Gonorrhea Symptoms: What to Watch For and When to Get Tested

When you hear gonorrhea, a common bacterial sexually transmitted infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Also known as the clap, it often shows no symptoms—but when it does, it can sneak up on you. Many people assume if they feel fine, they’re fine. But that’s not true with gonorrhea. It can hide for weeks, spreading without warning, and cause damage you won’t notice until it’s too late.

Men might see a burning feeling when peeing, or notice a white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis. But women? Their symptoms are quieter. Maybe a little more discharge than usual, a slight ache in the lower belly, or bleeding between periods. Some don’t feel anything at all. That’s why testing isn’t optional—it’s necessary. Even if you’re not sick, you could be carrying it. And if left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, or chronic pain. It also increases your risk of catching or spreading HIV.

It doesn’t just affect the genitals. Gonorrhea can infect your throat from oral sex or your rectum from anal sex. Throat infections rarely cause symptoms, so you won’t know unless you get tested. Same with rectal infections—itching, discharge, or pain during bowel movements can happen, but often they don’t. That’s why doctors recommend testing all possible exposure sites if you’ve had unprotected sex. If you’ve had a new partner, multiple partners, or a partner who tested positive, don’t wait for symptoms. Get checked.

You might wonder how gonorrhea compares to chlamydia, another common STI with similar transmission and often overlapping symptoms. Both can be asymptomatic. Both are treated with antibiotics. Both can cause the same long-term damage. But they’re different bugs, and you can have one, both, or neither. That’s why labs test for them together. Many clinics bundle the tests because finding one means you should check for the other.

And here’s something most people don’t realize: you can get gonorrhea more than once. Treating it doesn’t make you immune. If your partner wasn’t treated, or if you have a new partner who has it, you can catch it again. That’s why both partners need to get treated at the same time—and avoid sex until the treatment is done and cleared.

There’s no magic home test. No natural remedy that works. The only way to know for sure is a lab test—urine sample, swab, or sometimes both. And if you test positive, the treatment is simple: a single shot and a pill. But only if you act fast.

What you’ll find below are real, practical guides from people who’ve been there—how symptoms showed up, what testing was like, how treatment worked, and what to do if you’re scared to get checked. No fluff. No fear-mongering. Just facts, stories, and clear steps to protect yourself and others.