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Gonorrhoea testing
in London
A urine test, or a genital, throat or rectal swab, taken from the sites that actually apply to you. Result the same day.
A urine test on its own can miss it entirely
This is the thing worth knowing about gonorrhoea, and it is why people sometimes get a clear result and stay infected. Gonorrhoea can sit in the throat or the rectum with no symptoms at all, and a urine sample only ever looks at one place.
Home kits and quick postal tests are usually urine-only. If you have had oral or anal sex, that test was never going to find an infection at those sites, however carefully you did it.
We swab the sites that apply to you. The GP will ask what kind of sex you have had, and the only reason for asking is to take the right samples. There is no version of that conversation where anyone is judged.
Testing is from 14 days after the exposure, with the result back in four to six hours. If you have symptoms now, come in without waiting.
The test
Testing the right sites
£89 for the test, in addition to the £89 consultation.
Genital testing
Urine sample, or a self-taken vaginal swab.
Throat and rectal testing
The part most testing leaves out.
Symptoms
What people notice, when they notice anything
Thick or coloured discharge
Often green or yellow, from the penis or vagina. More noticeable than chlamydia tends to be.
Pain passing urine
Burning or stinging, sometimes quite marked.
Testicular pain or swelling
Usually one side. Worth being seen promptly.
Bleeding between periods
Or heavier periods than usual, or pain low in the abdomen.
Rectal symptoms
Discomfort, discharge or bleeding. Needs a rectal swab to find.
A sore throat, or nothing
Throat infection is usually silent. Absence of symptoms says very little here.
Gonorrhoea is treated with antibiotics, and resistance means the choice of treatment matters. If the result is positive, treatment is an injection, which we give here. The GP will also arrange a follow-up test to confirm it has cleared.
Questions
Things people ask us
I did a home kit and it was negative
If that kit was urine-only, and you have had oral or anal sex, it was never able to detect infection at those sites. This is the commonest reason people arrive here with a negative test and an active infection. A negative urine result rules out genital infection and nothing else.
Will the swabs hurt?
No. A throat swab is the same as the one used for a strep test and takes a couple of seconds. Rectal and vaginal swabs can be self-taken in private if you would prefer, and most people find the anticipation worse than the thing itself.
Why does resistance keep being mentioned?
Gonorrhoea has become progressively harder to treat as strains resistant to standard antibiotics have spread. It still responds to treatment, but the choice of treatment matters and a follow-up test to confirm the infection has actually cleared is more important here than with chlamydia. Treatment is an injection, which we give here, and the GP will arrange the follow-up test.
Do I need to tell my partners?
Yes. Gonorrhoea is readily passed on and frequently causes no symptoms, so partners can be infected without any reason to suspect it. We will help you work out who needs telling and over what period, and anonymous notification is available if you would rather not have the conversation directly.
Related
Often tested at the same time
Chlamydia testing
Same window, same samples, and usually done together with gonorrhoea.
› See moreSyphilis testing
Blood test from 28 days, result the same day. £71 plus consultation.
› See moreAll sexual health testing
Every screen and individual test, with what each covers and what it costs.
› See moreTest the sites that apply to you
Throat and rectal swabs available, with the result the same day.