If signs or symptoms are present, there may be:

• Small, painless ulcers
• Swelling and redness of the skin in the groin area
• Swollen lymph nodes (glands) on one or both sides of the groin
• Lower abdominal pain
• Swelling of the labia
• An ongoing and untreated infection may also lead to genital ulcers, followed by general inflammation of the affected area, painful lymph node swelling (known as bubo formation) and/or fever, arthritis, pneumonitis, or reactive arthritis.

If signs or symptoms are present, there may be:

• Small, painless ulcers
• Swelling and redness of the skin in the groin area
• Swollen lymph nodes (glands) on one or both sides of the groin or the rectum
• Lower abdominal pain
• An ongoing and untreated infection may also lead to genital ulcers, followed by general inflammation of the affected area, painful lymph node swelling (known as bubo formation) and/or fever, arthritis, pneumonitis, or reactive arthritis.

If signs or symptoms are present, there may be:

• Small, painless ulcers
• Swollen lymph nodes (glands) on one or both sides of the rectum
• Blood, mucus or pus from the rectum, or blood in your faeces
• Painful bowel movements, or a feeling of incomplete emptying after bowel movements
• Diarrhoea and lower abdominal pain
• An ongoing and untreated infection may also lead to inflammation of the lining of the rectum (known as symptomatic proctitis) and / or fever, arthritis, pneumonitis, or reactive arthritis

If signs or symptoms are present, there may be:

• Inflammation of the back of the throat
• Ulcers
• Sore throat
• Swollen glands in the neck

If signs or symptoms are present, there may be:

• Swelling and redness of the skin in the groin area
• Swollen lymph nodes (glands) on one or both sides of the groin or the rectum
• Lower abdominal pain
• An ongoing and untreated infection may also lead to ulcers, followed by general inflammation of the affected area, painful lymph node swelling (known as bubo formation) and/or fever, arthritis, pneumonitis, or reactive arthritis

• Testing is done with a swab and will be collected by your doctor or nurse. The test will be for chlamydia. 
• If the chlamydia test is positive then the laboratory will test the sample for LGV.  All people who test positive for anal chlamydia will be given 7 days of doxycycline and told that if the LGV swab returns positive, then they will need 21 days of treatment. 

• It is best to get tested for LGV if you have symptoms or have a sexual partner who has had LGV. 
• LGV is not part of a routine sexual health screening, so you will need to talk to your doctor or nurse about your symptoms, and they will order the test if they think you may have LGV. 

• Sexual health clinic testing is often bulk billed, even if you don’t have medicare, so the test will most likely be free. 
• If you see a GP, you may pay a fee or be bulk billed. 

• A three-week course of antibiotics is generally effective. 
• If you have painful or swollen lymph nodes, they may need to be drained using a needle.
• You can get LGV again after treatment – there is no immunity created by having it once.
• Getting another sexual health screen three months after being treated for LGV is a good idea to make sure that your treatment has been successful. 

• The cost of antibiotics for treating an STI such as LGV generally ranges from $10-$20 on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). 
• If you have a healthcare card, you will usually only pay the dispensing fee, which is about $6. 
• Your GP can tell you more about what costs to expect. 
• Public sexual health clinics can provide treatment for LGV, regardless of your medicare eligibility.
• You have a higher risk of becoming reinfected with LGV or getting another STI for the first year after an LGV infection.

• Doctors recommend avoiding sexual contact until after your 21-day course of antibiotic treatment. 
• If you cannot afford to take this time off work, consistent condom use can offer a degree of protection from transmitting LGV while receiving treatment. You may also consider offering alternative services, or doing non-contact sex work like phone sex or online work. 
• Having LGV can increase the risk of contracting other STIs, including HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, and gonorrhoea. Condoms are your best defence!
• Ongoing and advanced infections can lead to severe tissue damage to the affected area and may require surgery, so be sure to get medical care quickly. 
• If you often get thrush when you take antibiotics, you may want to take probiotics during and after your treatment to help prevent this.

• Some states and territories may have laws that criminalise sex working or having sexual contact while you have a BBV or STI. Check out our BBV, STI and the Law resource or contact your local sex worker peer organisation for more information. 
• Contact tracing of previous sexual partners (also known as ‘partner notification’) is a consideration for some BBV and STI. It should be done with consideration of the unique transmission risk and privacy needs of sex workers. Your local sex worker peer organisation can advise on any partner notification process to ensure that it is appropriate for your circumstances. 
• LGV is a routine notifiable condition in some jurisdictions, which means that diagnosed cases of gonorrhoea are confidentially reported to state or territory health departments. You can find more information on the requirements for your jurisdiction on our BBV, STI and the Law resource.