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Original poster

Test results show Chlamydia

112 replies

babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 09:21

Good morning,

We have been ttc for almost two years and have started all the tests etc to try and find out more about why we haven't had a baby. My first dc was conceived without even trying three years ago and so we were a bit disappointed as to why we are struggling.

My gp has just called me to say one of my blood results has shown evidence of a previous chlamydia infection and I'm booked in for swabs next week. I'm absolutely devastated and don't know how I'm going to tell my DH! I've never had any symptoms of an sti so must have had it for years and years. It's been five years since I slept with anyone except my husband and it must have caused some massive damage 😢 he's going to hate me and think I'm disgusting. The gp said not all chlamydia is sexually transmitted but looking online it says it is. I don't know what I'm going to say or do 😬

OP posts:
GuinessPunch · 05/04/2017 13:01

Your dh isn't interested in sex and you have got chlamydia.

Sounds like he could have cheated on you and passed it on.

Highmaintenancefemalestuff · 05/04/2017 12:57

Users post makes it seem more likely there could be another explanation.
I hope everything goes ok for you.

Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 12:44

@highmaintenancefemalestuff I am certain I haven't cheated on him. If I'm not at work I've got a toddler glued to me so I'm shocked I even find time to sleep with one person let alone another. He wouldn't cheat on me I wouldn't have thought. If he had we would have to work it out but he's really secretive about past relationships so he'd not tell me.

OP posts:
Highmaintenancefemalestuff · 05/04/2017 11:53

Sorry just properly read users post. Ignore me.

Highmaintenancefemalestuff · 05/04/2017 11:50

I'm not sure whether it's different in other areas but round here you are tested for chlamydia amongst other Sti's during pregnancy, so I'm assuming if you had it you would have found out during your first pregnancy.
Is it possible your Dh could have cheated?
It has to have have come from somewhere and if you 100% haven't cheated the only other explanation is him.

user1471464906 · 05/04/2017 11:46

Unfortunately I'm not a fertility doctor so not best placed to comment. It depends on the severity or scarring. IVF bypasses your tubes though so there are definitely options.

I really wouldn't make the assumption that you do have tubal infertility though. Chlamydia is exceptionally common and most infections will not lead to problems. Your GP/gynae may be prompted to do more investigations to look at your tubes but until that point I really wouldn't assume there is a problem.

Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 11:34

@user1471464906 thank you for your reply and giving a professional point of view. I'm still going to worry as I've not got good odds in things like the chances of an epidural failing... that was me! Sorry to annoy you asking questions but IF I do have tubal infertility is it treatable?

OP posts:
user1471464906 · 05/04/2017 11:13

I'm a sexual health doctor. I don't comment on mumsnet very often but there is something about a chlamydia thread and the stress and worry of situations like this that makes me want to clear up a few things.

An antibody test is a test for lifetime exposure to chlamydia which is why you need swabs to see if you have an active infection now. It is not good enough to distinguish between types of chlamydia so like your GP says, it is possible this is a form of chlamydia that isn't an STI. However, as STI chlamydia is very common and the other types less so, the balance of probabilities is that at some point you have been exposed sexually.

Chlamydia is NOT routinely tested in pregnancy. Women are all screened for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B which may be described by some midwives as an STI screen, hence the confusion. Those under 25 (and all who request) should be offered testing for chlamydia and gonorrhoea but I suspect this is patchy across the U.K.

Chlamydia can cause tubal infertility which is why the test has been done. However this is much more likely in women who experience symptoms than in those who carry the infection unaware. The fact you have had a pregnancy before make it likely this is a red herring but further infertility investigations will confirm if your tubes are okay.

Finally, it is possibly to clear chlamydia without treatment or clear it if you took certain antibiotics for something else. So it is entirely possible you had the infection years ago, no longer have it and do not need any treatment.

