Chlamydia is the most frequently diagnosed sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the UK. It is a bacterial infection passed on through unprotected sex, and most common among women in their teens and men in their twenties.
It is important to know that people: “can get chlamydia by having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who is already infected. It can also be passed on by sharing sex toys which haven’t been washed or covered with a condom before each use. It can also be passed by a pregnant woman to her baby during pregnancy or at the birth.” [National Chlamydia Screening Programme].
The National Chlamydia Screening Programme advises: “If you have oral sex, cover the penis with a condom or the female genitals with a latex or polyurethane (plastic) square (dam)”.
Fiona thought that a condom was sufficient protection against STIs, she had no idea she could be infected with Chlamydia during foreplay or anal sex. She thinks that regular STI testing is a good idea.
Fiona thought that a condom was sufficient protection against STIs, she had no idea she could be infected with Chlamydia during foreplay or anal sex. She thinks that regular STI testing is a good idea.
Age at interview: 20
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 20
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
It’s just that I had no idea and sort of I told these guys. And everyone was very surprised by it so.
Even if you sort of religiously use some form of protection?
It doesn’t necessarily matter it can be transferred before sex ever happens. So in terms of foreplay in, in that point it can be transmitted then even if you’re then incredibly careful you may have already sort of got it so.
What was her explanation or his explanation? Did they have some advice?
Because I think Chlamydia is… I can’t really remember how to describe it.
It’s a bacteria.
Yes, and so because it’s in that area any form of sort of oral sex or foreplay and all that sort of thing it’s possible to be transmitted then because of sort of contact during sex, I think it’s just possible that it can be transmitted sort of thing because a condom obviously is only protecting a certain part [laughs] as it were so.
So the message would be you just need to get tested.
I think, yeah, I think regular.
Regularly?
Regular testing sort of once a year you know, to obviously depending on if you’re changing your partner. If you’re not changing your partner then, and you’ve both been tested, then I don’t think it’s something to worry about provided you’re both faithful [laughs]. But if yeah, if you’re changing your partner I think more regular testing is probably necessary and it is, like we’ve said, it’s such a sort of simple process that’s not as terrifying as it seems, yeah.
Chlamydia is known as the ‘silent’ disease because most people who have it will have no symptoms. So, without a test most people will probably not know anything is wrong. If left untreated, chlamydia can cause infertility (not being able to have children) and it could develop into pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
Talks about contracting PID and Chlamydia and of being told that her chances of conceiving again are low.
Talks about contracting PID and Chlamydia and of being told that her chances of conceiving again are low.
Age at interview: 18
Sex: Female
SHOW TEXT VERSION
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
When I fell pregnant with [daughter], well just before I fell pregnant, yeah I only slept with him once and I fell pregnant, I fell pregnant with [daughter] and he give me an STD which was PID and then it turned into Chlamydia and I told him about it and I said look you need to get checked out, and then at that point we didn't know I was pregnant and I slept with him again, I slept with him twice, the once and then the time after.
The first time was when I conceived the second time was when he told me he had got cleaned up and I got it again and I was pregnant with [daughter] and I caught it again and when I found out I was pregnant I had to go to the clinic and they told me I had Chlamydia again and that my tubes were damaged and my chances of conceiving were 20% after.
However, some people do develop symptom which for women includes: unusual vaginal discharge, bleeding between periods, bleeding after sex, pain (and/or bleeding) during sex, pain when passing urine and pelvic pain (in the lower belly). Men may experience any of the following symptoms: a white/cloudy or watery discharge from the penis, burning and itching in the genital area, pain when passing urine and painful swelling of the testicles.
Talks about the symptoms she was experiencing and that in a way she was lucky to have contracted Chlamydia and not something more serious. (Actor)
Talks about the symptoms she was experiencing and that in a way she was lucky to have contracted Chlamydia and not something more serious. (Actor)
Age at interview: 21
Sex: Female
SHOW TEXT VERSION
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
(The accompanying video and audio clips are played by an actor)
I was working, and in the middle of the day I say, I can't work anymore, and I went directly to the Emergency, and at the beginning they thought I had a urinary infection, and I told them I couldn't have a urinary infection, so they told me to go to the Family Planning. And I went to the Family Planning and they told me that I had Chlamydia, and I mean after this, now, when I'm thinking of it, I mean it was Chlamydia only.
