How is gonorrhea tested

Collecting samples tends to be more difficult than manufacturers suggest, and user error is rife. Most companies are neither clear on the type of tests they provide nor their level of accuracy. One test to actively avoid is the rapid gonorrhea test strip. While it can deliver results in as little as 15 minutes, as many as two out of every five tests will return a false-negative result.

If you receive a positive result for gonorrhea, you should have a comprehensive STD screening, including for chlamydia , syphilis , trichomoniasis , and HIV. Contracting more than one of these STDs at the same time, known as co-infection, is common. If you used an at-home test, you should get this additional screening through a physician.

It is highly suggested that you contact current and recent sex partners, and that they get tested and treated, if needed.

While the CDC recommends that you or your provider notify all partners you had sex with in the 90 days prior to any symptoms starting or the confirmation of your diagnosis, you may want to go further back than that. Once treatment is completed, a follow-up test is not required to confirm the infection has cleared as long as the recommended antibiotics are used. However, given the high rates of reinfection, your healthcare provider may request that you be retested in three months irrespective of whether your partner s have been treated or not.

Gonorrhea is the second most common STD in the United States, accounting for over , infections in recent years.

While testing for gonorrhea when an infection is suspected is important, screening for the infection—testing whether you believe you could have it or not—is important for some people.

More specifically, the U. You are considered at risk if you've ever had multiple sex partners or have engaged in unprotected sex including oral sex. This is true even if the potential exposure happened years ago. If you are infected, you will continue to be contagious until you receive treatment, and there's a risk of bringing the infection into a new relationship without even knowing.

Your partner's sexual history and behaviors can affect your risk of STDs as well. See your healthcare provider for screening. Or, to find a testing site near you, visit the CDC's online testing site locator. Many of the listed clinics offer low-cost or no-cost confidential testing for qualified residents.

It may take between five days to two weeks to have a positive gonorrhea test result after exposure. Yes, gonorrhea can be cured with antibiotics. But any damage done prior to receiving treatment may be permanent, which is why it's important to catch it as early as possible. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.

What's the Point? Point Care. Sex Transm Infect. Sexually Transmitted Infections: Recommendations from the U. Preventive Services Task Force. Am Fam Physician. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted disease surveillance Reviewed July 29, North Dakota Department of Health. Time periods of interest. Updated July Gonorrhea - CDC fact sheet detailed version. Updated July 22, Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, July 23, Your Privacy Rights.

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The symptoms of gonorrhea depend on where you have the infection. In both men and women, gonorrhea can occur in the urethra, where urine comes out. Or it can occur in the anal area or in the throat. In women, it can also affect the vagina and cervix. If you're pregnant, you may have this test as part of prenatal testing. A pregnant woman can pass the infection to her baby during delivery. This may cause blindness. Or it may cause a blood infection that can lead to death.

Finding and treating gonorrhea will prevent these problems. In those who do, symptoms of gonorrhea include:. Test results may vary depending on your age, gender, health history, the method used for the test, and other things.

Ask your healthcare provider what your test results mean for you. This test requires a urine sample. The sample is usually collected by urinating in a specimen cup at your healthcare provider's office. You should collect the first part of the urine stream for the test sample.

Women are not usually asked to provide a urine sample to check for gonorrhoea because this is a less-accurate test for women. Men will normally be asked to provide a urine sample or a swab may be used to pick up a sample of discharge from the end of the penis.

If you're asked to provide a urine sample, it's important not to urinate for about 2 hours beforehand because this can wash the bacteria away and affect the results of the test.

If there's a possibility that your rectum or throat is infected, the doctor or nurse may need to use a swab to collect a sample from these areas. If you have symptoms of conjunctivitis , such as red, inflamed eyes with discharge, a sample of the discharge may be collected from your eye. Some clinics may be able to carry out rapid tests, when the doctor can view the sample through a microscope and give you your test results straight away.

You can attend a sexual health clinic at any age and all results will be treated confidentially. If you're 13 to 16 years old, nobody in your household will be contacted without your permission. However, you may be encouraged to talk to your parents, guardian or another trusted adult.

The situation is different for people under 13, because the law says that people of this age cannot consent say yes to sexual activity. If I use a sexual health service, will they tell my parents? Page last reviewed: 15 September Next review due: 15 September