This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether you have an infection. A clinician can, and the testing options on this site are a good place to start.

Chlamydia is one of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infections in the United States. It is also one of the easiest to treat. The hard part is that it often causes no symptoms at all, so many people never know to look for it.

This guide covers what chlamydia is, the symptoms of chlamydia when they do appear, who should be tested, how testing works, and what chlamydia treatment involves. It also covers what the numbers look like in Travis County and where people in Austin can get tested for free or at low cost.

Key takeaways

The CDC says most people with chlamydia have no symptoms, so a test is the only way to find out what is going on.
Chlamydia is curable with antibiotics prescribed by a clinician. Treatment does not protect against getting it again.
The CDC recommends yearly screening for sexually active women under 25 and for older women with risk factors. It also recommends at least yearly screening for men who have sex with men. A clinician can tailor this to your body and your situation.
Testing is usually a urine sample or a swab. It does not need to hurt.
The CDC recommends retesting about three months after treatment, and treating recent partners so the infection does not pass back and forth.
Travis County's 2022 chlamydia rate was higher than the Texas rate for the same year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
Austin Public Health lists a $30 fee for testing and treatment. Other Austin clinics offer free or sliding-scale testing. Confirm details by phone before you go.

What chlamydia is and why it often goes unnoticed

Chlamydia is an infection caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis. The CDC says it spreads through vaginal, anal or oral sex with a person who has it. It can also pass from a pregnant person to a baby during birth.

Anyone who has sex can get chlamydia. It does not depend on gender, orientation, age or how many partners a person has had. It depends on whether the bacteria were present in a sexual contact.

Why so many people never notice it

The CDC states that most people with chlamydia have no symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they may show up weeks after the infection began. Some people feel mild changes and assume they are something else, like a urinary tract infection or irritation.

This is why public health guidance leans on routine screening rather than on waiting for signs. An infection can sit quietly for months. During that time it can be passed to a partner and, left untreated, can cause lasting problems.

Why untreated chlamydia matters

The CDC explains that untreated chlamydia can cause real harm over time. In people with a uterus and ovaries, it can spread to the reproductive organs and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, trouble getting pregnant and ectopic pregnancy.

In people with a penis, chlamydia can sometimes cause painful inflammation of the tubes near the testicles, called epididymitis. This is less common. Rectal infection can cause pain and inflammation. A pregnant person with chlamydia can pass it to a newborn, which can cause eye infections and pneumonia.

The reassuring part is that these outcomes are largely preventable. Finding and treating the infection early is what stops them.

Symptoms of chlamydia

Because the symptoms of chlamydia are often absent or mild, it helps to know what to watch for. It also helps to know that none of these signs can confirm or rule out chlamydia. Many other conditions cause the same things. Only a test can say what is causing them.

Possible symptoms in people with a vagina or cervix

The CDC lists these as possible signs:

Unusual vaginal discharge, which may have a different smell
A burning feeling when urinating
Pain during sex
Bleeding between periods or after sex
Lower abdominal or pelvic pain

Possible symptoms in people with a penis

Discharge from the tip of the penis, which may be white, cloudy or watery
A burning feeling when urinating
Pain, swelling or tenderness in one or both testicles

Possible symptoms in the rectum and throat

Chlamydia can infect the rectum through anal sex. The CDC lists rectal pain, discharge and bleeding as possible signs, though many rectal infections cause nothing noticeable.

Chlamydia can also infect the throat through oral sex. The CDC notes that throat infections usually cause no symptoms. Guidance on whether to test the throat depends on your sexual practices, so it is worth talking through with a clinician.

Symptoms in transgender and nonbinary people

Symptoms follow the anatomy that is present, not gender identity. A person who has had gender-affirming surgery may have different sites to consider. A clinician can help choose the right test sites. Many Austin clinics see patients of every gender and orientation, and you can ask about this when you call.

When to get care sooner

Seek care promptly if you have fever with pelvic or abdominal pain, severe testicular pain or swelling, or pain that is getting worse. These can have causes beyond chlamydia, and a clinician should look at them. Symptoms can also appear after a known exposure. If a partner tells you they have tested positive, getting tested and asking about treatment is a reasonable next step even if you feel fine.

Who should be tested, and how often

Screening means testing people who have no symptoms. The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) both address who should be screened. Here is how their advice breaks down.

Sexually active women and others with a cervix

The CDC recommends yearly chlamydia screening for sexually active women under 25. The USPSTF also recommends screening for sexually active women 24 and younger. Both groups recommend screening older women who are at increased risk. Examples of increased risk include a new partner, more than one partner, or a partner who has an STI.

Men who have sex with men

The CDC recommends that sexually active men who have sex with men be screened at least once a year at the sites where they have had contact, such as the urethra and rectum. For people with multiple or anonymous partners, the CDC advises more frequent screening, such as every three to six months.