I mean in some way it was lucky because, you know, you take antibiotic for two weeks and that's it, but it could be worse, I mean, it could be something else. It was ' and this make me understand that no, after the second time you are not safe, you know, you still need to wear condoms
How long did you have this pain before you went to the Emergency Department in the hospital?
I was waiting for five days because, I mean the pain is progressive, it's like little by little you feel more and more and, you arrive at one point that you can't walk anymore and I was bleeding. Yeah, I couldn't walk anymore and after I felt the pain for five days and the fifth day I was bleeding like if I had my period, but the thing is I had my period one week before, so I thought something wrong is happening, that's why I rushed to the Emergency.
The National Chlamydia Screening Programme advises that sexually active men and women under 25 should have a chlamydia test once a year or, when they change sexual partner.
The young people we talked to went for chlamydia testing to their GP surgery, GUM (genito-urinary medicine), Family Planning, or Brook clinics and to local young people’s health projects in their communities. In general, young people spoke well of health professionals who were described as sensitive and able to put their nerves at ease. The main criticism was about the waiting time which some found excessive. Young people we interviewed knew that they could also get a chlamydia test from their GP surgery. For people under the age of 25, it is also possible to order a chlamydia test online or by phone that will be sent by post free of charge (NHS choices has more information on this).
Stefanie wasn't invited by her GP surgery to have a Chlamydia test so, she asked for it. She also wanted to be tested for HPV virus as she had heard it can cause cervical cancer.
Stefanie wasn't invited by her GP surgery to have a Chlamydia test so, she asked for it. She also wanted to be tested for HPV virus as she had heard it can cause cervical cancer.
Age at interview: 24
Sex: Female
SHOW TEXT VERSION
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
The practice I used to go to from where I lived down in [region] they used to be quite, not very warm and friendly. They used to be very ‘in and out’ so they would measure my blood pressure, get me on the scales, do it then go. They weren’t very quick to give advice either. You had to ask questions. They would never be first to give you the advice and they never offered me any kind of testing. You had to ask for it yourself.
STI?
uh huh
Ok.
Because there’s I believe isn’t there at the moment anyone under a certain age is asked, should be asked, but I never was.
Ok. So did you ask for that?
Yes, yeah.
Ok how old were you when you asked?
By then I was 23.
Ok so they didn’t offer it before that?
No, never.
You went and asked for STI testing. And do you remember which test you had? Did you have a Chlamydia test?
Yes, yes I went for a Chlamydia test. No particular reasons, other than my friends were doing it and we sort of had a pact if they tried it I would. We had such horror stories of people who had no symptoms.
Ok so you had had sex without using a condom?
Yes, yeah.
So that was the main sort of reason?
Yeah. I’d only myself had, even now only had a couple of partners so it was never a concern for me at all. But there’s always that ‘What if’ niggle so it’s. I would recommend anyone to do it. It’s not scary and it’s for the day and age we live in it’s important.
Can you tell me how many times have you had the test done?
Just the once.
Just the once, ok.
But that was last year. I’m still with the same partner now.
Ok was your partner tested also?
Yes, yes he was.
Ok. So and it was done here or where you used to live?
I actually went back to my old practice, yeah down in [region].
So you just had the Chlamydia?
Yes that’s right because this was actually at my doctor’s. I also asked them about, while I was there, I’d heard a lot of the radio adverts talking about people under a certain age should get checked now for cervical cancer [HPV virus which can cause cervical cancer]. And I asked them about it and she said, ‘Oh you’re sort of over that age group now so don’t worry too much.’ And I thought that was a bit odd because I’m someone willing to just check it out and then she sort of…
So they didn’t give it to you?
No [laugh]. I think they were probably busy that day or something. But they didn’t encourage it at all. They said that I wasn’t the market they were targeting at the moment to do it.
Katie and Alice plus two other friends from uni decided to go together to the GUM clinic and explain what happened at the clinic.
