How Long Will You Test Positive After Treatment?

If you finished treatment and a test still says positive, it is easy to assume the medicine didn’t work. Often that isn’t the case. The answer depends on the infection, the type of test, and how soon you test.

How long will I test positive for chlamydia after treatment?

CDC doesn’t give a single number of days. What it does say is that chlamydia tests that look for genetic material (NAATs) should not be used less than 4 weeks after you complete treatment, because the continued presence of non-living organisms can lead to a false-positive result. In other words, a positive result in the first few weeks may not mean you still have an active infection.

That is why most people don’t need to test again soon after treatment. If you do need a check sooner, your clinician will pick the timing.

Should I get a test of cure?

For people who aren’t pregnant, CDC says a routine test of cure for chlamydia, meaning repeat testing about 4 weeks after finishing treatment, is not advised. Exceptions can apply if you didn’t take the medicine as directed, your symptoms continue, or reinfection is suspected.

If you are pregnant, the advice is different. CDC recommends a test about 4 weeks after treatment during pregnancy, because the infection can cause serious problems for the mother and baby if it persists. Ask your prenatal provider about timing.

What about gonorrhea and trichomoniasis?

For uncomplicated gonorrhea in the genitals or rectum, CDC says a test of cure is unnecessary. Gonorrhea in the throat is the exception: CDC advises a follow-up test 7 to 14 days after treatment.

For trichomoniasis, CDC advises retesting all sexually active women about 3 months after treatment. If a NAAT is used, it should not be done before 3 weeks after treatment is complete.

Do syphilis, herpes and HIV tests ever go back to negative?

It depends on the test.

• Syphilis. CDC says follow-up testing by your healthcare provider is necessary to make sure treatment worked. One kind of blood test usually falls after treatment and may become negative with time. Another kind, called treponemal, stays reactive for life in most people regardless of adequate treatment, so a positive result alone doesn’t mean treatment failed.
• Herpes. Antibodies develop in the first weeks after infection and persist indefinitely, so a herpes blood test stays positive. Antiviral medicine doesn’t remove the virus.
• HIV. There is no cure. Treatment can lower the amount of virus until a viral load test can’t detect it, but that is not the same as a negative HIV test.

What if I test positive again after three months?

Most likely this is a new infection. CDC says the majority of infections after treatment come from reinfection, caused by sex partners who didn’t receive treatment or by sex with a new infected partner. CDC advises retesting about 3 months after treatment for chlamydia and gonorrhea, even if you think your partners were treated.

If you tested positive for gonorrhea more than 7 days after treatment and had no new sexual contact, CDC lists that as a reason to consider treatment failure. Call your clinician rather than waiting.

When can I have sex again?

For chlamydia, wait seven days after you take your medicine, or until you finish it if you were given a course. For gonorrhea, wait seven days after finishing all medicine. Don’t have sex until your partners are treated too, or you may pass the infection back and forth.

What should I ask my clinician?

Before you retest, it helps to ask a few questions:

• Which infection am I being retested for, and how long should I wait?
• Should the test cover my throat or rectum as well as my urine or genitals?
• Do my partners need treatment before we have sex again?
• Does being pregnant change when I should retest?