BitchPeas · 05/04/2017 11:09

I think in my area if you are 25 and under you are automatically tested for chlamydia in pregnancy unless you choose to opt out so if you are older than that that might be why.

Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 11:00

@mummyme87 I have no idea what they tested for. I had blood tests every few weeks for one thing or another 😆 I am so upset that we won't have more children and I've given DH something horrible. He'll never forgive me

OP posts:
Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 10:57

They do test for the infection itself using swabs that I'm book in for on Monday anyway. I'm so worried. I must have had it years and years without knowing and at least two years before getting pregnant the first time. I don't know how long it takes to cause damage. I literally slept with DH once and fell pregnant so no problems then. My previous relationship was 5yrs too and I was tested during it before being put on contraception and it was clear. There's no guarantee he was faithful though.

OP posts:
Mummyme87 · 05/04/2017 10:43

All STIs are not routinely tested for in pregnancy. The current national guidance is syphillis, hepatitis B, HIV and rubella

Pibbee · 05/04/2017 10:41

Ah okay. I've not heard of that. In that case, there may well be nothing to worry about. Not sure why they would screen for antibodies and not the infection itself though but I'm certainly no expert!

Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 10:24

@pibbee it was an antibody test so I've shown antibodies for chlamydia which suggests at some point I've had it but doesn't necessarily mean I have it right now.

OP posts:
Pibbee · 05/04/2017 10:09

You need to speak to your GP again. I don't understand how your blood test can show evidence of a prior infection- surely if you had it and it has cleared, your blood wouldn't show anything?

Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 10:09

I honestly can't remember what I was tested for in pregnancy. Except amniocentesis I said yes to everything else but can't remember what all those tests were.

OP posts:
juneau · 05/04/2017 10:05

Okay - well that's quite reassuring. I would wait for the test results and see what the GP says. And try not to worry - if she said it might be nothing, then it might be nothing.

Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 10:02

@juneau she tried explaining that it's shown in my bloods that I have evidence of a previous infection and the tests on Monday will show if it's actually an infection. I feel sick with worry. She said I don't have to tell my DH because it might come back negative and that means it's nothing.

OP posts:
Havingahorridtime · 05/04/2017 10:02

If you do have chlamydia or could have come from your DH as men can have it for years without symptoms.

Havingahorridtime · 05/04/2017 10:01

Am I the only person who has never been tested for chlamydia during Pregnancy? I have 3 children and have never been offered a chlamydia test during any of the pregnancies.

Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 10:00

@havingahorridtime she said I need to wait for the results of the swabs on Monday before we can love on and decide what to do. She said we can both go and get tested if that's what I want but she advised wait and see.

I have no idea how I missed this. I should have been tested years ago before we slept together that first time. I could have given it to the baby as well as it says online it can be passed on in pregnancy.

OP posts:
juneau · 05/04/2017 09:58

Get the whole story from the GP first OP as there seems to be confusion here as to when you contracted chlamydia. It can, indeed, cause internal damage, which is why regular screening for STIs is recommended in all sexually active people. Some people show symptoms, others don't, so people don't necessarily know if they've been infected.

Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 09:57

@chevrons that's what I thought. I thought it was an sti and that was that. I must have got it before meeting my husband about 5yrs ago and it's only started to show up now as previous posters have said I'll have been tested during my pregnancy 3yrs ago (DC born 2015). If I've had it 5yrs or more it must have caused me to be I fertile by now and that's why we haven't conceived.

OP posts:
Original poster
babymilkmama · 05/04/2017 09:54

@bitchpeas my DH didn't sleep with me from the moment we found out I was pregnant till we decided to try for another. Even then it was a slow start and he wasn't interested or really trying as much as I was. He's not the sort of person who likes sex at all so it must be something from years and years ago when I was with my previous boyfriend

OP posts:
Chevrons · 05/04/2017 09:54

Chlamydia is not like a chest infection or caught in lots of ways

It's an STI, transmitted through sexual activity, full stop.

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