Katie and Alice plus two other friends from uni decided to go together to the GUM clinic and explain what happened at the clinic.
Age at interview: 22
Sex: Female
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
Alice' Well, we went to the [city] GUM clinic in town and…
Katie' You can just walk in.
Alice' Yeah, you can either walk in or book appointments and we actually waited.
Katie' We waited a very long time.
Alice' For nearly two hours.
Katie' Two hours.
Alice' Which.
Katie' Very.
Let me get this right. You went together?
Alice' Yeah, four of us all went together.
The four of you?
Alice' The. Yes.
Katie' Moral support.
Alice' Yeah. Exactly. It’s, although it’s not a scary thing to do, it is slightly sort of intimidating sitting in the waiting room on your own. It’s…
Katie' Not really sure what’s happening.
Alice' Not sure. And also worried if you’re going to bump into someone you know [laughs]. So it’s just nicer to have moral support [laughs] while you’re there. But yeah, and then you get called in by you when you fill in the form at the beginning you get to choose sort of what you get called in by, whether it’s your maiden name or sort of your first name or even a different name completely or your number or anything. So it can be completely anonymous in terms of the waiting room sort of thing. And then once you’re in there the doctor just sits you down and sort of does your sexual health sort of history with you and then talks you through everything that is going to happen. All the tests that you’re going to have done. Then [laughs]…
What does it mean; he does your sexual health history? He asks at what age you became active or…?
Katie' Not really.
Alice' Not that far back. It’s more questions of the last twelve months I think.
Katie' Sexual partners in the last twelve months.
Alice' Yeah.
Katie' And then they ask things like, “Do you smoke?” “Do you take drugs?” It’s that kind of thing.
Alice' Yeah, your alcohol intake in the week.
Alice' Sort of any homosexual partners, any sex in other countries or anything like that. Can’t really think what else.
Katie' No, can’t think of anything else.
Alice' Yeah, unprotected sex or not sort of thing. What contraception you’re on.
And how does he explain the test itself?
Katie' He just explained just explained exactly what they’re going to do, what they’re going to take like test for and then also about because you can have a blood test as well so test for HIV and things.
Alice' And so that’s the blood test. You get essentially I think there’s two swabs taken isn’t it, or is it three?
Katie' Yeah. Something like that.
Alice' And, I really, I’m not very good [laughs].
Katie' I, well, you just lie on a couch and then they take swabs although when I went last ti
The only criticism Katie and Alice have about the GUM clinic is the waiting time. They found the health staff efficient, caring and sensitive.
The only criticism Katie and Alice have about the GUM clinic is the waiting time. They found the health staff efficient, caring and sensitive.
Age at interview: 22
Sex: Female
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
What would you advise them to do?
Katie' Just get tested.
Alice' It’s not that scary. It sounds scary.
Katie' But it’s definitely not.
Alice' It’s over and done with within sort of five ten minutes.
Katie' And so easy.
Alice' They’re so nice.
Katie' Yeah.
Alice' And friendly and they make you feel completely at ease. It’s not it’s not an awkward thing at all. And it’s just so much better to know than to carry on sort of.
Katie' Worrying.
Alice' With it niggling at the back of your mind.
Katie' Yeah.
Alice' Or anything.
Thank you. So you don’t need to give your real name?
Alice' No, you do need to give your real name.
Katie' But it’s all confidential.
Alice' It’s all confidential so it’s the only time sort of you could use a fake name was when you’re being called from the waiting room into the room. So that if anyone around did happen to know you it wouldn’t be repeated or whatever.
Oh, well I mean that’s very thoughtful.
Alice' Yeah, no it’s actually very impressive the way they do it and…
To put you at your ease?
Alice' Yeah.
That’s great. Anything you think that they can do to improve the system?
Alice' I mean the only thing for us was.
Katie' Waiting of time.
Alice' We booked appointments and we waited for over an hour and half I’d say.
Katie' Yeah, and when you book an appointment that’s not what you want.
Fair enough if you’ve walked in from the street and didn’t have an appointment but we were not happy about that.
