Common tests & procedures
Because re-infection is common, men and women with gonorrhea should be retested three months after treatment of the initial infection, regardless of whether they believe that their sex partners were successfully treated.
When should I get tested for gonorrhea?
How to read your gonorrhea test results. Gonorrhea test results from STDcheck are either negative or positive. A negative result indicates that you are not infected with the bacterial infection or that you tested too early. If your results are positive, you have an active gonorrhea infection. Gonorrhea can be treated and cured with antibiotics.
How do I Read my gonorrhea test results?
In men, gonorrhea can cause painful urination and scarring of the urethra. The urethra is a tube that allows urine to flow from the bladder to the outside of the body and also carries semen. In men, this tube runs through the penis. Other names: GC test, gonorrhea DNA probe test, gonorrhea nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) What is it used for?
What is a gonorrhea GC test?
Symptoms can appear between one and 14 days after infection. It’s important to remember that the presence or severity of symptoms is not an indication of whether complications are present or possible. Gonorrhea symptoms in women can include painful urination, vaginal discharge and spotting between periods.
How long does it take for gonorrhea symptoms to appear?
How long after treatment does gonorrhea test positive?
STI testing tableType of STIPathogen typeWhen to retest after treatmentGonorrheabacteriaTest 2 weeks after treatment, or 2 weeks later after exposure if the first test is negativeHerpesvirusNoneHPVvirusNoneHepatitisvirusRetest 6 months later4 more rows•Sep 29, 2020
Should I get tested after gonorrhea treatment?
Repeat infection with gonorrhea is common. You should be tested again about three months after you are treated, even if your sex partner(s) was treated.
What happens if you don't wait 7 days after treatment for gonorrhea?
If you're taking medicine for 7 days, don't have sex until you've finished all of your pills. And get tested again in 3 months to make sure the STD is gone.
Is it possible to still have gonorrhea after treatment?
If you still have symptoms after you finish your treatment, call your doctor. Even if you finish your treatment and the gonorrhea is totally gone, it's possible to get infected with gonorrhea again. Gonorrhea isn't a one-time-only deal. So use condoms and get tested regularly.
What is the best treatment for gonorrhea?
Adults with gonorrhea are treated with antibiotics. Due to emerging strains of drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that uncomplicated gonorrhea be treated with the antibiotic ceftriaxone — given as an injection — with oral azithromycin (Zithromax).
Can you get a home test for gonorrhea?
For women, home test kits are available for gonorrhea. They include vaginal swabs for self-testing that are sent to a specified lab for testing. You can choose to be notified by email or text message when your results are ready. You can view your results online or receive them by calling a toll-free hotline.
Can HIV be tested for?
Testing for HIV also is recommended for anyone diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection. Depending on your risk factors, tests for additional sexually transmitted infections could be beneficial as well.
Can gonorrhea be tested for chlamydia?
Testing for other sexually transmitted infections. Your doctor may recommend tests for other sexually transmitted infections. Gonorrhea increases your risk of these infections, particularly chlamydia, which often accompanies gonorrhea.
How long does it take to get tested for gonorrhea?
Our FDA-cleared NAA (nucleic acid amplification) gonorrhea test is a urine test that can be taken as soon as 2-6 days after exposure.
What is the best treatment for gonorrhea?
Antibiotics often used to cure gonorrhea include azithromycin, doxycycline, ceftriaxone or cefixime.
Why is gonorrhea important during pregnancy?
It’s important to treat gonorrhea during pregnancy due to the high risk it poses to the fetus. If a baby contracts gonorrhea while passing through the birth canal, the baby can suffer blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection. 4.
What are the risks of gonorrhea?
Getting regularly tested for gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases is important for monitoring and protecting your health. Untreated gonorrhea can lead to health issues like: 1 Infertility 2 Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) 3 Epididymitis 4 Disseminated gonococcal infection 5 Increased risk of getting other STDs, like HIV, if exposed
How to prevent gonorrhea?
When you resume sexual activity, correctly and consistently using protection can help reduce your chances of getting gonorrhea again. Use dental dams and latex condoms each time you have oral, vaginal, or anal sex.
How long does it take to get rid of a syphilis infection?
Do not have sex with anybody during your treatment. After one week of properly taking antibiotics, you should be cured and cleared of the disease, but your sexual partner (s) need to also complete treatment in order to avoid you passing the infection back and forth.
Can gonorrhea cause infertility?
Gonorrhea is a common bacterial STD. While it’s easily curable, it can cause infertility if left untreated. Getting regularly tested is the only way to know if you have gonorrhea. The thought of getting tested can be very stressful, but don’t worry. Testing is generally fast and painless, and gonorrhea is completely curable.