Heterosexual men

The USPSTF has said there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against routine screening in men who do not have symptoms. That is a statement about evidence for routine population screening. It is not a reason to skip testing after an exposure or when symptoms appear. Anyone who is worried can ask a clinician what makes sense.

Transgender and gender-diverse people

The CDC advises that screening should be based on a person's anatomy and sexual behavior, rather than gender identity alone. A clinician can help you work out which sites to test.

People who are pregnant

The CDC recommends chlamydia screening at the first prenatal visit for pregnant women under 25 and for older pregnant women at increased risk. The CDC also recommends repeat testing in the third trimester for those at higher risk. Texas law on prenatal testing, Health and Safety Code Section 81.090, names tests for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B. Chlamydia screening in pregnancy comes from CDC guidance and your prenatal provider's judgment.

After a partner's diagnosis or a new exposure

Anyone with a partner who has been diagnosed with chlamydia should talk to a clinician about testing and treatment. The CDC advises that partners from the 60 days before the diagnosis or before symptoms began should be evaluated.

How chlamydia testing works

Chlamydia testing is simple. The CDC recommends nucleic acid amplification tests, known as NAATs, as the standard. These tests look for the genetic material of the bacteria. They are sensitive, which means they can detect small amounts.

What the sample looks like

Urine: a urine sample works for people with a penis and can be used for people with a vagina.
Vaginal swab: the CDC identifies this as the preferred sample for people with a vagina. It can often be self-collected in a private room.
Rectal swab: used if there has been receptive anal sex.
Throat swab: used in some situations after oral sex, based on a clinician's advice.

No sample is a blood test for chlamydia. If you are also being tested for HIV or syphilis, those usually use blood or a finger prick, and a clinic may offer all of them in one visit.

How long do results take?

Timing varies by clinic and lab. Some clinics give results within a few days, and others take longer. Ask when you book your visit how and when you will hear back. If a result is positive, a clinician will explain next steps.

When to test after a possible exposure

People often ask how soon after sex a test will be accurate. The CDC guidance used for this article does not give one single waiting period for chlamydia. A clinician can tell you whether to test now, test later, or do both, based on your situation. If symptoms have appeared, tell them, because that can change the advice.

What the test does not tell you

A chlamydia test looks for chlamydia. It does not check for gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, herpes or other infections unless those are ordered too. Many people choose a full panel. The standard tests at Austin Public Health's Sexual Health Clinic, for example, are HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.

Privacy and consent

Chlamydia is a notifiable condition in Texas, according to the Texas DSHS notifiable conditions list for 2026. Labs and clinicians report positive cases to public health authorities within one week. Reporting is used to track the infection and help with partner services.

For young people, Texas Family Code Section 32.003 lets a minor of any age consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious disease, which covers reportable STIs and HIV. Parental consent is not needed for that care. The same section allows a physician to tell a parent or guardian about the treatment, with or without the minor's consent. So a provider is permitted, not required, to do so. If privacy is a concern, ask the clinic about its practices before the visit.

Is chlamydia curable? Chlamydia treatment explained

Yes. The CDC states that chlamydia can be cured with the right antibiotics. This is one of the most important facts in the whole guide. If you are asking whether chlamydia is curable, the answer is that it is, with treatment from a clinician.

What chlamydia treatment involves

Chlamydia treatment is a prescription antibiotic. Only a clinician can prescribe it. The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) name doxycycline as the preferred antibiotic for chlamydial infection in most adults and adolescents, with other antibiotics as alternatives. A clinician chooses the medicine, the amount and the schedule based on your health, other medications and whether you are pregnant. Do not use leftover antibiotics or antibiotics from another person.

Taking the medicine exactly as prescribed matters. Finishing the full course helps make sure the infection is cleared.

What to do while you are being treated

The CDC advises people to avoid sex while treatment is under way and for a period afterward, and to wait until their partners have been treated as well. Your clinician will tell you exactly how long to wait. This step helps keep the infection from being passed on or picked up again.

Will symptoms go away?

Symptoms, if you had them, usually improve after treatment. If they do not, or if they return, contact the clinic. Do not assume the infection has come back or that treatment failed. A clinician can check.

Can the damage be undone?

Treatment clears the infection, but it cannot reverse scarring that has already happened. This is one reason early testing matters. Anyone concerned about past infections can ask a clinician about their reproductive health.

Can you get chlamydia again?

Yes. Having chlamydia once does not make you immune. The CDC notes that repeat infections are common, which is why retesting is part of care (more on that below). Getting it again is not a sign of failure or carelessness. It often happens when a partner was not treated, or when a new partner has it.