Alice' But I think someone explained to us I well, someone overhead a conversation that they had a lot of people off ill from swine flu. So you can’t blame them really but it was just a bit annoying sort of when you plan it and you think it’s going to be over and done with quite quickly but apart from that, in terms of the actual service.
Katie' Yeah.
Alice' I don’t think I don’t think it get could get any better. It’s very efficient sort of thing [laughs].
We also talked to those who have had a chlamydia test as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP). These young people were invited to do the chlamydia test but were not particularly concern about STIs. The main advantages of the NCSP are that:
- It brings chlamydia testing to where young people are
- It does not need planning
- It helps give access to teenagers that may not be willing or able to attend a clinic and request testing.
Two nurses approached Hannah and her friend in the park and invited them to do a Chlamydia test. She found it easier to accept than at school.
Two nurses approached Hannah and her friend in the park and invited them to do a Chlamydia test. She found it easier to accept than at school.
Age at interview: 18
Sex: Female
SHOW TEXT VERSION
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
My Chlamydia test was very, very spur of the moment because I’d seen when I was around at college because I went to a 6th Form college there were people like saying, ‘Come do the Chlamydia test now’. And surrounded by all of those people at college I just didn’t want to like go into the bathrooms and pee in a tub and then give it to someone in front of everybody but...
So my Chlamydia test was very odd because I was sitting in a park with a few of my friends and two people actually approached us and were talking to the girls and said, ‘Do any of you want to go get this Chlamydia test done?’ And me and two of my friends were just sitting there and we thought, well why not. We’re here and we want to make sure we don’t have Chlamydia so we basically just filled in some forms. Took the tub and went to the nearby pub that was around the corner and filled the tubs, came back and [ha] gave them it. And them literally the forms we filled in just gave like names, details, all of that stuff and then a couple of weeks later, about 3 weeks later I think it was I just got a text on my mobile. I got two texts saying I’m clear and the test was negative. So it was pretty easy experience to be honest.
Ok and who were these two people?
They were two of my college friends both the same age as me so I was 17 and they were 17 and 18. And we were all doing the same course together and just hanging out and yeah we just got approached and thought, why not.
But the people that approached all of you, who were they?
I don’t know. I assumed they worked for the NHS. They had little NHS badges and things like that so nurses I should think. Two women, yeah, two middle-aged women just came up and were speaking to us just saying, ‘Do you want to get the Chlamydia test. It’s really easy. All you have to do is go to the local pub and go to the toilets and then come back in 10 minutes or less depending on how quick you are.’
And at college could you explain a bit more about when people were doing it, did you have to go to the toilet and where everybody was peeing into these little cups and that was not something that you wanted to do?
No that was a lot more uncomfortable. Like in a pub because it’s like, it was really noisy at the time so and nobody knew what you were there to do so you just walked in as if you were going to the loo and then came out again. Well when you’re at college everybody knew that it was the week that the sexual health people were in and that it was the week that they were doing the Chlamydia testing. So if anybody saw you walk into a toilet like trying to hide something in your bag they’d know exactly why you were there.
Ok [laugh].
[Laugh] so it’s just things like people staring at you going, ‘Oh god she’s gone for the Chlamydia test. Who’s she been sleeping with?'
The National Chlamydia Screening Programme does little to de-stigmatise STIs, but it is good at targeting young people who may not feel confident enough to go to a clinic for an STI.
The National Chlamydia Screening Programme does little to de-stigmatise STIs, but it is good at targeting young people who may not feel confident enough to go to a clinic for an STI.
Age at interview: 18
Sex: Female
SHOW TEXT VERSION
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
I don’t think it’s helping de-stigmatise Chlamydia. No because it’s, there’s always going to be that stigma like. Well I think there’s always going to be a lot of stigma around sexual, sexually transmitted diseases and I think that just people going in to get tested that in itself is a stigma. So instead of like decreasing the stigma it’s just attracting it to the specific people who you know have gone to be tested.
So like that’s what I meant in college like among my friends it was fine because we were all pretty sure that we were Chlamydia free so we thought, why not we’ll go and get tested. But if someone in a larger environment if someone is known to have sex quite often then if they’re seen to do something like that it will link up in people’s minds and just. Even if they come back with a negative, with a negative test it still there, people have that association in their mind. ‘She’s gone to get the Chlamydia test. She sleeps around’.