Timing and Accuracy of Different Gonorrhea Tests
This table summarizes the information on timing (i.e., how soon the test can be done) and accuracy of gonorrhea tests of different anatomic areas for asymptomatic people.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here Dr. Slava Fuzayloff (a.k.a. Dr. F) answers real patients’ questions, grouped by topic. Dr. F has been an STD doctor in New York City for more than two decades.
How Common Is Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is extremely common. In fact, the CDC says it is the second most commonly reported notifiable disease in the U.S.. ( 2)
Gonorrhea Symptoms
Gonorrhea often has no symptoms. However, men and women with gonorrhea can experience a handful of the same symptoms. These may include bleeding, painful bowel movements, soreness, discharge and itchiness. ( 4)
When to Get Tested For Gonorrhea
It’s important to get tested as soon as possible for gonorrhea whenever any of the above symptoms — including discharge, painful urination or sores — are present, either in oneself or a sexual partner.
Gonorrhea Treatment
Though treatments may vary, the CDC recommends taking two antibiotic drugs simultaneously to cure gonorrhea. ( 11)
Complications of Gonorrhea
Women with untreated gonorrhea can contract pelvic inflammatory disease, which can damage fallopian tubes and cause chronic pelvic pain — even leading to infertility. ( 12)
How is Gonorrhea Transmitted?
Gonorrhea is transmitted via contact with an infected person’s penis, vagina, mouth or anus, regardless of ejaculation.
How Can I Prevent Gonorrhea?
Using latex condoms correctly will reduce your risk of getting gonorrhea.
What is a gonorrhea test?
A gonorrhea test is used to find out whether you have a gonorrhea infection. It's sometimes done along with a test for chlamydia, another type of sexually transmitted disease (STD). Gonorrhea and chlamydia have similar symptoms, and the two STDs often occur together.
How to prevent gonorrhea?
The best way to prevent infection with gonorrhea or other STD is to not have sex. If you are sexually active, you can reduce your risk of infection by: Being in a long-term relationship with one partner who has tested negative for STDs. Using condoms correctly every time you have sex. References.
How common is gonorrhea in young people?
It is most common in young people, aged 15–24. Many people with gonorrhea don't know they have it. So they may spread it to others without knowing it. Men with gonorrhea may have some symptoms. But women often have no symptoms or mistake gonorrhea symptoms for a bladder or vaginal infection.
What is the instrument used to open the vagina?
Your health care provider will use a plastic or metal instrument called a speculum to open the vagina, so the cervix can be seen. Your provider will then use a soft brush or plastic spatula to collect the sample. If you are a man, your provider may take a swab from the opening of your urethra.
Can gonorrhea cause blindness?
Gonorrhea can cause blindness and other serious, sometimes life-threatening, complications in infants. If you are pregnant and have gonorrhea, you can be treated with an antibiotic that is safe for you and your child.
Can antibiotics stop gonorrhea?
Antibiotic treatment should stop the infection, but some types of gonorrhea bacteria are becoming resistant ( less effective or ineffective) to certain antibiotics. If your symptoms don't improve after treatment, your health care provider may order a "susceptibility test.".
Can gonorrhea be cured?
The disease can be cured with antibiotics. But if it's not treated, gonorrhea can lead to infertility and other serious health problems. In women, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that develops outside the uterus, where a baby can't survive.
Test Quick Guide
Gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States. Gonorrhea testing looks for evidence of a gonorrhea infection. Testing for a gonorrhea infection is used to screen for and diagnose gonorrhea.
About the Test
The purpose of gonorrhea testing is to detect a gonorrhea infection. A gonorrhea test is performed in two different situations:
Finding a Gonorrhea Test
Testing for gonorrhea is typically ordered by a doctor. In order to determine the most appropriate testing strategy, a doctor will ask about any signs or symptoms of gonorrhea and individual risk factors such as your sexual and health history.
Order your at-home health test online
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Taking the Gonorrhea Test
Gonorrhea testing is performed on a urine sample or a swab from the site of potential infection, often the urethra, cervix, mouth, or rectum. Urine samples can be collected by the patient, while swab samples can be collected by either the patient or a medical professional.
Gonorrhea Test Results
Results of gonorrhea testing may be reported during a follow-up appointment with your doctor, over the phone, or through online medical charts. Results of NAAT testing may be available as early as one or two days after completing the test. Gonococcal cultures may take several days before results are available.
Sources and Resources
The following resources offer additional information on gonorrhea risk, detection, and treatment:
How to talk to your partner about STD?
During and after your talk, your partner may also have many strong emotions. The most helpful thing you can do is listen to your partner ’s concerns and fears and offer information about the STD and its symptoms and treatment.
Can gonorrhea cause ectopic pregnancy?
Left untreated, ch lamydia and gonorrhea can cause serious health problems like PID, infertility, and potential deadly ectopic pregnancy. Also, without treatment, your partner might pass the STD back to you.
