Online chlamydia test referral · Australia-wide testing
FREEwith Medicare (bulk-billed)
A Specialist GP arranges your test over a quick phone call — they check your symptoms and risk, then send your pathology referral by SMS. No Medicare? Prefer no call? Order it online for $39 instead.
Most chlamydia has no symptoms, so it’s worth testing even when you feel well.
Book a bulk-billed phone consult — or order a $39 referral
Get tested at any pathology lab Australia-wide — simply walk in
Results by SMS in 2-3 days — free telehealth if positive
Pathology tests covered by Medicare and most Private Health Insurers.
Chlamydia Testing
Chlamydia has a window period: test from 2 weeks after a possible exposure. Testing sooner can give a false negative. If you test early, you may need to re-test after the window to be sure.
Not sure which option? A phone consult suits anyone with symptoms, a partner who has tested positive, or a known exposure — a Specialist GP can take a history and pick the right tests. With no symptoms and no known exposure, the no-appointment referral is ideal for routine screening.
How the test works. Chlamydia is detected by a PCR test — the same lab-grade method whether the sample is urine or a swab. Pathology is covered by Medicare and most Private Health Insurers.
Most chlamydia has no symptoms. Around 70 to 80% have no symptoms — so routine testing matters even when you feel well. When symptoms do appear, it is usually 1 to 3 weeks after infection and they can be mild enough to miss.
Symptoms to watch for. In men: pain or burning when peeing, clear or cloudy discharge from the penis, and sometimes pain in one or both testicles. In women: burning when peeing, unusual vaginal discharge, and bleeding between periods or after sex. Rectal pain or discharge can occur after anal sex.
Why screening matters. Left untreated, chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and fertility problems in women, and can cause epididymitis in men. It can be passed on without either partner knowing. It is easily treated once found, so regular screening — especially after a new partner — is what keeps it from causing harm.
The test, and which sites. Genital chlamydia testing uses a first-pass urine sample — ideally urine you have held for at least an hour, as a recent wee can lower the chance of detection. If you have had oral or anal sex, throat or rectal swabs can be added during the questionnaire, since a urine sample alone does not cover those sites and chlamydia at those sites is usually symptomless. You can also screen for other infections at the same time with the full STI test.
Results, treatment, and retest. Results arrive by SMS in 2-3 days. If chlamydia is positive, a Specialist GP calls you and arranges treatment. A retest about 3 months later is recommended, as reinfection is common — it is also worth testing for gonorrhoea, which often occurs alongside chlamydia.
Confidentiality. Your referral and results are private, and pathology labs do not disclose the reason for testing.
Re-testing and complications. A test of cure is not routine, but re-testing about three months after treatment is recommended, because re-infection from an untreated partner is common. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and fertility problems in women, and epididymitis in men — usually silently, which is why screening matters even without symptoms.
Frequently asked questions about chlamydia testing
Yes — this is the key thing about chlamydia. Around 70–80% of infections cause no symptoms at all. Untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. Annual screening is recommended for sexually active people aged 15 to 29, and 6 to 12 monthly testing is reasonable for anyone with new or multiple partners.
Yes — but the right test is a throat swab, not a urine sample. Throat chlamydia is real, usually has no symptoms, and is missed if only genital testing is done. Tick the throat swab box during the questionnaire.
Yes. Multiple studies show self-collected vaginal swabs are as sensitive as clinician-taken samples for chlamydia — and both are more sensitive than urine in women. The bacteria are spread throughout the vagina in chlamydia infection, so a swab inserted a few centimetres in and rotated picks up a good sample. You don’t need to swab the cervix specifically.
Repeat the test 2 weeks after your last sexual contact with them. A negative result early in the window can turn positive once the infection has had time to develop. Some couples are treated together based on the partner’s diagnosis without waiting for retest, which is reasonable — especially if you have symptoms. The Specialist GP works through your situation.
Two reasons. First, the test picks up the bacteria’s DNA, which can stick around for several weeks even after the infection has cleared — an earlier retest can come back falsely positive. Second, 3 months is the right interval to catch reinfection, which is common (often from an untreated partner). The 3-month retest serves both purposes.
The most common cause of repeat positive tests is reinfection from an untreated regular partner. If your partner hasn’t been tested and treated, treating you alone doesn’t fix the source. Other causes: incomplete treatment, or new exposure from other partners. The Specialist GP can help work through which applies. Partner notification and treatment usually breaks the cycle.
At least 2 weeks. Chlamydia tests look for the genetic material of the bacterium, and it takes about 14 days after exposure for it to reach detectable levels at the infected site. Testing earlier can produce a false negative even if you are infected. If you have symptoms that started before 2 weeks, earlier testing can be reasonable — symptomatic infections usually have higher bacterial loads. For screening with no symptoms, 2 weeks is the standard wait.
Untreated chlamydia can ascend from the cervix into the upper genital tract, causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) — often with mild symptoms or none at all. PID scars the fallopian tubes, which impairs fertility and increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy. The proportion of people with chlamydia who develop tubal damage is small, but the cumulative risk across years of asymptomatic infection is real — which is why annual screening matters more than waiting for symptoms.
Your result is confidential. Your regular GP is not automatically notified unless you ask to be copied in, and pathology labs do not disclose the reason for testing. If you would prefer the result kept separate from your other medical records, mention it at the consult and it can be arranged. Chlamydia is a notifiable infection in Australia, but notification goes to a state surveillance system without your identifying details being shared with your GP, employer, school, or insurer.
For most people, nothing. The telehealth consult is free, bulk-billed with Medicare, and pathology is covered by Medicare and most Private Health Insurers. Prefer no appointment? The $39 option is a flat Clinic365 fee for the SMS referral. Without Medicare, see our fees page for the consult fee.