I don’t know. I think. I’ve always been very open about sexually transmitted infections but I’ve always been pretty certain that I don’t have any. While if I was worried that I did have any kind of infection I probably wouldn’t be so open about it. I could, I think if I like was worried that I had something like Chlamydia or HIV or anything I would probably not want to talk about it and clam up. Just because of things like that stigma.
Ok so that is the main thing. Do you think that the screening has reached, has been able to reach sort of young people that otherwise wouldn’t have thought about having a Chlamydia test?
Yeah I think when it comes, in terms of just things like how I was feeling, just why not, I’ll just go check. I think it’s a good idea simply because there’s so many people who might not know and if they do have it and then if they just think, why not I’ll go do the test. I think it’s because it’s so, because the testing is so open and like you can see quite a lot of it now. Like it’s there at the universities and the colleges. I think it’s because it’s so much easier to get it done more people will get it done just simply because they haven’t thought of it before. Well when they see the stalls or if they are approached in the park they’ll just go, why not I’ll get tested. And I think it’s a really good way just for. I don’t think people, a lot of the people who are worried about it. I think the people who are worried will find it easier to get themselves tested in a more private way as opposed to planning it and going to the clinic or the family planning centre. They can just do a test on the spot which I think is really good.
The test for chlamydia is simple. Men will be asked to give a urine sample and women can either give a urine sample or take a swab themselves from the lower vagina. Chloe knew that her GP surgery offered free chlamydia testing kits so she got a kit and sent her sample by post in the stamped, addressed envelope provided.
Alice and Katie had a swab taken by the doctor and described it as 'uncomfortable but definitely, not painful'.
Alice and Katie had a swab taken by the doctor and described it as 'uncomfortable but definitely, not painful'.
Age at interview: 22
Sex: Female
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
Does it hurt to have the Chlamydia test?
Katie' No.
Alice' It’s not painful sort of.
Katie' It’s uncomfortable.
Alice' It’s not pleasant, yeah. It’s uncomfortable and it’s a bit sort of awkward.
Katie' It’s only because you’re thinking about it.
Alice' Yeah, but the thing is I mean there are the Chlamydia tests available that you can sort of just, pee in a pot and that tests you perfectly adequately I think sort of thing. So that’s I mean what we did.
Katie' It’s not painful.
Alice' Was a full scale check sort of thing.
Katie' It’s just uncomfortable.
Alice' Yeah, it’s yeah, it’s certainly not painful.
The common treatment for chlamydia is a course of antibiotics. The two most commonly prescribed treatments are: Azithromycin (single dose) and Doxycycline (longer course). Besides treatment, health professionals will also tell patients to not have any sex (oral, vaginal, anal or use sex toys) until seven days after completing treatment.
Chloe used a Chlamydia testing kit provided by her GP surgery but, because her ex-boyfriend was diagnosed with Chlamydia, she was able to have the treatment before she got her test's result.
Chloe used a Chlamydia testing kit provided by her GP surgery but, because her ex-boyfriend was diagnosed with Chlamydia, she was able to have the treatment before she got her test's result.
Age at interview: 21
Sex: Female
SHOW TEXT VERSION
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
There is, in my GP, in my doctors there is free Chlamydia testing kits and so I took one of them, I took loads of them actually cos I was going to give them to my young people and I did the tests and sent it off, in the post, so you wee into the tube and fill out your information and send it off and they give you a reply by text but it’s a very discreet text.
Where did you send it to?
I think it’s the NHS but I’m not too sure what department it is, it’s Laboratory something, it says on it. But I didn’t actually wait for my results and told my Clinic in a Box lady that, a previous partner of mine has been tested positive for Chlamydia, I think there’s a good chance I might have it and I would like to take the treatment as soon as possible and that’s part of, that’s one of the tick boxes, so to speak, to get treatment if a partner that you’ve been with has it, then you’re likely to have it so they’ll give you treatment even if you haven’t yet tested positive because it’s highly likely that you are.
So and in term of treatment what did it consist of?
