Gonorrhea is a common bacterial STI that often causes no symptoms, especially in women. It is curable with the right antibiotic, but it has become harder to treat over time, so getting the right care matters more than ever.
Here is what to watch for, how gonorrhea is treated in 2026, and the simple steps that keep you from getting it again.
Key takeaways
- Gonorrhea often has no symptoms, especially in women and in the throat or rectum.
- The CDC recommends a single shot of ceftriaxone for most adults.
- Two new oral options were approved in late 2025 for certain genital infections.
- Wait 7 days after treatment, make sure partners are treated, and retest in 3 months.
What is gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria that spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. It can infect the genitals, rectum, and throat, and it can pass to a baby during childbirth.
The CDC reported 543,409 gonorrhea cases in 2024, down 10% from the year before and the third straight year of decline. That progress depends on people getting tested and treated early.
Gonorrhea symptoms
Many people with gonorrhea have no symptoms. When symptoms appear, they depend on where the infection is.
Women
Burning when you pee, more vaginal discharge than usual, bleeding between periods. Symptoms are often mild or mistaken for a bladder infection.
Men
Burning when you pee, white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis, and less often, painful or swollen testicles.
Rectum and throat
Often no symptoms. Rectal infections can cause discharge, itching, soreness, bleeding, or painful bowel movements.
Symptoms can look like other problems
Gonorrhea and chlamydia cause very similar symptoms, and many people have both at once. Only a test can tell them apart. Read our guide to chlamydia symptoms in men and women to compare.
What happens if gonorrhea is not treated?
Untreated gonorrhea can lead to serious and sometimes permanent health problems:
- In women: pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can scar the fallopian tubes and lead to ectopic pregnancy, infertility, or long-term pelvic pain.
- In men: a painful infection in the tubes attached to the testicles, which in rare cases can affect fertility.
- In anyone: rarely, the infection spreads to the blood or joints, which can be life-threatening.
- HIV risk: having gonorrhea can make it easier to get or pass on HIV.
How gonorrhea testing works
Testing uses a urine sample or a swab. If you have oral or anal sex, ask for throat and rectal swabs too, since a urine test will not catch infections there. At DUG, gonorrhea and chlamydia are usually checked from the same sample, and your provider may recommend HIV and syphilis testing at the same visit. Learn more about our confidential HIV and STD testing.
The CDC recommends yearly gonorrhea testing for sexually active women under 25, women 25 and older with new or multiple partners, and gay and bisexual men. People with multiple or anonymous partners may need testing every 3 to 6 months.
When to test after a possible exposure
If you have symptoms, get tested right away. If you do not have symptoms but are worried about a recent partner, testing about one to two weeks after sex gives the most reliable result. If you test earlier than that and the result is negative, your provider may suggest testing again. If a partner tells you they have gonorrhea, you can often be treated right away, even before your own result comes back.
Gonorrhea treatment in 2026
Gonorrhea is curable. The CDC’s current treatment guidance for most adults looks like this:
What happened to "dual therapy"?
You may read that gonorrhea is treated with two antibiotics together, a shot of ceftriaxone plus azithromycin. That was the standard until December 2020. The CDC now recommends a single, higher dose of ceftriaxone on its own, partly to slow antibiotic resistance. Doxycycline is added only when chlamydia has not been ruled out.
New oral treatment options
In December 2025, the FDA approved two new oral medicines for gonorrhea: Nuzolvence (zoliflodacin), a single-dose drink, and Blujepa (gepotidacin), taken as two doses of tablets. Both are approved only for uncomplicated gonorrhea of the genitals in people 12 and older who meet a minimum weight, and Blujepa is meant for people with few or no other treatment choices.
These drugs are an important backup, but they are not a replacement for a ceftriaxone shot for most people. They are not approved for throat or rectal infections. Your provider will choose the best option for you.
What to expect at a treatment visit
Step 1
A private conversation
Your provider reviews your result, your symptoms, and any recent partners. Nothing you share leaves the room.
