Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It’s usually cured with antibiotics.

Gonorrhea can affect people of any age, anatomy, or gender, but it’s particularly common among teens and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24.

If you think you could have gonorrhea or a sexual partner receives a positive test result, you’ll need to see a healthcare professional for a diagnosis and treatment medication.

If you’re looking for a place to get tested, most states offer free or lower cost diagnosis and treatment at state-sponsored, county health clinics.

You may not always notice any symptoms if you have gonorrhea. But even if you’re an asymptomatic carrier — which means you have no symptoms — you can still transmit gonorrhea.

You might even be more likely to transmit it to your sexual partner(s) when you don’t have any symptoms, since you aren’t aware you have the infection.

If you think you may have gonorrhea, it’s important to see a healthcare professional as soon as possible for a diagnosis and treatment if you have gonorrhea. Your local health department likely offers free or low cost testing and treatment for gonorrhea and other STIs.

If you have a penis

You may develop noticeable symptoms of gonorrhea within 2 to 30 days after exposure. That said, it may take several weeks for symptoms to appear, and you might not experience any symptoms at all.

Burning or pain during urination may be the first symptom you notice.

Other possible symptoms include:

If you have a vagina

Many people with a vagina don’t develop any symptoms of gonorrhea. If you do have symptoms, they may begin anywhere from a day or so to several weeks after you’re exposed.

These symptoms are often fairly mild. What’s more, they can seem very similar to symptoms of vaginal yeast or other bacterial infections, which can make them even more difficult to recognize.

Possible symptoms include:

Other gonorrhea symptoms

Gonorrhea can also affect your mouth and throat.

Oral gonorrhea is typically asymptomatic. When symptoms do occur, they can include:

Gonorrhea can also cause a fever.

Rarely, gonorrhea may spread to your eyes. This typically happens if you touch your genitals or the site of the infection and then touch your eye before thoroughly washing your hands.

Symptoms of gonococcal conjunctivitis, or gonorrhea of the eye, can include:

The only way to reliably diagnose gonorrhea is to see a healthcare professional and have a test of one of your bodily fluids.

The following tests are used to diagnose gonorrhea:

  • Testing your urine: Often, a urine test can detect gonorrhea. This and the sample of fluid test are typically done first and may be the only tests needed.
  • Testing a sample of fluid: A healthcare professional may also swab your penis, vagina, throat, or rectum to get a sample of fluid for testing. This type of test requires a laboratory culture, which can take several days.
  • Testing your blood: In rare instances, a healthcare professional may use a blood culture to detect gonorrhea. However, this test may not be conclusive. However, this test is typically reserved for difficult-to-diagnose cases or special circumstances, like when urine or fluid sample test results are unclear, or when an infection has entered the bloodstream and is affecting multiple areas of the body (disseminated gonorrhea).

You’ll generally receive results within a few days, though this can depend on your clinic or testing location. Some clinics may provide test results within a few hours.

If you believe you could have gonorrhea, it’s important to avoid any type of sexual activity until you receive a negative test result.

You may also consider purchasing an at-home gonorrhea test. However, you will still need to see a healthcare professional to confirm your home test was correct and to receive treatment.

There is no over-the-counter treatment or home remedy for gonorrhea. You will need a prescription medication.

Currently, there is only one recommended treatment for gonorrhea. This treatment is a one-time, intramuscular injection of the antibiotic ceftriaxone. Typically, you’ll get this shot in the buttocks. As of February 2024, the CDC has not received any confirmed reports of this treatment not working, and for uncomplicated gonococcal infections of the cervix, urethra, or rectum among adults and adolescents, ceftriaxone continues to be more than 99% effective.

Drug resistance and gonorrhea

Around 1990, the bacteria that cause gonorrhea, Neisseria gonorrhea, began to become resistant (immune) to some of the antibiotics used to treat it.

Because of concerns about evolving resistance, only ceftriaxone is recommended as the treatment for gonorrhea. This one-shot (jab) dose of antibiotic is more than 99% effective in treating uncomplicated gonococcal infections of the cervix, urethra, or rectum among adults and adolescents.

If a healthcare professional suspects that you may also have chlamydia or if chlamydia has not been ruled out, they may also prescribe you an oral antibiotic, doxycycline, for 7 days to treat chlamydia. Doxycycline is a pill you swallow. This antibiotic is not effective in treating gonorrhea.

After taking these antibiotics, you should begin to feel relief from any symptoms of chlamydia (and gonorrhea if were treated for gonorrhea as well) within days, but you’ll need to wait a full week after finishing your medications before participating in any sexual activity.