The treatment is four, four tablets, I can’t remember what it’s called, I can’t remember what it’s called, there’s two different treatments for it that I know. There’s two different tablets that you can take and there’s four tablets, you take them all at once and you can’t be sexually active for seven days and then it’s cleared.
Young people we spoke to said that they phoned the clinic or received their results by text. Test results take between 7 to 10 days. Waiting for the test result was described as an ‘anxious time’. Sometimes, after having the treatment, young people tested again just to make sure they were definitely chlamydia free.
Chloe and her boyfriend both had the single dosage treatment but then they sent another urine sample each for re-testing. They wanted to make sure that they were clear of the infection.
Chloe and her boyfriend both had the single dosage treatment but then they sent another urine sample each for re-testing. They wanted to make sure that they were clear of the infection.
Age at interview: 21
Sex: Female
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
So when you got the diagnosis, you said that you got a text message?
Yeah you get a text message.
And does the text message has a telephone number that you need to ring or?
Yeah. When they send you a text message after you’ve sent off your specimen, they send you a text message saying, “Can you please give us a call on so and so number about,” - I can’t remember exactly what it said, “about your results,” or something like that. Didn’t say what results or anything, it just said, “Give this number a call.” And…
But you knew?
But I knew yeah.
OK and how did you phone them or?
…I didn’t phone them because I had already taken the treatment by the time I got the text for my result.
OK. So you didn’t...
I didn’t phone them but they kept phoning me. They phoned me cos obviously I worked so, at the time I couldn’t answer their calls but they were persistent in trying to tell me and then I did get through to them and I told them that I’d actually taken the treatment and stuff and they wanted to know where and if my previous partner had got treatment and where have I directed my new partner to go for treatment and are you sure, they was quite, they wanted to make sure everything was right.
It might be two tablets, I’m not sure, but it was more than one tablet, all at once and that was all you needed to do and, yeah.
Where you re-tested afterwards when you’d finished your medication?
No. I wasn’t really tested afterwards but I had loads of them Chlamydia tests that I had picked up so I retested myself afterwards and I was fine.
How did you do that?
I sent off another thingy
OK
And my boyfriend did the same and he was fine.
OK so both on your own initiative?
Yeah cos I’ve loads of them that I’d picked up from the doctors surgery [laughs] so just did them.
The test will only tell people if they have chlamydia. But some young people opted to be tested for STIs in general, including HIV.
Sarah decided to test for all STI's including HIV. She recalls how the nurse explained what was going to happen and the care she received.
Sarah decided to test for all STI's including HIV. She recalls how the nurse explained what was going to happen and the care she received.
Age at interview: 20
Sex: Female
SHOW TEXT VERSION
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
Well, they (GUM clinic) basically had a nurse who came to get me and sat me down in a room and told me what was going to happen and said did I if I didn’t want the blood test or anything like that I didn’t have to have it. If I had a male doctor for one of mine, and they said if you really don’t want a male doctor then you don’t have to have one but I was, I was okay with that. And then also they said because sometimes they have medical students come in and they said, “Do you, would you be okay with one coming in or not?” I said, “No.”
So they were very good at asking questions making sure you were okay with the people who were in the room. And then they basically just talked me through what was going to happen and then just the whole time just making, they were very good like making sure that I was okay throughout the whole time I was there, especially after my blood test. They were like, “Do you want to sit down? Do you want a biscuit?” Because I got quite faint. And brought me milk and a biscuit, which I thought was quite, quite sweet. So yeah, I think they are very good up here.
Because chlamydia is spread through unprotected sex, health professionals stress the importance of telling present and past boyfriends/partners as they may have it too. If a test is positive, the staff at the clinic or GP surgery will discuss which sexual partners may need to be tested. People have the option to contact them directly or the clinic can get in touch with them but without mentioning people's names.
Chloe was contacted by her ex-boyfriend and told she needed to go for a Chlamydia test because his test has come back positive. When together, they decided to test for Chlamydia and were both fine. So, it was clear to Chloe that he had cheated on her.
Chloe was contacted by her ex-boyfriend and told she needed to go for a Chlamydia test because his test has come back positive. When together, they decided to test for Chlamydia and were both fine. So, it was clear to Chloe that he had cheated on her.
