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About LGV and Home Testing

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What is LGV?

  • LGV (lymphogranuloma venereum) is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a type of chlamydia
  • LGV is not very common in London or the rest of the UK
  • It’s found occasionally in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, especially people taking PrEP
  • LGV is also occasionally found in trans people
  • In the UK, LGV is very rare in cisgender women and heterosexual men
  • LGV is most often found in the rectum (bum)
  • It sometimes affects the lymph glands, especially those in the groin. It can make them swollen and painful
  • Less commonly, LGV is found in the penis
  • LGV can affect the vagina or throat, but this is rare in the UK
  • Having LGV can increase the chance of you getting or passing on HIV. But if you’re living with HIV and on treatment with an undetectable viral load, then you cannot pass on HIV to a sexual partner

How is LGV transmitted?

LGV can be transmitted (passed on) from:

  • Anal sex without a condom
  • Fisting (when a hand is put into a partner’s rectum/bum)
  • Anything that goes from one rectum/bum to another, such as sex toys, fingers, condoms, latex gloves or enema equipment
  • Vaginal or oral sex without a condom, but this is rare in the UK

Because LGV can be passed from one rectum to another, group sex can increase the likelihood of transmitting LGV.

LGV cannot be transmitted by kissing or any everyday contact.

What are the symptoms of LGV?

In London and the rest of the UK, most LGV is found in the rectum (bum).

Most people with LGV will get noticeable symptoms, but about 1 in 3 people will have no symptoms.

Symptoms usually appear within a few days or weeks after contact with LGV. They may include:

  • Pain in the rectum (bum)
  • Discharge and/or bleeding from the bum
  • Open sores (ulcers) or cuts on or around the genitals or anus (bum hole)
  • Feeling like you need to poo even when you know you don’t
  • Being unable to poo (constipation)
  • Lower tummy pain
  • Feeling unwell or very tired, sometimes with a high temperature
  • Swollen glands in your groin, armpit or neck

LGV in the penis may cause ulcers, discharge, pain when weeing or swollen glands/painful lumps in the groin.

LGV in the mouth or throat is rare but can cause ulcers, a sore throat or swollen glands in the neck.

Can LGV cause health problems?

Detecting LGV early and starting treatment is the best way to avoid serious health problems and stop LGV being passed on to sexual partners.

If it is not treated early on, LGV can cause problems like:

  • Arthritis (joint pain) in some people
  • Serious lasting damage to the rectum, genitals or bowel which may mean surgery is needed. These problems are very rare in the UK

LGV testing in London

LGV is a type of chlamydia. Chlamydia is a very common STI but only a small proportion of chlamydia is LGV chlamydia.

SHL makes it easy for Londoners to test for chlamydia and other STIs with a free postal testing kit.

  • Because LGV is a type of chlamydia, if you do not have chlamydia this means you do not have LGV
  • Most people who test positive for chlamydia will not have LGV chlamydia and can get free treatment from SHL to cure the chlamydia
  • If we ask you to send us a rectal (bum) swab and this shows you have chlamydia in the bum, SHL may offer you free postal treatment or advise you to go to a sexual health clinic for free treatment if you have symptoms of LGV

Free Chlamydia and STI Testing Kit

Test for chlamydia and common STIs. Get your free NHS-funded STI test kit delivered to your door in London.

Take a self-sample at home and return it for free. Get your results online within a week.

Access SHL free services now

At the clinic

If needed, the clinic can check which type of chlamydia you have and whether you have LGV. To do this, they’ll usually swab your rectum (bum) but may sometimes swab the penis, vagina or throat, or a skin sore if you have one.

If you don’t have any symptoms, you don’t usually need a check for LGV. Most clinics will just give you the antibiotic doxycycline to take for a week. This will cure the chlamydia even if it’s LGV chlamydia.

If you do have symptoms of LGV, you’ll usually need an LGV test and may need to take doxycycline for up to 3 weeks. It can take up to 3 weeks to get the results of an LGV test so you may be offered treatment before getting your test result.

What is the treatment for LGV?

LGV is usually easy to cure with antibiotics. Treatment is free from a sexual health clinic.

You’ll usually have antibiotic tablets called doxycycline. You take these twice every day for 1 to 3 weeks, depending on your symptoms. Sometimes a different antibiotic may be used.

LGV will not usually cause any lasting problems, as long as it’s detected and treated early enough.

After starting treatment, any symptoms usually get better in 1 to 2 weeks. If you’ve had LGV for a long time, it may take up to 6 weeks and, in some cases, symptoms may not resolve fully.

If the LGV was detected early, you may get symptoms for the first time after testing or even after starting treatment. This is not usually anything to worry about and symptoms should still clear up.

LGV will not usually cause any lasting problems as long as it’s detected and treated early enough. If you have LGV for a long time or delay treatment, it may lead to:

  • scarring and swelling of the skin and blockages in the bowel
  • permanent swelling of the genitals
  • arthritis
  • problems with the liver and lungs

So if symptoms don’t get better, attend your sexual health clinic.

Do I need to tell my sexual partners?

If you have LGV and are male with symptoms, you’ll usually need to tell any sexual partners from within the last 4 weeks. For everyone else, you’ll usually be asked to tell partners from the last 6 months though this may be longer.