Step 2
Treatment the same day
Most people get a single ceftriaxone shot during the visit. You may also get doxycycline pills if chlamydia has not been ruled out.
Step 3
A plan for partners
Your provider explains how to let partners know, and whether they can be treated quickly.
Step 4
Follow-up
You leave with a date to retest in 3 months, or a test-of-cure visit in 7 to 14 days for a throat infection.
Gonorrhea during pregnancy
Gonorrhea can pass to a baby during birth and cause a serious eye infection in the newborn. Pregnant people under 25, and those at higher risk, should be screened early in pregnancy. Ceftriaxone is safe to use during pregnancy, and treating the infection early protects both parent and baby.
Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea
Over the years, gonorrhea has become resistant to nearly every class of antibiotic used to treat it. Today, ceftriaxone is the only first-line treatment the CDC recommends. The CDC warns that “it’s only a matter of time” until gonorrhea becomes resistant to that too. The World Health Organization tracks the same trend worldwide.
You can help slow resistance:
- Never treat yourself with leftover or borrowed antibiotics.
- Take all of your medicine exactly as prescribed.
- Come back if your symptoms last more than a few days after treatment.
The fastest way to stop gonorrhea is simple: test, treat, and make sure your partners are treated too.
How to prevent reinfection
Getting gonorrhea again is very common, usually from a partner who was not treated. These steps break the cycle:
Your reinfection checklist
- Wait 7 days after treatment before having sex.
- Do not have sex until your partners have finished treatment too.
- Tell recent partners so they can get tested. Your provider can help with how to share the news.
- Get retested 3 months after treatment, even if you feel fine.
- Use condoms every time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
- Ask about DoxyPEP. For some people, doxycycline taken within 72 hours after sex lowers the chance of certain STIs, although its effect on gonorrhea is smaller than on chlamydia and syphilis.
Want to understand DoxyPEP better? Our guide to PEP vs PrEP vs DoxyPEP explains who each option is for.
Gonorrhea and HIV prevention
An STI diagnosis is a good time to think about HIV prevention too. Gonorrhea can make HIV easier to get, and PrEP can lower that risk a lot. Ask about PrEP, PEP, and DoxyPEP at DUG during your visit.
Get tested or treated at DUG
DUG provides confidential gonorrhea testing and treatment at seven Florida clinics, with walk-ins welcome and no insurance required. This September is also Sexual Health Awareness Month, so it is a great time to get a full screening. See our Sexual Health Awareness Month guide for locations, or go straight to Find a Clinic.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Gonorrhea is curable with the right antibiotic, usually a single shot of ceftriaxone. Treatment cannot undo damage that already happened, which is why early testing matters.
The antibiotic starts working right away, but you should wait 7 days after treatment before having sex. If symptoms last more than a few days, return to your provider.
Two oral medicines were approved in December 2025, but only for uncomplicated genital infections in certain patients. For most people, a ceftriaxone shot remains the recommended treatment. Your provider will choose what is right for you.
Yes, through oral sex. Throat infections usually have no symptoms, so ask for a throat swab if you have oral sex. Anyone treated for a throat infection should return 7 to 14 days later for a test of cure.
Yes. Most people with gonorrhea have no symptoms. If your partners are not treated, you can get infected again.
Both are bacterial STIs with similar symptoms, and they are often tested from the same sample. They are treated with different antibiotics, so testing tells your provider which medicine you need.
Yes. We follow strict HIPAA privacy rules, and your results are shared only with you.
Get tested or treated at DUG today
Confidential gonorrhea testing and treatment across Florida. Walk in, call (877) 384-6337, or book online.
Medical disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a licensed clinician for personal health concerns.
References
External links are limited to government health sources and open in a new tab.
- About Gonorrhea. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Gonococcal Infections Among Adolescents and Adults, STI Treatment Guidelines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Update to CDC’s Treatment Guidelines for Gonococcal Infection, 2020. MMWR, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- FDA Approves Two Oral Therapies to Treat Gonorrhea (December 12, 2025). U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance, 2024 (Provisional). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Doxy-PEP. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. World Health Organization.