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. Most chlamydia has no symptoms, so it’s worth testing even when you feel well.
Book a telehealth consult — free with Medicare (bulk-billed)
Get tested at any pathology lab Australia-wide — simply walk in
Results by SMS in 2-3 days — telehealth treatment if positive
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacterium. It’s spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex, and it can infect the genitals, the rectum, the throat and, in newborns, the eyes. It’s the most frequently diagnosed bacterial STI, especially in people under 30 — but because it so often causes no symptoms, most infections go unnoticed and are passed on without anyone realising.
The reassuring part is that chlamydia is easy to test for and straightforward to cure with a course of antibiotics. The challenge is simply finding it — and since it’s usually silent, that means testing, not waiting for symptoms.
Chlamydia Symptoms in Men and Women
The defining feature of chlamydia is that it usually has no symptoms — most people who have it feel completely well. When symptoms do appear, they typically show up within one to three weeks of infection, come from inflammation at the site of infection, and overlap heavily with other STIs like gonorrhoea, so symptoms alone can’t tell you which infection you have. Only a test can.
Chlamydia symptoms in men
Chlamydia in men is usually silent — most men with chlamydia have no symptoms at all. When symptoms do occur, they can include:
Discharge from the penis, often clear or cloudy
Burning or pain when passing urine
Irritation or discomfort inside the penis
Pain or swelling in the testicles (less common, and a reason to seek care promptly)
Chlamydia symptoms in women
Chlamydia in women is especially likely to be silent, which is why it can go untreated and cause harm. When symptoms do appear, they can include:
Unusual vaginal discharge
Pain or burning when passing urine
Bleeding between periods or after sex
Lower abdominal or pelvic pain
Pain during sex
Because these symptoms are mild or absent so often, many women don’t know they have chlamydia until it causes complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease — a key reason routine testing matters even when you feel completely well.
Throat and rectal chlamydia
Chlamydia can also infect the throat (from oral sex) and the rectum (from anal sex), and infections at these sites are almost always symptom-free. Occasionally rectal chlamydia causes discomfort, discharge or a change in bowel habit, but usually there’s nothing to notice. A more aggressive rectal form caused by specific strains, lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), is uncommon but seen mainly in men who have sex with men and needs a longer course of treatment.
Sample sites matter. If you’ve had oral or anal sex, a urine sample alone can miss throat and rectal chlamydia completely. Make sure your testing includes throat and anal swabs where relevant — it’s a common gap, and these infections won’t be found unless they’re specifically looked for.
Often there are no symptoms
It’s worth repeating, because it’s the single most important thing about chlamydia: most infections cause no symptoms at all, and the person feels perfectly well. Feeling fine is not evidence you don’t have chlamydia. This is precisely why regular STI testing exists — it’s the only reliable way to catch an infection that usually gives no warning.
Chlamydia Testing
Testing for chlamydia is quick and simple, using samples matched to where you may have been exposed:
A first-catch urine sample — commonly used to test for genital chlamydia.
Swabs — a vaginal swab (often self-collected in private), and throat and anal swabs where relevant, which can also often be self-collected.
The samples are analysed with a sensitive molecular test (NAAT/PCR) that detects the bacterium’s genetic material, and chlamydia is included in standard STI screens alongside gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV. Chlamydia is usually detectable from about one to two weeks after exposure.
When should you get tested?
Consider a chlamydia test if you have any symptoms, if a partner has been diagnosed, after unprotected sex or a new partner, or simply as part of routine STI screening if you’re sexually active. Because chlamydia is so often silent — and most common in younger people — regular testing is strongly encouraged, particularly if you’re under 30 or have new or multiple partners. As a general guide, a yearly check is sensible, and more often with new partners.
How testing works with Clinic365
A Specialist GP arranges your test over a quick phone call, reviews your symptoms and exposure to make sure the right sites are covered, and sends your pathology referral by SMS. You then walk into any pathology lab Australia-wide — no appointment needed — and results come back by SMS, usually in 2-3 days. If chlamydia is found, the Specialist GP calls you and arranges treatment by telehealth. You can also screen for other infections at the same time with the full STI test.
Chlamydia Treatment, Partners and Retesting
Chlamydia is easily cured with a course of antibiotics. Treatment is highly effective, and a Specialist GP will choose the right regimen for you based on your situation, any allergies, and whether you’re pregnant. A few practical points:
Take the full course exactly as directed, and don’t stop early even if you feel fine.
Avoid sex until you and your partners have completed treatment and it’s safe — usually about a week.
Treatment can be arranged quickly by telehealth after a positive result.
Tell the GP if you are or might be pregnant, as this affects the choice of treatment.
