The name "the clap" suggests something very clear: discharge you cannot miss. In practice that is far from always true. Many people with gonorrhoea have mild complaints or notice nothing at all, especially with an infection in the throat or anus. The name easily puts you on the wrong track.
Our stance: with gonorrhoea you cannot fixate on the typical discharge. It is exactly the sites without complaints, throat and anus, that get overlooked most often.
Which complaints fit gonorrhoea?
When complaints appear, they usually start within 1 to 2 weeks. In men, discharge from the penis and painful urination is fairly typical. In women complaints are more often mild or absent, which lets the infection slip by. RIVM describes that gonorrhoea can also sit in the throat and anus, often without clear signs. So the kind of contact you had partly decides where you best get tested.
| Site of infection | Possible complaints | How often symptomless |
|---|---|---|
| Penis (urethra) | Discharge, burning urination | Sometimes none |
| Vagina/cervix | Changed discharge, sometimes lower-belly pain | Often none |
| Throat | Usually none, sometimes a sore throat | Very often none |
| Anus | Sometimes itching, discharge or pain | Often none |
These complaints can have other causes. They do not automatically point to gonorrhoea, and their absence does not rule an infection out. If you are unsure about discharge, that article helps you further.
Why throat and anus count
An infection in the throat or anus often causes no complaints, but it can still be passed on and can play a role in further spread. So a targeted test for those sites can make sense if you had contact there, even if you feel nothing. Whether that is needed in your situation is best discussed with a doctor. A urine-only test misses a throat or anal infection.
How do you get checked for gonorrhoea?
Gonorrhoea is usually detected with a sensitive PCR test on urine or a swab from the site of contact. You can go to your GP, a sexual-health clinic or a test you take at home. If you want to keep it discreet, a gonorrhoea test you take at home can be convenient. Because gonorrhoea and chlamydia often occur together, many people choose a combined test for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas.
An important point about treatment: gonorrhoea is treated by a doctor, usually with an antibiotic by injection. Thuisarts.nl points out that trying remedies yourself is not a good idea, partly because the bacteria are increasingly less sensitive to certain antibiotics. So you always discuss a positive result with your GP.
When is a test reliable?
A PCR test for gonorrhoea is usually reliable from around 1 to 2 weeks after contact. If you test earlier, the result can be false negative. If you have complaints, you can always turn to your GP earlier. Which test fits you is in our guide which STI test you need and when, and the waiting time is in how long after sex you can test.
Why resistance matters more and more
A topic that is becoming increasingly important is antibiotic resistance. Over the years the gonorrhoea bacterium has become less sensitive to several antibiotics, and RIVM actively monitors this development. For you that means two practical things. First: trying remedies yourself or using an old course of antibiotics is not a good idea, because a wrong or too-low dose actually encourages resistance. Second: after treatment a doctor sometimes advises a follow-up test to confirm the infection is really gone. That check is more relevant for gonorrhoea than for some other STIs.
What happens without treatment?
An untreated gonorrhoea infection can spread further. In women that can sometimes lead to inflammation in the abdomen that may affect fertility. In men it can cause inflammation of the epididymis. These consequences far from always occur, and the chance is smaller the earlier you catch it. So a positive result is not a disaster, but a reason to act. What you do next is in positive STI result: what now.
With gonorrhoea: do not rely on the "discharge" alone. A test at the right site gives clarity. Every result we provide is assessed by a BIG-registered doctor, and you make treatment decisions together with your GP.
Sources
Autor
Discreettest
Dr. Naimi, lekarz wpisany do holenderskiego rejestru BIG, nadzoruje standardy medyczne naszych treści i ocen. Przeczytaj naszą politykę medyczną
