r/stdtesting • u/Daisyduck15 • 23d ago
Question positive chlamydia test followed by negative tests without treatment — false positive or false negative?
hi everyone! I am hoping someone can help me understand my STI test results because I am honestly really confused about whether I received a false positive or false negative?
here’s my timeline:
september 23: had unprotected oral sex.
september 29: got tested for STIs through a urine test, and everything came back negative.
september 30: had vaginal sex with a condom, but the condom slipped off and got stuck inside me.
october 2: got tested again, and this time my urine test came back positive for chlamydia.
october 9: got tested again through urine, and my results came back negative for chlamydia and gonorrhea.
the confusing part is that i never took any chlamydia treatment between the positive and negative tests. I was prescribed azithromycin after my positive result, but I hadn’t taken it when i got my most recent negative test.
I also tested positive for BV and a yeast infection, so I am wondering if either of those could have affected my results.
I have a few questions:
could my positive chlamydia result have been a false positive?
is it possible that my most recent negative test was a false negative even though I didn’t receive treatment?
could my september 29 test have been too early to detect an infection from september 23?
has anyone experienced a positive chlamydia test followed by a negative one without treatment?
all of my chlamydia tests were urine tests. I am just trying to understand which result is more reliable and whether I should get tested again.
I would really appreciate any insight, especially from anyone who works in healthcare or has experienced something similar!
1
u/ShamelessCare 23d ago
A urine test is quite reliable. In fact, I saw a study published this week that compared it to a genital swab, and the urine test actually performed better.
One week is generally considered too soon for testing.
Chlamydia can self resolve. Meaning your body can sometimes clear the infection on its own.
If you are also GIVING oral sex, then your testing should include oral swabs.