Age at interview: 21
Sex: Female
SHOW TEXT VERSION
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
Can you tell me what, were the reason that prompted you to have the test?
I was with a long term partner and we split up and I didn’t have any tests in between my ex-partner and my new partner so I was with my new partner and sexually active with him and my ex-partner rung me to say that he went for a check-up and he had Chlamydia and he doesn’t know how long he’s had it for cos we hadn’t got tested before (during the relationship)and so I should get myself checked out. And so I did and I tested positive for it so that means also I passed it to my new partner and he had to get treatment for it as well.
And how did you feel when you, when your ex-boyfriend called you and…?
I felt a bit sick when my ex-boyfriend told me about it. I felt really cringey, like I was dirty or something. I felt obviously upset because it, he said to, like it was because he had cheated on me, so and, not just once, so he wasn’t too sure who he’d caught it from. Because when we first got together we had both done the test and was fine, so I know that it was because he had cheated during our relationship that he had contracted it to me.
OK and who prompted that first test?
We both did. We both… yeah we both did. It was kind of, cos like I said, cos around them, these times and them times, it was very much a boost in being sexually aware and stuff like that so we both did.
Finding out you have chlamydia can be upsetting. Fiona felt embarrassed but Chloe was infected by her ex-boyfriend and felt humiliated as well as cheated by someone she had trusted. But upset feelings didn't last long, particularly when friends were around to help them through the experience.
A diagnosis of chlamydia can be difficult to handle by present boyfriends/partners leading to arguments or tension in the relationship. Young women we talked to stressed the importance of regular chlamydia testing, regardless of whether women trusted their boyfriends or not!
Chloe talks about the troubles her current relationship experienced after her ex-boyfriend told her about his Chlamydia diagnosis.
Chloe talks about the troubles her current relationship experienced after her ex-boyfriend told her about his Chlamydia diagnosis.
Age at interview: 21
Sex: Female
SHOW TEXT VERSION
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
My new boyfriend was quite upset. He got, had like different moods about it and be very annoyed and other points and cos obviously it wasn’t really my fault because I was in a long term relationship, I trusted him and he had given me it although whether I should have question, whether I should have trusted him is another matter because I was maybe a bit naïve but yeah so, he was kind of angry and then he obviously felt it for me because I had trusted this partner and he had cheated on me. But yeah he was quite upset, a bit disgusted, a bit angry, went from… changed every now and again, yeah.
OK, so you didn’t do the Chlamydia testing with the new partner?
No
OK
No I didn’t, so I should have done and I would think that like people should get tests done even if they think they can trust their partner because I thought I could trust my boyfriend of four years and obviously I couldn’t even though at the time, I would like argue anyone that, “Of course my boyfriend’s faithful to me, we love each other, we’re going to be together forever,” kind of thing but little did I know that he was cheating on me, so…
I think that he felt, I don’t think he felt good about it because obviously I assume, I think he said the GP asks the same kind of questions about how you contracted it and stuff, so he had to tell them, “Oh well, my girlfriend gave it to me and bla, bla,” so he didn’t feel too good about that and I think he felt quite embarrassed. He didn’t tell any of his friends
He didn’t?
No and… yeah he didn’t feel good about it at all.
And did you talk about it with your friends or did you feel embarrassed?
I did talk about it with my friends because for me it was kind of like, “Can you believe what he did, like, he actually gave me Chlamydia, he was cheating on me,” kind of yeah it was different with girls I think though because it was my ex-boyfriends fault as well and he, I did speak to my friends about it, so, yeah.
Did it affect your relationship with your new boy-friend?
It affected it for a while, yeah, cos he, depending on his moods, he would say, “I can’t believe like you gave me Chlamydia.” It’s quite degrading as well, like to think, “Oh no, I gave someone Chlamydia.” kind of thing but so it affect it for a while but obviously because of the circumstances and it, we got back together and I kind of trust my new boyfriend more than my old boyfriend although I shouldn’t have trusted him, so…
Last reviewed January 2016.
Last updated January 2016.
Copyright © 2024 University of Oxford. All rights reserved.
