This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether you have an infection. A clinician can, and the testing options on this site are a good place to start.

Gonorrhea is a common bacterial infection, and it is curable. The details matter, though. Many infections cause no symptoms, the throat and rectum need their own tests, and the bacteria have become harder to treat over time.

This guide covers what the bacterium does, the symptoms of gonorrhea by body site, how testing works, how clinicians treat it, and where to get tested in Boston. It is written for readers of every gender and orientation.

a quiet park bench in the city in morning light, no people

The organism behind gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It lives on warm, moist mucous membranes. That includes the urethra, cervix, rectum, throat and, less often, the eyes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the bacteria pass through vaginal, anal or oral sex. They can also pass from a pregnant person to a baby during birth. An exposure does not require ejaculation.

Because it is a bacterium, gonorrhea is treated with antibiotics prescribed by a clinician. A past infection does not give lasting protection, so someone can get gonorrhea more than once, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of gonorrhea by body site

The CDC notes that many people with gonorrhea have no symptoms at all. That is why symptoms alone are a poor guide. Only a test can say whether the bacteria are present.

When symptoms do appear, they depend on the site.

Genital symptoms

Among people with a penis, the CDC lists these symptoms:

Burning or pain when urinating
White, yellow or green discharge from the penis
Pain or swelling in one or both testicles, less often

Among people with a vagina, the CDC says symptoms are often mild or mistaken for something else. They can include:

Increased vaginal discharge
Burning when urinating
Bleeding between periods
Pain during sex or in the lower abdomen

Throat symptoms

The CDC says gonorrhea in the throat usually causes no symptoms. Some people have a sore throat. Because a sore throat has many causes, it is not a reliable sign.

Rectal symptoms

Rectal gonorrhea is also often silent. When it causes symptoms, the CDC lists:

Discharge from the rectum
Anal itching or soreness
Bleeding
Painful bowel movements

Other infections and conditions cause the same symptoms. A clinician and a lab test can sort out the cause.

Why site-specific testing matters

The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) recommend testing the sites of sexual contact. A urine test or a genital swab does not detect an infection in the throat or rectum.

Research summarized by the CDC suggests that a large share of throat and rectal infections would be missed if only urine were tested. This is especially relevant for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and for anyone who has had oral or anal sex.

The standard lab method is a nucleic acid amplification test, or NAAT. It looks for the genetic material of the bacteria. The CDC describes NAATs as the recommended tests for gonorrhea. Depending on the site, the sample may be urine, a swab collected by a clinician, or a swab you collect yourself with instructions.

The CDC does not publish one fixed window that fits every situation. Instead of guessing, ask the clinic how long after an exposure to test. Symptoms, a partner's diagnosis, or an ongoing exposure may change the advice.

Who should be screened

The CDC and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommend regular screening for some groups, even with no symptoms.

The USPSTF recommends screening for gonorrhea in sexually active women 24 years or younger, and in older women at increased risk.
The CDC recommends screening at least once a year for sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Screening can be more frequent, every 3 to 6 months, for those at higher risk.
The CDC also advises screening for people with a partner who has been diagnosed, and for pregnant people at increased risk.

Whether routine screening fits your situation is a conversation to have with a clinician. Every Boston clinic below can talk it through.

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Is gonorrhea curable?

Yes. The CDC says gonorrhea is curable with the right antibiotic treatment from a clinician. This differs from HIV, herpes and HPV, which are treatable or manageable but not curable.

Curable does not mean harmless if left untreated. The CDC reports that untreated gonorrhea can lead to:

Pelvic inflammatory disease, which can contribute to chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility
Epididymitis, an inflamed tube near the testicle, in people with a penis
Rarely, spread of the bacteria into the blood or joints

The CDC also says gonorrhea can make it easier to get or pass HIV. Treatment ends the infection but does not undo scarring that has already happened. That is a good reason to test and treat early.

Gonorrhea treatment: what the CDC recommends

Only a clinician can prescribe gonorrhea treatment. The CDC's guidelines, updated in 2020 and carried into the 2021 STI Treatment Guidelines, recommend an injectable antibiotic called ceftriaxone for uncomplicated gonorrhea. The clinician chooses the exact regimen, which may include treatment for other infections found at the same visit.

This page does not list doses or schedules. They depend on the person, the site and the results. Please do not use leftover antibiotics or antibiotics from someone else.

The CDC recommends a few follow-up steps:

Avoid sex until treatment is finished and until partners have been treated. Ask the clinician how long to wait.
Tell recent partners so they can be tested and treated.
Get retested about three months after treatment, because repeat infection is common. The CDC recommends this for everyone treated for gonorrhea.
Return sooner if symptoms continue after treatment.

Test-of-cure for throat infections

The CDC says most people treated with the recommended regimen do not need a test-of-cure. That applies to genital and rectal infections. Throat infections are harder to clear, so they are handled differently.

The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) advise a test-of-cure for throat gonorrhea when an alternative treatment was used, with the test done about 14 days after treatment. Anyone with ongoing symptoms after treatment, at any site, should also go back for evaluation.

Your clinician can tell you whether a test-of-cure fits your treatment. If it does, ask when to come back and how to arrange it.

Antibiotic resistance

The CDC calls drug-resistant gonorrhea an urgent public health threat. Over several decades the bacteria have developed resistance to one antibiotic class after another. That is why the recommended treatment has changed over time. Ceftriaxone is now the recommended first-line drug in the CDC's guidelines.