Doxy-PEP and chlamydia

In 2024, the CDC issued guidance on doxycycline taken after sex, called doxy-PEP, as a way to lower the chance of bacterial STIs. The CDC recommends that clinicians discuss it with gay and bisexual men and transgender women who have had a bacterial STI in the past year. The CDC reports it lowers the risk of chlamydia and syphilis, with a smaller effect on gonorrhea.

Doxy-PEP is a prescription, and it is a clinician's decision whether it fits a given person. In Austin, CommUnityCare's IDEALhealth Program lists doxy-PEP among its services. Kind Clinic says doxy-PEP is not offered as a standalone service or appointment, and you must be receiving ongoing care there. Call ahead to ask.

Partners, retesting and Texas rules

Telling partners

Telling a partner can feel awkward. It helps to keep it factual: you were told you have an infection that is common and treatable, and they should get tested. Many people find it easier to say that a test or a health department notice prompted the conversation, without assigning fault. The CDC recommends that partners from the 60 days before diagnosis, or before symptoms began, get evaluated and treated. If you had no partners in that window, the CDC suggests notifying the most recent one.

If you cannot or do not want to contact partners yourself, ask the clinic or Austin Public Health about partner notification services.

Treatment for partners in Texas: expedited partner therapy

Expedited partner therapy, or EPT, means a clinician can provide treatment for a patient's partner without examining that partner first. According to the CDC's legal status page for Texas, Texas has no EPT statute. The legal basis comes from administrative rules instead.

A Texas Medical Board rule says a physician does not need a practitioner-patient relationship with a partner to prescribe STD medications for the partners of an established patient.
Advanced practice registered nurses may order or prescribe STD medications for partners of an established patient, though they are not required to.
Pharmacists may dispense partner STD prescriptions without a physician-partner relationship, and the partner's name is not required on the label.

In plain terms, EPT is allowed in Texas but not required of any clinician. Whether it is offered depends on the provider. Ask your clinician directly. Even when a partner receives medicine this way, the CDC still encourages partners to see a clinician and to be tested for other infections.

Retesting after treatment

The CDC recommends retesting about three months after treatment, because reinfection is common. This applies even if you believe your partners were treated. If three months passes without a retest, the CDC says it is still worth testing at the next visit within the following year.

Pregnant people are handled differently. The CDC recommends a follow-up test about four weeks after treatment during pregnancy, and another test within three months. Your prenatal provider will guide you.

For most other people, a separate test right after finishing treatment to confirm cure is not routinely recommended, because the test can pick up leftover genetic material from bacteria that are no longer alive. If you still have symptoms after treatment, talk to your clinician.

Does Texas criminalize STI exposure?

Texas does not have a law written specifically for HIV or STD exposure, according to the CDC's 2023 analysis of state laws, which places Texas in the category of general criminal statutes. That means general criminal laws can still apply in some circumstances. This is not legal advice. For a specific situation, a lawyer or a legal aid organization is the right resource.

Chlamydia in Austin: local numbers and where to get tested

What the numbers show

The Texas DSHS Texas STD Surveillance Report, 2022 Annual Report, lists 9,452 chlamydia cases in Travis County in 2022. That works out to a rate of 712.6 per 100,000 people. For the same year, DSHS reports a statewide rate of 519.9 per 100,000, with 156,131 cases across Texas.

Reported chlamydia, 2022 (Texas DSHS STD Surveillance Report)
Area	Reported cases	Rate per 100,000
Travis County	9,452	712.6
Texas	156,131	519.9

A few cautions help when reading these figures. They count reported cases, not all infections, so they reflect how much testing happens as well as how much infection exists. A county with more testing can show a higher rate. Both figures come from the same DSHS report and year, so the comparison is like for like. Newer reports may show different numbers.

What this means for you is simple. Chlamydia is a regular part of life in the Austin area, and testing is a normal, routine step.

Austin clinics that offer testing

Prices, hours and walk-in policies change. Austin Public Health's site notes that updates to its pages may be delayed, so confirm hours and fees by phone. For a fuller breakdown of each option, see the local list of Austin STD testing options and costs.

Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic (RBJ Health Center)

Address: RBJ Health Center, 15 Waller Street, Austin, TX 78702
Phone: 512-972-5430
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.
Cost: Austin Public Health says the fee for testing and treatment is $30.
Tests: The standard tests are HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The clinic says it can test for genital herpes only when there are active symptoms.
Booking: Schedule a clinic appointment online or call. The clinic's page does not say whether walk-ins are accepted, so ask.

Austin Public Health's Sexual Health Clinic page has current details.

CommUnityCare IDEALhealth Program (Hancock Health Center)

Address: 1000 E. 41st St., Suite 700, Austin, TX 78751
Phone: 512-978-9015
Services: STI and HIV testing and prevention, doxy-PEP, and sexual health vaccines including HPV.
Cost: CommUnityCare says its sliding fee scale is determined through a meeting with a Financial Eligibility Specialist. The program page does not list a walk-in policy.

