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Bacterial STI Curable

Gonorrhea Testing

Gonorrhea is the second most reported STI in the United States, and it's in a race against our antibiotics. Neisseria gonorrhoeae has beaten every drug class once used against it, leaving a single ceftriaxone injection as the only reliable cure. Most infections in women cause no symptoms, and rectal and throat infections are nearly always silent in everyone. A urine sample or swab confirms it in 1–3 days, and catching it early is how you prevent infertility, disseminated infection, and further resistance.

Find gonorrhea testing near you When can gonorrhea be detected?

Understanding gonorrhea

Testing for gonorrhea, in brief

Gonorrhea is usually symptomless and quick to cure, so testing is the only reliable way to know you have it. This page covers how gonorrhea testing works, what it costs, and where to get tested near you.

Full gonorrhea overview: symptoms, complications & treatment

Where to get tested

Find gonorrhea testing near you

Choose your test and enter your city: we'll take you straight to local gonorrhea testing: nearby clinics and labs, prices, hours and county rates.

Test from home

At-home STD testing in the U.S.

if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to the U.S., you collect the sample privately, and mail it back to a CLIA-certified lab. Results come online in days, with a clinician available if anything is positive. Same labs as a clinic, no waiting room, and you can read how accurate at-home STD tests are before you order.

Want a free option first? The CDC-supported TakeMeHome program mails free at-home HIV self-test kits, and, in many areas, free STI kits, to your door, with no insurance or payment needed. The paid kits below add broader panels and faster turnaround.

  • In-home collection

    Quest Diagnostics

    Quest Diagnostics

    $79 & up

    Panel:
    8-infection panel incl. chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis & herpes: single tests too
    Sample:
    Quest Mobile: a phlebotomist collects your sample at home
    Results:
    1–3 days, online: physician-reviewed
    • In-home sample collection
    • Nationwide Quest lab network
    • Physician-reviewed results
    • FSA/HSA eligible
    Order online Quest Diagnostics review

  • Best for simplicity & support

    LetsGetChecked

    LetsGetChecked

    $89 & up

    Panel:
    5–6 common STIs incl. chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis & trichomoniasis
    Sample:
    Finger-prick + urine/swab
    Results:
    2–5 days, online
    • 24/7 nurse support
    • Prescription for positives
    • CLIA-certified labs
    • Free shipping both ways
    Order online LetsGetChecked review

  • Best value: single tests

    Everlywell

    Everlywell

    $49 & up

    Panel:
    Chlamydia & gonorrhea, up to a 6-test panel adding HIV, syphilis, trichomoniasis & hep C
    Sample:
    Finger-prick + swab
    Results:
    Days, online
    • Telehealth visit if positive
    • CLIA-certified labs
    • HSA/FSA eligible
    • Subscription savings
    Order online Everlywell review

Every kit uses CLIA-certified labs. At-home testing is for screening; a reactive result should be confirmed and treated by a clinician. Prices and panels shown are illustrative and change often, confirm current details on the provider's site.

Symptoms

Do you need a gonorrhea test?

Roughly 50% or more of women with gonorrhea have no symptoms whatsoever, and many who do notice something attribute it to a UTI or vaginal infection. Rectal gonorrhea and throat gonorrhea are almost universally silent in all groups, men and women alike. Men are more likely to develop noticeable symptoms, particularly urethral discharge, but asymptomatic infection in men is not rare. That's exactly why testing matters: you can have it, pass it on, and never feel a thing.

See every gonorrhea symptom — in women, men, rectal & throat

How testing works

How a gonorrhea test works

Testing for gonorrhea is simple and painless — you pee in a cup or do a quick swab, and a lab checks the sample for the infection. Below: your options, what each costs, and how soon you can test after a possible exposure.

Your gonorrhea testing window

After a possible exposure, a gonorrhea test becomes reliable around 1–2 weeks later.

Exposure Day 0 Earliest reliable Day 7 Conclusive Day 14

Before day 7 a test can miss it · from day 7 it's reliable · re-test after day 14 if you tested early.

After treatment

Re-test 3 months after treatment: re-infection from an untreated partner, not treatment failure, is the most common reason gonorrhea recurs. For throat gonorrhea specifically, confirm cure with a repeat NAAT at 1–2 weeks.

NAAT, swab Most accurate
Sample
Vaginal, cervical, rectal or throat swab
Results
1–3 days

The gold standard for gonorrhea. Swabs are the only method that detects rectal and throat gonorrhea, urine completely misses infections at those sites. Vaginal swabs can be self-collected. FDA-cleared NAAT assays are available for all exposed anatomic sites, and most are run alongside a chlamydia NAAT on the same sample. Critical for MSM: a urine test alone misses approximately 70% of rectal and throat infections.

NAAT, urine
Sample
First-catch urine sample
Results
1–3 days

Widely available at private labs and included in most at-home kits; reliable and sensitive for urethral gonorrhea in men. In women, urine can miss cervical infections at rates that make vaginal swabs preferable when possible. Will not detect rectal or throat gonorrhea under any circumstances: if you have had receptive anal or oral sex, site-specific swabs are required.

At-home NAAT kit
Sample
Self-collected swab or urine, mailed to a CLIA-certified lab
Results
2–5 days

Same NAAT technology as a clinic, done privately with no appointment. Most kits pair gonorrhea and chlamydia on the same sample. Limitation: home kits typically cover urine or vaginal swabs; if rectal or throat testing is needed, a clinic visit is necessary. A clinician follows up on all positive results.

