Testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia in males is straightforward and usually requires nothing more than a urine sample. The standard test, called a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), detects both infections from a single specimen with sensitivity above 90% and specificity at 99% or higher. Most men can walk into a clinic, provide a sample, and leave within minutes.
The Standard Urine Test
For most men, the go-to method is a first-catch urine test. “First-catch” means you collect the initial stream of urine rather than a midstream sample, because the first flow carries the highest concentration of bacteria from the urethra. The CDC considers first-catch urine from men equivalent to, and sometimes superior to, urethral swabs for detecting both infections.
There is one important prep step: avoid urinating for at least one hour before the test. Urinating too recently dilutes the bacterial DNA in the sample and can produce a false negative. If you know you have a test coming up, plan accordingly. You don’t need to fast, avoid sex, or do anything else special beforehand.
Urethral Swabs
Urethral swabs were the standard for decades and are still used in some clinics, particularly when a urine sample isn’t practical. A thin swab is inserted about two centimeters into the tip of the penis to collect a cell sample. It’s uncomfortable for a few seconds but over quickly. Because urine testing performs just as well in men, most providers have moved away from urethral swabs as a first-line option. If a clinic offers you a choice, the urine test gives the same accuracy with less discomfort.
When You Need Throat or Rectal Testing
A urine test only detects infections in the urethra. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can also infect the throat and rectum, and those sites won’t show up on a urine sample. If you’ve had oral or anal sex, you may need swabs from those specific areas.
The CDC recommends that men who have sex with men get screened at all sites of contact (urethra, rectum, and pharynx for gonorrhea; urethra and rectum for chlamydia) at least once a year, regardless of condom use. Men at higher risk, including those on PrEP, living with HIV, or with multiple partners, should test every three to six months.
Throat and rectal swabs are quick. A provider swabs the back of the throat or inserts a small swab a few centimeters into the rectum. Some clinics offer self-collected rectal swabs, which studies show perform comparably to clinician-collected ones. The same NAAT technology is used on these specimens, so the accuracy remains high.
How Long to Wait After Exposure
Testing too early after a potential exposure can miss an infection that hasn’t produced enough detectable bacteria yet. For both gonorrhea and chlamydia, one week after exposure catches most infections. Waiting two weeks catches nearly all of them. If you test at one week and get a negative result but still have symptoms, retesting at the two-week mark is reasonable.
This window applies regardless of the specimen type, whether it’s urine, a throat swab, or a rectal swab. Testing the day after exposure is unlikely to give you reliable results.
Getting Your Results
Standard lab-processed NAAT results typically take five to ten days. Some larger clinics and sexual health centers have faster turnaround, occasionally returning results in one to three days. A small number of clinics now offer rapid point-of-care tests that can deliver results during the same visit, though these aren’t yet widely available.
Most clinics will contact you only if a result is positive, but practices vary. Ask at the time of testing how and when you’ll receive results. Many providers now deliver results through online patient portals, which can be faster than waiting for a phone call.
Where to Get Tested
You can get tested at a primary care office, urgent care clinic, sexual health clinic, or Planned Parenthood location. Many public health departments offer free or low-cost STI testing. At-home test kits are also available from several companies: they mail you a collection kit, you provide a urine sample (and sometimes self-collected swabs), and send it back for lab processing. These kits use the same NAAT technology as in-clinic tests.
If you’re ordering an at-home kit, make sure it tests both gonorrhea and chlamydia, since the two infections frequently occur together and share overlapping symptoms. Some kits test only one.
Screening Even Without Symptoms
Many men with gonorrhea or chlamydia have no symptoms at all, which is exactly why routine screening matters. When symptoms do appear, they typically include burning during urination, discharge from the penis, or testicular pain. But the absence of symptoms doesn’t mean the absence of infection, and untreated infections can be passed to partners and, over time, cause complications like epididymitis.
The CDC doesn’t currently recommend routine screening for all heterosexual men at average risk, but does recommend it for all sexually active men who have sex with men. Regardless of guidelines, any man with a new sexual partner, multiple partners, or a partner who has tested positive should get tested. Both infections are curable with antibiotics, and early detection makes treatment simpler.