How did I get Chlamydia?

I am 10 weeks pregnant, and found out yesterday that I tested positive for chlamydia. My reaction was "Seriously? How is that possible?"

My husband and I have been together for over 10 years, and have a 5-year-old son.  He is the only person I have ever had sexual contact with, and while he was sexually active before we met, I've never doubted his fidelity.  Honestly, we're a couple of geeky, semi-unattractive homebodies, and when he's not at work, he's at home with us, so infidelity seems highly unlikely.

So, is it possible that he contracted chlamydia before our relationship, has had it without symptoms for 10+ years, and passed it along to me at some point, also without symptoms?  If we've both been on antibiotics for other things during those 10 years, wouldn't they have knocked it out?  And wouldn't I have been tested during my previous pregnancy or pap smears?

Or is it possible that the test is a false positive?  (Hubby will get tested, so that should help answer that)

Or did he really cheat on me?

Thank you!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the STD forum.

There are two possibilities for your positive chlamydia test.  In most patients in this situation, either the infected person or her partner has had other sex partners.  After all, it's a sexually transmitted infection.  But whether this is the case is more easily answered by you than me -- that is, you are the better judge of whether your husband might have had other sex partners recently.  In any case, you should have a direct (but sensitive, non-accusatory) discussion with him.

The other possibility is a false positive test.  That depends in part on the exact test that was done.  Some are more likely to give false positive results than others.  But any test can be false positive once in a while.

A third theoretical possibility is that you have been infected for 10 years.  But that's very unlikely.  The longest documented infection in women is 4 years, and even that is very rare.  And with various antibiotics over the years, it's impossible for all practical purposes that you would still have a distant past infection.

I'm glad your husband is being tested.  But this may not sort it out.  He could have a negative result and still be the source of your infection.  In men, the standard tests are pretty good, but they sometimes are false negative.  To be safe, you both should be treated, regardless of his test result.

Best wishes--  HHH, MD