See the IDEALhealth Program page.

Kind Clinic, Austin Koenig (Texas Health Action)

Address: 101 W Koenig Lane, Ste 100, Austin, TX 78751
Phone: 833-937-5463
Services: Kind Clinic offers walk-in testing for gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, HIV and hepatitis C at this location. Walk-in testing hours differ from general clinic hours.
Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; certain Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost: Kind Clinic says that since January 1, 2024, patients with health insurance must use their insurance to cover lab work. For people who are uninsured or cannot afford lab costs, its Kind Patient Assistance Program (KPAP) can help cover the cost.
Closures: Kind Clinic is closed on all observed holidays and the first Friday of every month.

Kind Clinic's South Austin site at 2800 S IH 35 Frontage Rd #103 does not offer walk-in STI testing. See the Kind Clinic locations page.

ASHwell Sexual Health + Wellness

Address: 3100 Red River St, Suite 3, Austin, TX 78705
Phone: (512) 900-3116
Services: Counseling, testing, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
Cost: ASHwell says these services are always free, although there may be costs related to medication. STI treatment is only for ASHwell patients, according to its services page.
Walk-ins: ASHwell does not currently accept walk-ins. Call or email to arrange a visit.

See the ASHwell services page.

Vivent Health, Austin

Address: 104 E. Highland Mall Blvd, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78752
Phone: (512) 458-2437
Services and cost: Vivent says it offers free and confidential HIV testing at all its locations. The CDC's National Prevention Information Network lists this site as offering free STI and hepatitis C tests as well. Call to confirm what is offered for chlamydia.
Walk-ins: Vivent asks you to call for walk-in testing hours or to make a testing appointment.

See Vivent Health's Austin page.

University Health Services STI Testing Clinic (UT Austin)

Address: Student Services Building, 100 West Dean Keeton Street, Room 1.400, Austin
Phone: 512-471-4955
Services: Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV and syphilis tests, by drop-in with no appointment needed.
Who it serves: UT Austin students. Drop-in is for people without symptoms. People with symptoms need a provider appointment. The page does not list a price, so ask the clinic.

See University Health Services STI testing.

Free testing by mail

Texas DSHS runs Test for Texas, a program that offers free mail-order, at-home self-testing for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. You can order through the DSHS Free At-Home HIV and STD Testing page. This can be a good fit if travel, work hours or privacy make clinic visits hard. If a self-test result is positive, contact a clinician about confirming it and getting treatment.

More ways to find a site

The CDC runs gettested.cdc.gov, which lets you look up testing locations by ZIP code. It is a handy way to double-check hours and options before you go.

What if cost is the worry?

Cost should not be the reason to put off a test. Several Austin options are free or low-cost, as described above. When you call, you can say plainly that you are trying to keep costs down and ask what the fee would be and whether a sliding scale or assistance program applies.

Common questions

Can chlamydia go away on its own?

The CDC does not advise waiting. Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics, and untreated infection can lead to complications. A test and, if needed, a prescription from a clinician is the safe route.

Is chlamydia curable if it has been there a long time?

Yes, the infection itself can be cured with antibiotics from a clinician, even if it has been there a while. Treatment cannot undo scarring that has already happened, which is why earlier testing helps.

Can I get chlamydia from a toilet seat or from kissing?

The CDC lists vaginal, anal and oral sex as the ways chlamydia spreads, and mother-to-baby transmission during birth. Toilet seats, shared towels and casual contact are not on that list.

Do condoms help?

The CDC says condoms, when used consistently and correctly, lower the risk of chlamydia. They do not remove it completely, because some contact can occur outside the condom's coverage. Regular testing adds another layer of protection.

Does a positive result mean a partner cheated?

Not necessarily. Chlamydia can be present for months without symptoms, so it is often impossible to tell when or from whom it was acquired. If this is a worry, a counselor or clinician can help you plan the conversation.

Is chlamydia the same as gonorrhea?

No, but they are often tested together. They are different bacteria, they can cause similar symptoms, and both are treated with antibiotics from a clinician. A test for one does not cover the other unless the clinic orders both.

What should I bring to a testing visit?

Bring a photo ID if the clinic asks for one, a list of any medicines you take, and a list of your questions. If you have insurance, ask the clinic whether to bring your card. Kind Clinic, for example, says insured patients use insurance for lab work.

What is the next step?

If you have not been tested in the past year, or you have a new partner, or a partner has told you about an infection, the next step is to book a test. Pick one of the Austin options above, call to confirm hours and cost, and ask any questions you have. You can also look up options at gettested.cdc.gov.

Chlamydia: Symptoms, Testing and Treatment in Austin