Research suggests that using antibiotics when they are not needed adds to the problem. It is one reason clinicians confirm infections with testing and treat according to current guidance.

You can help in practical ways:

Finish any treatment exactly as the clinician directs.
Do not self-treat.
Go back if symptoms do not improve.
Get retested as advised.

Doxy-PEP and gonorrhea

In 2024 the CDC issued guidelines on doxycycline taken after sex, often called doxy-PEP. The CDC recommends it for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and for transgender women, who have had a bacterial STI in the past year. It is prescribed by a clinician.

Research summarized by the CDC suggests doxy-PEP lowers chlamydia and syphilis more than it lowers gonorrhea. Gonorrhea bacteria are often already resistant to the doxycycline class. Doxy-PEP does not replace regular screening. Fenway Health lists doxy-PEP among its services.

Boston data

Reliable local numbers are limited. Boston 25 News, republishing CDC county data in March 2024, reported that Suffolk County had 298.0 gonorrhea cases per 100,000 people in 2021, or 2,298 cases. Suffolk County includes Boston but is larger than the city. These are not city-only figures.

The same report listed a chlamydia rate of 807.8 per 100,000 in Suffolk County, the highest in Massachusetts that year. Chlamydia and gonorrhea often occur together, so many clinics test for both. You can read more in our guide to chlamydia symptoms, testing and treatment in Boston.

The Boston Public Health Commission's pages do not list current citywide gonorrhea rates in the material we reviewed. For current figures, check with the Boston Public Health Commission.

Where to get tested in Boston

Several Boston clinics offer free or low-cost testing. Here is a short list. For a fuller view, see the local testing list, and our guide to STD testing in Boston and what it costs.

Clinic	Address	Phone	Cost and access
Boston STD Clinic (Boston Medical Center)	725 Albany St., 9th Floor, Suite 9C, Boston, MA 02118	617-414-2803	Free routine testing per the clinic's page. Appointments by phone. The page does not say whether walk-ins are accepted.
Fenway Health Sexual Health Clinic	1340 Boylston Street, 4th floor, Boston, MA 02215	617-267-0159	Walk-in hours on set days. Bills insurance if you have it. Uninsured patients can be seen free through grant funding.
X-Clinic at Codman Square Health Center	637 Washington St., Dorchester, MA 02124	617-822-8350	Sliding fee scale. Walk-in express visits for people with no symptoms and no known exposure.
TrueCare@MAC (Multicultural AIDS Coalition)	9 Palmer Street, Roxbury, MA 02119	617-442-1622	Free. Appointment optional.
Boston Public Health Commission (CDC GetTested listing)	774 Albany St, Boston, MA 02118	617-534-3976	Listed as free. Hours are not listed. Call to confirm.
Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Greater Boston Health Center	1055 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215	617-295-7235	Sliding scale. Appointment required.
DotHouse Health	1353 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02122	617-288-3230	Sliding scale. Call to ask about appointments.

A few notes on this list:

The Boston STD Clinic lists Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Its page is not fully consistent about Tuesday, so confirm by phone.
Fenway Health lists walk-in hours Tuesday 1 to 7 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 3 to 7 p.m., and Friday 9 a.m. to noon. Monday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. is by appointment only. Check-in closes 30 minutes before closing, and the clinic lists results in 3 to 5 business days. The clinic's page is aimed at gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, transgender and gender diverse people, and their partners.
Codman's two web pages list different schedules, so call before you go.
TrueCare@MAC lists testing hours that run slightly later than opening hours each day. Call to confirm the day you plan to go.
The Boston Public Health Commission and Planned Parenthood entries come from the CDC GetTested directory, not from the clinics' own pages. Confirm details by phone.

You can also search the CDC's directory at gettested.cdc.gov. For general health information and referrals, the City of Boston lists the Mayor's Health Line at 617-534-5050, which it describes as free, confidential and multilingual.

Privacy, minors and partner care

Massachusetts law allows a minor who reasonably believes they are at risk of exposure through sexual activity to consent to care for diagnosis or treatment, without a parent's consent. This comes from M.G.L. c. 112, s. 12F. The City of Boston tells people 13 or older that they can get a confidential STI test without parental permission.

Under M.G.L. c. 111, s. 119, reports and records about venereal disease are not public. They may be disclosed only on a judicial order or to officials whose duties entitle them. Massachusetts requires some infections to be reported to health authorities under M.G.L. c. 111, s. 111. Ask the clinic what applies to your visit.

Massachusetts law on expedited partner therapy, in which a clinician can give treatment for a partner, is described by the CDC as covering chlamydia. For gonorrhea, ask your clinician how to get partners tested and treated.

Questions to ask at your visit

Which sites should be tested, based on the kinds of sex I have had?
Is testing for other infections, including HIV, syphilis and chlamydia, part of this visit?
When will results come back, and how will I be told?
Do I need a follow-up test, and when?
How can my partners be tested and treated?
Would PrEP or doxy-PEP be worth discussing with me?

Testing is a routine part of sexual health care. If you are wondering about gonorrhea, a free or low-cost visit in Boston is one phone call away. A clinician can tell you what a test shows and what comes next.

Gonorrhea: Symptoms, Testing and Treatment in Boston