Chlamydia

Chlamydia is very common – it's the most common sexually transmissible infection (STI) caused by bacteria in Aotearoa New Zealand.

But, because it doesn’t always cause symptoms, lots of people have chlamydia without knowing. This means that people don’t get tested, and miss out on getting treatment quickly.

Do I need an STI test?

Chlamydia is a bacterial infection of the genitals, throat, or anus. You can get chlamydia from having unprotected sex. This includes vaginal sex, anal sex, or oral sex without external or internal condoms or oral dams.

If it’s not treated, chlamydia can be a serious threat to your health.

It can spread from your cervix to your uterus and fallopian tubes. This can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and mean it could be harder for you to get hāpu/pregnant in the future.

Untreated chlamydia can also spread from your penis to your testicles, causing painful swelling. 

Most people don’t have any symptoms, while other people experience a range of symptoms that can be mild or moderate. That’s why it’s important to get STI tests regularly.

If you do have symptoms, they might include:  

• unusual discharge from your penis, vagina, or anus  
• pain when you pee/mimi 
• bleeding between periods or after sex
• unusual bleeding from your anus 
• lower stomach pain  
• pain when you have sex  
• pain in your testicles (balls)   

If you get chlamydia, it won’t show up on a test right away. It can take two weeks. Find out more about when to do your STI test. 

Testing for chlamydia is done by taking a urine sample or by using a swab (a long cotton bud) to get a sample from your vagina, throat, or anus. The information you provide when you request your test will help us confirm which test is right for you.

If you don’t have STI symptoms, you can request a chlamydia self-test through this website.

Request a test

How it works

More about testing for chlamydia

Another option is to get tested at a local laboratory or other testing provider. 

If you have symptoms of an STI, make an appointment with:  

• your usual doctor 
• a medical centre 
• Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa  
• a sexual health clinic 

Find a provider

Chlamydia is easy to treat with antibiotics. You can see your usual doctor or another treatment provider to get treatment for chlamydia.

If you're pregnant or have rectal chlamydia, we recommend you have another test four weeks after you finish your treatment. This is to make sure you don't have chlamydia anymore.

If you requested a test here

If you have requested a self-test through Get Tested NZ and you test positive (you have chlamydia), we’ll be in touch with you to talk about your treatment options. This can include sending a prescription for antibiotics to your chosen pharmacy.  

If you got tested somewhere else

Talk to the provider or organisation where you did your test to find out what their process is.

• If it's safe, tell the people that you have had sex with recently that they will need to get tested or treated for chlamydia.
• It’s safest not to have sex while you’re having treatment – and to wait until your partners or sexual contacts have also been tested (and treated if needed). If you do have sex before you finish your treatment, use condoms or oral dams. 
• Use condoms or oral dams if you do have sex before finishing your antibiotics.

It's a good idea to get another STI test three months after you finish your chlamydia treatment.

What to do if you test positive

The safe way to protect yourself from chlamydia and other STIs is using condoms or oral dams every time you have sex.

Using lube with condoms helps to prevent the condom from breaking during sex by reducing friction. Lube can also make sex more pleasurable for some people.

More about safer sex

You can also protect yourself from chlamydia (and syphilis) by taking medication.

Doxy-PEP (doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis) is an antibiotic medication some people can take after unprotected sex to reduce the chance of getting chlamydia and syphilis.

Many STIs don’t have obvious symptoms, including chlamydia. You may not know that you have chlamydia but can still pass it on to your partners or sexual contacts.

It’s important to get tested for STIs anytime you have sex with a new person, or before and after unprotected sex.

When to get tested