urine analysis. Currently, The National Health Service department have a way to detect Chlamydia so that proper treatment can be initiated. In this program, a kit will be sent to you by post. The kit is wrapped appropriately so that even your parents would not know that it is a test kit for STD. The specimen needed here is simply your urine. Follow the instructions in the kit and send the specimen by post. Use the return address imprinted on the package. The result will be given to your after 10 days via email, text, or call (depending on your desire). If you are interested, you can avail free nhs Chlamydia kit by visiting your local health service provider or you can simply browse the internet and fill up the forms online. After several days, you will now receive the kit.

Treatment

Treatment for Chlamydia includes antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics used to cure Chlamydia infection are Azithromycin, doxycycline, tetracycline and erythromycin. Pregnant women may have amoxicillin or erythromycin. Beta-lactams are not suitable for Chlamydia infections because they just half the growth of the causative agent. Once the medication is stopped, the bacteria grow once more. When taking antibiotics, be sure to complete the advised course in order to prevent resistance.