Culture
Sample
Urethral, cervical, rectal or throat swab, requires rapid transport to lab
Results
2–5 days

Less sensitive than NAAT and logistically demanding (viable organisms must reach the lab within hours). Indispensable for antibiotic susceptibility testing when resistance is suspected or treatment has failed. Required in confirmed treatment-failure workup.

What a gonorrhea test costs

Where What it costs
Private lab (self-pay)~$24–$80 self-pay at a private lab (usually bundled with chlamydia); at-home kits run ~$45–$150
Free / sliding-scale clinicFree or sliding-scale at most health departments, Title X clinics and community health centers
With insuranceCovered with no out-of-pocket cost for recommended screening under most ACA-compliant plans

Compare STD testing costs across every option.

Screening guidance

Who should get tested for gonorrhea?

Because gonorrhea is often silent, the CDC and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend routine screening for the groups most likely to have it, not just people with symptoms.

  1. 1

    Sexually active women under 25

    The CDC and USPSTF recommend annual gonorrhea screening for all sexually active women under 25. The younger cervix is biologically more susceptible, and because gonorrhea in women is so often silent, or mimics a UTI that doesn't respond to standard antibiotics, a test is the only reliable way to know. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are usually run together on the same sample.

  2. 2

    Women 25+ with risk factors

    Annual screening is recommended if you have a new partner, multiple concurrent partners, a partner who has an STI or other partners, or live in an area with high gonorrhea rates. Risk isn't limited to traditional 'high-risk' groups, rates have risen broadly in recent years.

  3. 3

    Gay & bisexual men (MSM)

    The CDC recommends testing at every anatomic site exposed (urethra, rectum, throat) at least every 12 months, and every 3–6 months with new or multiple partners or if living with HIV. Rectal and throat gonorrhea are almost always symptom-free, and a urine test alone misses them entirely. Multi-site NAAT swabs are essential, not optional.

  4. 4

    Pregnant people

    Test at the first prenatal visit; re-test in the third trimester if you're under 25 or at elevated risk. Untreated gonorrhea in pregnancy is linked to preterm birth and premature rupture of membranes, and it can be passed to the baby at delivery causing a potentially blinding eye infection. Ceftriaxone is safe throughout pregnancy.

  5. 5

    After a new partner, symptoms or known exposure

    Test before unprotected sex with a new partner, if any partner tests positive for gonorrhea, or whenever you have symptoms such as unusual discharge, burning on urination, rectal discomfort or pelvic pain. Because gonorrhea symptoms closely mimic UTIs and yeast infections, and standard UTI antibiotics won't clear it, a test beats guessing.

Browse by location

Gonorrhea testing by state & city

Jump to local gonorrhea testing, clinics and labs, prices and county rates, in your state or a popular city, or explore another test.

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More on gonorrhea

All condition guides articles

Living with gonorrhea

Questions to ask your provider about gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is treatable and nothing to be ashamed of. The most useful next step after a positive result (or before a first test) is a direct conversation with a clinician. Here are the questions that matter most:

  • Is my gonorrhea test result definitive, or do I need a confirmatory test?
  • What treatment options are available to me, and how long until I'm no longer contagious?
  • Should I notify my recent partners, and can your office help me do that confidentially?
  • How soon can I re-test to confirm the infection has cleared?
  • Are there other STIs I should test for at the same visit?
  • Can this affect my fertility, pregnancy, or long-term health if left untreated?

Good to Know

Gonorrhea testing FAQs

Common questions about gonorrhea and gonorrhea testing, answered.

How is gonorrhea tested?

Gonorrhea is diagnosed with a NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test), which detects bacterial DNA from a sample collected at any infected site. For genital infection, you give a urine sample or a vaginal, cervical or urethral swab, you can often self-collect. If you've had receptive anal or oral sex, site-specific rectal and throat swabs are the only way to detect infections at those sites; a urine test will miss them entirely. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are almost always run on the same sample. Most private labs and at-home kits offer NAAT testing with results in 1–3 days, and no appointment is required at most direct-access labs.

How soon after exposure should I test?

Wait at least 1–2 weeks after a possible exposure for a reliable result. N. gonorrhoeae needs time to establish a detectable infection: a NAAT can detect it within a few days in some cases, but testing in the first 24–72 hours risks a false-negative even if infection is present. If you test early and the result is negative but you have symptoms or a confirmed exposure, re-test at the 2-week mark. For routine screening after an unprotected encounter with no symptoms, testing at 1–2 weeks is appropriate.

Do I need to test again after treatment?

For uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea treated with ceftriaxone, a routine test-of-cure is not required if symptoms resolve: but the CDC strongly recommends re-testing at 3 months, because re-infection from an untreated partner is the most common reason gonorrhea comes back. For pharyngeal (throat) gonorrhea, a test-of-cure NAAT or culture at 7–14 days after treatment IS specifically recommended, because cure rates at the throat are lower than at genital sites even with ceftriaxone. If you still have symptoms 7 or more days after treatment, that requires clinical evaluation: it may be re-infection, a treatment failure or a different diagnosis.

Medically Reviewed · Updated

Reviewed by Mark Riegel, MD · Sexual Health Physician · Chief Medical Reviewer

Physician focused on sexual health, STI testing, treatment and prevention, and EasySTD's chief medical reviewer. Owns the condition guides and is the clinical backstop for any page without a more specific specialist. Our editorial guidelines →

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