Symptoms, if you had any, usually settle within a few days of starting treatment. If they don’t, go back to your clinician.
Partners and retesting
Recent sexual partners need to be tested and treated, whether or not they have symptoms, since chlamydia is so often silent. Treating partners prevents reinfection and onward spread, and partner notification can be handled confidentially and, where preferred, anonymously. In some cases a clinician can provide patient delivered partner therapy (PDPT) — treatment for you to pass to a partner so they don’t need their own appointment. Because reinfection is common — often from an untreated partner — a repeat test around three months after treatment is usually recommended, even if you feel completely well. Having had chlamydia gives you no immunity, so you can catch it again immediately on re-exposure. It’s also worth testing for gonorrhoea, which often occurs alongside chlamydia.
Why Treating Chlamydia Matters
Although chlamydia often causes no symptoms, untreated it can lead to real problems. In women, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can affect fertility and increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. In men, it can cause inflammation of the testicles. It can also be passed to a baby during birth. These are exactly the reasons chlamydia is worth finding and treating early — and against all of that, the treatment is simple and highly effective.
Seek prompt care if you have severe pelvic or lower abdominal pain, fever, or painful testicular swelling — these can indicate complications that need urgent assessment rather than waiting for a routine appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacterium, spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex. It can infect the genitals, rectum, throat and, in newborns, the eyes. It’s the most frequently diagnosed bacterial STI, especially in people under 30, but because it so often causes no symptoms, most infections go unnoticed and are passed on unknowingly. It’s easily cured.
Most people have none — chlamydia is usually silent. When symptoms appear, they show up within one to three weeks and come from inflammation at the site of infection. In men: discharge and pain passing urine. In women: unusual discharge, pain passing urine, bleeding between periods, and pelvic pain. They overlap with gonorrhoea, so only a test can identify chlamydia.
Most men with chlamydia have no symptoms. When symptoms occur, they can include discharge from the penis (often clear or cloudy), burning or pain when passing urine, irritation inside the penis, and less commonly pain or swelling in the testicles — which is a reason to seek care promptly. Because it’s so often silent, testing is the reliable way to find it.
Chlamydia is especially likely to be silent in women. When symptoms appear, they can include unusual vaginal discharge, pain or burning passing urine, bleeding between periods or after sex, lower abdominal or pelvic pain, and pain during sex. Because it’s so often mild or absent, many women don’t know they have it until it causes complications, which is why routine testing matters.
Yes. Chlamydia can infect the throat (from oral sex) and the rectum (from anal sex), and these infections are almost always symptom-free. This is why sample sites matter: testing only urine can miss throat and rectal chlamydia. If you’ve had oral or anal sex, make sure your testing includes throat and anal swabs, which can often be self-collected.
Testing uses a first-catch urine sample for genital chlamydia, plus swabs — a vaginal swab (often self-collected), and throat and anal swabs where relevant. Samples are analysed with a sensitive molecular test (NAAT/PCR). Chlamydia is included in standard STI screens. Results usually take a few days, and for routine screening you often don’t need a full consultation.
Get tested if you have symptoms, if a partner has been diagnosed, after unprotected sex or a new partner, or as part of routine screening if you’re sexually active — especially if you’re under 30 or have new or multiple partners. Because chlamydia is so often silent, testing when you feel well is the main way it’s caught. It’s usually detectable from one to two weeks after exposure.
Chlamydia is easily cured with a course of antibiotics, and treatment is highly effective. Take the full course exactly as directed, avoid sex until you and your partners have completed treatment (usually about a week), and tell the Specialist GP if you’re pregnant, as it affects the choice of treatment. Treatment can often be arranged quickly by telehealth after a positive result.
Yes, completely. A course of antibiotics clears chlamydia in the great majority of cases, and treatment is simple and highly effective. Complete the full course even if you feel fine. Because reinfection is common, a repeat test around three months later is usually recommended, and treating partners is essential to avoid catching it straight back.
Yes. Recent partners need to be tested and treated, whether or not they have symptoms, since chlamydia is so often silent. Treating partners prevents reinfection and onward spread, and partner notification can be handled confidentially and, where preferred, anonymously. It’s an essential part of clearing chlamydia properly.
Usually, yes. Because reinfection is common — often from an untreated partner — a repeat test around three months after treatment is recommended, even if you feel completely well. Having had chlamydia gives you no immunity, so you can catch it again immediately on re-exposure. Retesting is a simple way to make sure you’ve stayed clear.
Untreated chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can affect fertility and increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy, and inflammation of the testicles in men. It can also be passed to a baby during birth. Because treatment is simple and highly effective, there’s no reason to leave it untreated once it’s found — and testing is how it’s found.
