“My test was positive — does this mean he’s cheated?”

A positive chlamydia result is clinically simple — common, usually asymptomatic, easily treated (BASHH 2026: doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 7 days, the sole first-line treatment; alternative per BASHH 2026 with sexual-health advice in pregnancy) — with partner notification, an STI screen and abstinence-until-treated. The examinable communication nuance is the "has he cheated?" question: chlamydia can be carried silently for months to YEARS, so a positive test does NOT prove recent infidelity and the timing of acquisition usually cannot be determined — the GP must avoid BOTH confirming infidelity and giving false reassurance, stating the honest uncertainty. The hidden agenda is that the real distress is the RELATIONSHIP (trust/betrayal) and a deeper FERTILITY fear, not the infection: give accurate fertility reassurance (a single treated infection rarely causes infertility; untreated/recurrent infection causing PID is the risk — which is why treatment and partner notification matter), support her through the relationship shock without taking sides, and reframe partner notification as a shared health necessity (with anonymous provider options) so it actually happens. Her IMB with pelvic discomfort needs a PID assessment and examination (BASHH 2019) — offer a full STI screen, and safety-net.