If your symptoms persist for more than a few days after treatment, you’ll need to contact a clinic or healthcare center for retesting.

For oral gonorrhea, you’ll need to follow up with a healthcare professional 1 to 2 weeks later to make sure the infection has cleared.

If you think you may have contracted gonorrhea, you’ll need to avoid sexual activity and make an appointment to get tested at a doctor’s office or another health clinic.

At your appointment, you’ll answer questions about your:

  • symptoms
  • sexual health history
  • sexual partner(s)

For some people, talking about sexual health can feel slightly uncomfortable.

It’s important to remember that healthcare professionals are there to diagnose and treat any health conditions you develop, and they should always do so with compassion and respect.

Contacting any previous partners

You’ll want to let your current sexual partner(s) know they should get tested for gonorrhea right away.

If a healthcare professional diagnoses gonorrhea, they may also ask for the names and contact information of any previous sexual partners.

The law requires healthcare professionals to report the diagnosis, usually to the county public health department. Public health officials will then contact your partner(s) anonymously and explain that they’ll need to get tested for gonorrhea.

The health department takes this step because gonorrhea often doesn’t involve symptoms. People who don’t know they have gonorrhea may not get tested or treated. As a result, they might transmit it without realizing it, or go on to develop serious, sometimes permanent, reproductive health concerns.

You can contract or transmit gonorrhea by having oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Some evidence also suggests that oral gonorrhea may be transmitted through French kissing, or kissing with tongue. However, more research is needed to truly understand this potential risk of transmission.

Using a condom or other barrier method when engaging in sexual activity can go a long way toward lowering your chances of transmitting or contracting STIs like gonorrhea.

Keep in mind that these barrier methods may not completely eliminate your risk, especially if you don’t use them properly.

Gonorrhea can also be transmitted from a person giving birth to their baby during delivery.

If you’ve developed gonorrhea before, you have a higher chance of contracting it again. Untreated gonorrhea can also increase your risk of contracting other STIs.

Researchers are working to develop a vaccine to prevent gonorrhea transmission. To date, though, no vaccine can prevent the infection.

The most effective way to prevent gonorrhea and other STIs is through abstinence. Otherwise, using a condom or other barrier method every time you have oral, anal, or vaginal sex can also help lower your risk.

Another important step toward preventing STI transmission? Always have an open conversation with new partners before beginning a sexual relationship.

It’s also a good idea to check in with your current partner(s) about STI status and testing, and make sure to get tested regularly yourself.

If a partner has symptoms of gonorrhea or any other STI, encourage them to get tested and abstain from sexual activity until they receive a negative result.

Untreated STIs like gonorrhea and chlamydia may move into the reproductive tract and affect the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.

This can lead to a condition known as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can cause severe, chronic pain and damage to the reproductive organs.

Blocking or scarring of the fallopian tubes, another possible complication, can:

Gonorrhea may also pass to a newborn infant during delivery.

If you have a penis, untreated gonorrhea may lead to:

  • scarring of the urethra
  • a painful abscess inside your penis, which can affect your fertility
  • epididymitis, or inflammation of the sperm-carrying tubes near your testicles

An untreated infection can also spread to your bloodstream, where it can cause rare but serious complications such as arthritis and heart valve damage.

Gonorrhea is contagious until it’s successfully treated with the antibiotic ceftriaxone. It’s contagious for up to seven days after completing treatment.

Gonorrhea typically resolves within 1 week after treatment.

The most common symptom of gonorrhea is having no symptoms at all. When symptoms do occur, they might be mistaken for yeast or other bacterial infections.

Common symptoms include changes in discharge or odor, painful urination or bowel movements, and itching.

Gonorrhea won’t go away on its own. An antibiotic is used to treat gonorrhea and, in most cases, successfully clear the infection.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are sexually transmitted infections caused by different bacteria. While they are transmitted in the same way and have similar symptoms, each requires a different specific antibiotic to treat it.

If you think you could have contracted or been exposed to gonorrhea, you’ll want to get tested right away. Keep in mind this infection is very common, it’s one of the most common STIs in the United States, and nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about.

You’ll also want to take steps to avoid transmitting gonorrhea, in case you do have it, by using barrier methods for all sexual activity or avoiding sexual activity until you are tested and treated if the test is positive.

Your local health department offers free or reduced cost testing for gonorrhea and other STIs, and many offer free or low cost treatment as well.