Testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia is simple and usually involves either a urine sample or a swab, depending on the site of potential infection. Most clinics test for both infections at the same time using a single sample, and results typically come back within 5 to 10 days. You don’t need symptoms to get tested, and in many cases you can collect the sample yourself.
The Standard Test: NAAT
The gold standard for detecting both gonorrhea and chlamydia is a nucleic acid amplification test, commonly called a NAAT. This test works by detecting tiny amounts of bacterial DNA in your sample and amplifying it so the lab can identify the infection with high precision. NAATs catch over 90% of infections at most body sites, with specificity above 99.4%, meaning false positives are extremely rare. Older methods like bacterial culture miss far more infections, detecting as few as 27% to 43% of cases depending on the location. That’s why NAATs have become the default at nearly every clinic and lab.
A single NAAT can screen for both gonorrhea and chlamydia from the same sample, so you don’t need separate tests for each.
What the Test Actually Involves
For most people, the sample collection takes less than a minute. What you provide depends on your anatomy and where the infection might be.
- Urine sample: The most common method for people with a penis. You’ll urinate into a cup, ideally not having urinated for at least one to two hours beforehand so enough bacteria is present in the sample.
- Vaginal swab: For people with a vagina, a swab of the vaginal canal is the preferred sample. In many clinics, you can do this yourself in a private room rather than having a clinician perform it.
- Throat swab: A quick swab of the back of the throat, recommended if you’ve had oral sex. Throat infections are often completely silent, with no sore throat or other symptoms.
- Rectal swab: A swab inserted a short distance into the rectum, recommended if you’ve had receptive anal sex. Like throat infections, rectal gonorrhea and chlamydia rarely cause noticeable symptoms.
The key point: a urine test or vaginal swab only checks for infection at that one site. If you’ve had oral or anal sex, those areas need separate swabs. A genital-only test will completely miss a throat or rectal infection.
When to Test After Exposure
Both gonorrhea and chlamydia need time to build up enough bacteria for a test to detect them. Testing too soon after a possible exposure can produce a false negative. Most guidelines recommend waiting at least 5 days after exposure for gonorrhea and about 1 to 2 weeks for chlamydia before testing. If you’re tested earlier and get a negative result but still have concerns, retesting after the window period gives you a more reliable answer.
Many people with these infections never develop symptoms at all, which is why routine screening matters even when you feel fine.
Where to Get Tested
You have several options, and the right one depends on your budget, comfort level, and how quickly you want results.
Your regular doctor or gynecologist can order the test during a routine visit. This is often the easiest route if you already have appointments scheduled, but some people prefer not to discuss sexual health with their primary care provider.
Sexual health or STI clinics specialize in this testing and typically offer confidential, low-cost, or free screening. The CDC maintains a directory at gettested.cdc.gov where you can search by zip code. Local health departments and organizations like Planned Parenthood also run walk-in testing.
At-home test kits are another option. You order a kit online, collect your own sample (a vaginal swab or urine, depending on the kit), and mail it to a lab using a prepaid shipping label. Results come back electronically or by phone. These kits are convenient and private, though they typically only test genital sites, not the throat or rectum.
Urgent care centers and retail clinics can also perform STI testing, though availability varies by location.
How Much Testing Costs
Cost varies widely. If you have insurance, gonorrhea and chlamydia screening is generally covered with no out-of-pocket cost, especially for people under 25 or those at increased risk. Many public health clinics and STI clinics offer free testing regardless of insurance status. Without insurance, testing at a private lab or urgent care can range from roughly $50 to $200 for a combined gonorrhea and chlamydia panel. At-home kits fall in a similar range.
Who Should Get Screened Regularly
Routine screening is recommended even without symptoms for several groups. The CDC’s current guidelines break down as follows:
- Sexually active women under 25: Annual screening for both gonorrhea and chlamydia.
- Women 25 and older: Annual screening if at increased risk (new or multiple partners, a partner with an STI, or inconsistent condom use).
- Pregnant women under 25: Screening during pregnancy. Those 25 and older should be screened if at increased risk.
- Men who have sex with men: At least annual screening at all sites of sexual contact (urethra, rectum, and throat for gonorrhea; urethra and rectum for chlamydia). Every 3 to 6 months if on PrEP, living with HIV, or if either partner has multiple partners.
- Transgender and gender-diverse people: Screening based on anatomy and sexual practices, following the same age and risk guidelines above.
- People living with HIV: Screening at the first HIV evaluation and at least annually after that.
For heterosexual men at low risk, there isn’t strong evidence supporting routine screening, though testing is reasonable in high-prevalence settings like STI clinics or correctional facilities.
Extragenital Testing Matters
One of the biggest gaps in STI screening is that many clinics only test urine or vaginal samples, missing infections in the throat and rectum entirely. These extragenital infections are common, especially among men who have sex with men, and they almost never cause symptoms. In studies comparing testing methods, the best NAATs detected 84% to 93% of throat and rectal gonorrhea infections, and 93% to 100% of rectal chlamydia infections. Older culture methods caught less than half.
If you’ve had oral or anal sex, ask specifically for throat and rectal swabs. A standard urine-only test won’t cover those sites, and an untreated throat or rectal infection can still be passed to partners.
Getting Your Results
Most NAAT results take 5 to 10 days, though some labs return them faster. Many clinics now deliver results through an online patient portal, and at-home testing services send results electronically or by phone. If your result is positive, treatment is straightforward: both infections are curable with antibiotics, and you’ll typically be advised to notify recent sexual partners so they can be tested and treated too. Retesting about three months after treatment is recommended to check for reinfection.
If your result is negative but you tested within the early window period after exposure, consider retesting in a few weeks for a more definitive answer.