Sexual partners are advised to get a free LGV test at a sexual health clinic. They may be offered treatment before their results are available. This is known as epidemiological treatment.

Informing, testing and treating partners is really important because it lowers the chances of:

  • You getting LGV again
  • LGV being passed on to a partner’s sexual partners

If you feel unable to tell sexual partners, one of the SHL team can tell them without mentioning your name.

Taking care of your sexual health

If you have chlamydia or LGV, you may also have another STI. It’s advisable to have a full sexual health screen, including tests for gonorrhoea, HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis.

You can get LGV more than once. To avoid getting it again, do not have any type of sex, including fisting, until:

  • both you and your current sexual partner(s) have finished treatment and
  • both you and your current sexual partner’s symptoms have gone

You may be asked to go back to the clinic for a follow-up and may be offered a test to check the LGV has been cured.

Consider having another sexual health screen 3 months after being treated for LGV. This is because you have a higher chance of getting LGV over the next year. Testing after 3 months also gives any follow-up blood tests the best chance of being accurate.

Previous successful treatment for LGV doesn't make you immune. Help protect yourself from getting LGV again by using condoms and lube. Cover anything which is moved from one rectum to another (such as sex toys) with a fresh condom or a fresh latex glove (if fisting, for example) for each new person it enters – or clean it with warm water and anti-bacterial soap. Enema equipment should not be shared.

To help protect your health in the future:

  • Use condoms
  • Encourage your partner(s) to test for STIs
  • If you’re sexually active, consider testing for STIs at least once a year and after a change in partner
  • You don’t usually need to get tested if you have just one long-term partner, you only have sex with each other and you’ve both tested for STIs since you’ve been together

If you have a higher chance of getting LGV it can be a good idea to test every 3 months.

Anyone who lives in an area covered by SHL can have up to 4 free STI testing kits a year.

People at higher risk of chlamydia or syphilis may be offered doxyPEP. This is an antibiotic you take soon after sex to lower your chance of getting chlamydia or syphilis. Ask your local clinic if doxyPEP is suitable for you.

Related Pages:

More information about LGV

Support

FAQs about free NHS chlamydia and LGV testing in London

Get answers to some common questions.

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Why should I get a free chlamydia self-sampling test?

Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed STI in London.

Most people with chlamydia, and some people with LGV chlamydia, will not get any symptoms, so you could have it without knowing.

Unless chlamydia – including LGV chlamydia – is treated and cured, it can sometimes lead to painful health problems or lasting damage to the body.

Untreated chlamydia or LGV can also be passed on to your sexual partner(s).

Who should consider chlamydia and LGV testing?

If you’re sexually active, it can be a good idea to test for chlamydia and other STIs at least once a year or after a change in partner, especially if you have sex without a condom. Some people may be advised to test more often.

You don’t usually need to get tested if:

  • you have just one long-term partner and
  • you only have sex with each other and
  • you’ve both tested for STIs since you’ve been together.

In London and the rest of the UK, LGV is most commonly found in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and some trans people.

You may have a higher chance of getting LGV if you’re taking PrEP, you had a bacterial STI in the last year, or you have group sex.

If an SHL test shows you have chlamydia in the rectum (bum) and you have symptoms of LGV, we may advise you to get checked out at a sexual health clinic. They can give you treatment and do a free LGV test.

LGV is rare in cisgender women and heterosexual men.

When should I get tested for chlamydia and LGV?

Ask for a test at a clinic as soon as possible if:

  • You have any symptoms of LGV or
  • A sexual partner has LGV or another STI

Get a free SHL home self-sampling kit to test for chlamydia and other STIs if:

  • You have no symptoms and just want a sexual health check-up
  • You have mild symptoms that you do not think are LGV – depending on your symptoms, we may suggest you get tested at a clinic instead

If you have no symptoms, consider waiting up to 2 weeks after your last sexual contact before testing. This helps your test to be as accurate as possible. Chlamydia and LGV may not show up on a test straight away. Testing too early may mean you test negative even if you do have early chlamydia or LGV. More about when to take a test.

How do I order a free chlamydia or LGV test online?

Londoners can order a free chlamydia and STI testing kit online. Your kit should arrive by post in the next few days.

Order your free STI testing kit online.

  • Answer some online questions – your answers are confidential
  • We work out which tests are best for you
  • Your free STI test kit arrives by post in the next few days – in a discreet plain package
  • If your answers or test results suggest you may have LGV, we may advise you get tested at a clinic to check if it’s LGV or not. We’ll help you find your nearest sexual health clinic
  • If your test is negative for chlamydia, then you don’t have LGV

If you want to get tested at a sexual health clinic instead, search for your nearest London sexual health clinic.

How do I use my STI test kit?

Your free testing kit comes with all you need to take your own sample. This is called self-sampling .

Pack your samples into the freepost box and send them back to our lab for testing. Post them in any Royal Mail postbox.

When will I get my STI test results?

You’ll usually get your results 2 or 3 days after your sample arrives at our lab.

You’ll be able to view the results online. They’re completely secure and private.

Order your STI testing kit now to get your results as soon as possible.

If your test results suggest that you could have LGV we may advise you go to a sexual health clinic for tests and treatment. We can help you find your closest clinic.