Gonorrhea testing and treatment NYC, New York
Accurate and Confidential

Vaginal swab

Ideally, this test is performed by a doctor (self-swabbing is possible). A small amount of fluid is collected from the vagina and/or cervix using a thin, sterile cotton swab. See the illustration below.

This procedure sometimes is very mildly uncomfortable. Rarely, the patient may have minor spotting afterward (this can occur if the area is infected and the mucosa is fragile).

Important: don’t use vaginal creams and don’t douche within the 24-hour period before the test.

Urethral swab for males

A thin, sterile cotton swab is inserted three fourths of an inch into the urethra (from the tip of the penis). The swab collects a small amount of fluid. This test, which is done by a doctor, takes only about 15 to 30 seconds. The procedure may cause mild discomfort.

Throat swab

A thin, sterile Q-tip is used to swab the throat.

Anal swab

A thin, sterile Q-tip is used to swab the inside of the rectum (anus).

Urine test

As with other urine tests you’ve probably had, you will be asked to urinate in a cup (it's best to collect the first-void urine sample, which has the highest concentration of infection).

Important: Do not urinate for at least two hours before the test.

The rests of a urine test are usually back in three business days. The results of a swab test usually take four business days.

Test results can positive, negative, or equivocal (inconclusive).

• Positive

If your gonorrhea test is positive, you have gonorrhea and need to be treated. You should be retested three weeks after your symptoms resolve. It is also advised that you tell your partner about your diagnosis and suggest they be tested for gonorrhea.

• Negative

If your gonorrhea test is negative, you may not have gonorrhea. Two factors must be taken into account, though:

• Timing—Two to three weeks after exposure to gonorrhea is the ideal time to get tested. If you were tested more quickly than that, your test results may not be as accurate
• The accuracy of the particular test—urine tests are 79% accurate, whereas swab tests are 99% accurate

• Equivocal/inconclusive

If your gonorrhea test is equivocal, this means the results aren’t conclusive and repeat testing is needed:

• The ideal test—a swab test—should be performed
• The new test should be done 2–3 weeks after the suspected exposure
• This time, the same test you had before should be repeated and an alternative test should also be done

Yes. As in case of other sexually transmitted diseases, gonorhea treatment can be initiated without a final diagnosis based on the doctor’s clinical experience and assumptions about your condition based on everything he or she has learned about your situation. This is called empiric treatment and there is a consensus in medicine that it can be provided in any of these circumstances:

• You have signs and symptoms of gonorrhea, such as genital discharge, painful and frequent urination, burning during urination, or bleeding from the genitals after sexual intercourse or between menstrual periods
• You had sex with someone who has gonorrhea (even if you have no symptoms)
• You’ve tested positive for chlamydia
• (24% of heterosexual males and 38% of females who have chlamydia also test positive for gonorrhea)
• You had sex with someone who has chlamydia
• You are very anxious about the possibility of having gonorrhea (it is best not to use antibiotics without an objective reason, but if you’re extremely worried and anxious about this, we will prescribe the medication)

Primary care offices, urgent care clinics, gynecology clinics, planned parenthood health centers, free STI testing centers and our STD-specialized walk-in clinic in Manhattan are all able to test you for gonorrhea.
For more sites, check the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Map of clinics located in NYC that offer STD testing.

The oral, genital, or rectal area can be infected with gonorrhea. For you to pass gonorrhea to your partner, fluids from your body (for example penile or vaginal discharge) that are infected with gonorrhea must come into contact with your partner’s mucosa. You can present this by following these recommendations:

• Don’t let your infected area come into contact with another person’s skin while you have symptoms and for seven days after you’re treated
• Don’t allow your partner to touch the part of your body that’s infected
• Don’t share sex toys
• If you touch the part of your body that’s infected, wash your hands with soap before touching another person

You should tell everyone you’ve had a sexual encounter with in the last 60 days that you have gonorrhea. Suggest they see your health care provider and get the appropriate diagnosis and treatment to prevent the infection from being passed back to you or on to someone else, and to prevent the possibility of health problems due to gonorrhea.

If you’re not comfortable contacting your sex partners about this, we can notify them on your behalf, anonymously, by phone, email, or text.

Yes, you can get gonorrhea again after being treated. This is one important reason to tell your partner(s) about your infection; if they’re tested and treated, it’s less likely you’ll get it again from them.

Yes. Gonorrhea testing is typically covered by health insurance, as many times as you need it, because it’s medically necessary.

To be certain that it’s covered under your health insurance plan, call your insurance company and ask what lab they prefer (they may have pricing agreements with certain labs) and whether there is a copay, coinsurance, or deductible that applies, in which case you will have financial responsibility.

Without health insurance, an office visit is $84 cash (or $90 credit). The STD testing services provided by a certified lab is $60.

Up to 3% of sexually active persons have pharyngeal (oral) gonorrhea at some point. Under international guidelines, an oral swab test for gonorrhea is recommended to anyone in these circumstances:

• People who have signs and symptoms of oral gonorrhea
• (a swollen, red pharynx; fever; pus-filled patches on the throat, etc.)
• People who are engaging in high-risk behavior (oral sex, multiple partners, etc.)

According to the CDC, a screening test for oral gonorrhea is recommended for people with HIV and for men having sex with men (MSMs) who have had oral sex in the last year. Additionally, MSMs who use methamphetamine, have multiple sex partners, or have one or more partners doing any of these things should have a screening test every three to six months.

Important: Gonococcal bacteria remain in the local area of the exposure, so oral gonorrhea cannot be diagnosed using genital swabs, urine tests, and blood tests.

Our walk-in sexual health clinic is conveniently located on the east side of Midtown Manhattan near the Grand Central Terminal and the Main branch of the New York City public library.
Despite it being our only STD testing center, we offer health services to New Yorkers from all zip codes across all 5 NYC boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island.
Our certified STD clinic offers testing services for gonorrhea and other common STDs (including syphilis, herpes, chlamydia, HPV, HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C), along with quality medical care and follow-up checkups.