Information
What is Gonorrhea?Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract of men and women. The bacteria can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus.
What are the most common symptoms?
Symptoms of Gonorrhea include inflammation, painful urination, and a pus-like discharge from the penis or vagina. However, many infected men and women can remain symptom free.
How long does it take to develop symptoms?
Symptoms of Gonorrhea usually appear within 2-10 days after exposure to an infected person, though for some, symptoms may never occur.
How do people get Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea can be transmitted through sex, oral sex, and anal sex with an infected individual. Ejaculation does not have to occur to transmit the disease. It is possible that a pregnant woman can transmit the disease to her baby during birth.
Testing
What is a Gonorrhea Test?
A Gonorrhea Test will require a urine sample. Since symptom of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are very similar, we recommend that you purchase the Chlamydia Gonorrhea Test Panel.
Do you offer a Home Test for Gonorrhea?
Currently, we do not offer a Home Test option for Gonorrhea.
Is testing accurate?
Our contracted laboratory uses the same type of STD tests that you would receive at many doctor’s offices and hospitals. However, there is always a remote chance of a false positive or a false negative result.
A false positive result means the test shows the infection to be present when the person does not have the infection.
A false negative result means the test shows no sign of infection when the person does have an infection. False negative results can happen if the test is done within the window period (period of time between the day you are infected and when a test can find the infection in your body). The window period for Gonorrhea is usually 2 to 7 days.
Treatment
Is Gonorrhea curable or treatable?Gonorrhea is easily cured if caught early and treated with antibiotics. However, untreated Gonorrhea can spread through the blood to the joints, tendons, brain, and heart as well as cause other complications. Because many people with Gonorrhea also have Chlamydia, antibiotics for both infections are usually given together.
Prevention
How can Gonorrhea be prevented?The most effective way to reduce the risk of contracting Gonorrhea is to use latex condoms consistently and correctly. Also, sexual contact should be avoided with anyone that has symptoms such as genital sores, discharge from the genitals with odor, burning during urination, or bleeding between menstrual cycles. Getting tested and treatment early is the best way to prevent the transmission of Gonorrhea.
