4 Best At Home Gonorrhea Tests in 2024 - Healthline
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Left untreated, gonorrhea can pose serious health risks. Testing is a smart first step to protect yourself and others.
![three at-home gonorrhea test kits against a pink background](https://media.post.rvohealth.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image-5.jpeg)
Quick look at the best at-home gonorrhea tests
- Best overall: Nurx Healthy V Kit | Skip to review
- Best on a budget: Everlywell Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Test | Skip to review
- Most comprehensive: myLab Box 3-Site | Skip to review
- Best for combination STI testing: LetsGetChecked | Skip to review
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that often doesn't have symptoms. But even if you're asymptomatic, you can transmit the STI to another person.
Left untreated, gonorrhea can spread to the reproductive and urinary tracts, and in rare cases, it could travel to your bloodstream and damage your heart. It's helpful to know that once detected, gonorrhea is highly treatable with antibiotics.
Testing for gonorrhea is the first step to help prevent complications. You can do this in a medical setting, or you can take an at-home gonorrhea test. The tests on our list are easy to use, offer results within days, and are highly accurate.
The best at-home gonorrhea tests
At-home gonorrhea tests compared
Price | Type of sample | Results in | Follow-up care? | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nurx | • $29.50 with insurance • $190 without • $30 consultation fee (mandatory) | vaginal swab, throat swab, finger prick | up to 7 days | yes |
Everlywell | $69 | urine | a few days | yes |
myLAB Box | $179 | swab and urine | 2–5 days | yes |
LetsGetChecked | $99/$149/$249 | urine and finger prick | 2–5 days | yes, for an additional fee |
How we chose
We carefully review products before we recommend them to ensure they meet high standards for medical credibility, good business practices, privacy practices and security, and social impact. Specific to at-home STI tests, we further consider:
- Methods used for collection: Test collection methods may involve saliva, urine, or blood through a finger-prick.
- Speed of results: You may need to wait longer than a week for some options. We prioritize tests that return results in a few days.
- Lab certification: Opting for labs with
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certificationTrusted Source helps ensure reliable results. - Ease of purchasing: It's important that navigating the website is easy, and buying tests is straightforward.
- Cost: Testing kits shouldn't break the bank. We include tests at a range of price points.
- Reviews: We look at what users had to say about the tests and include options where most people were happy with their experience.
When to test for gonorrhea
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
If left untreated, the infection can affect the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and urethra in people with vaginas. In those with a penis, it can also affect the urethra.
N. gonorrhoeae can infect other areas of the body as well, including the mouth, throat, eyes, and rectum.
Symptoms usually appear between 2 and 14 days after exposure. However,
When someone does experience symptoms, they usually include:
- burning or pain while urinating
- yellow, white, or green discharge
- itching, soreness, or skin irritation
- abdominal, pelvic, rectal, or genital pain
Regardless of whether someone has symptoms, a person can transmit the bacteria. That's why it's important to get tested regularly.
If untreated, gonorrhea can cause complications such as:
- fever
- abdominal and pelvic pain
- testicular or penile swelling
- pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- rare infections of the heart, lining of the brain, or spinal cord
- arthritis
- infertility
- conjunctivitis or eye infection
Note that the incubation period for gonorrhea, or the amount of time it takes to test positive after exposure, ranges from 1–14 days. That's why experts recommend getting tested for gonorrhea 2 weeks after potential exposure and then again several weeks later.
If you get tested before that, you might receive a negative result, even if you're positive. Or if you receive a positive diagnosis, it could be because you came into contact prior to your last sexual encounter.
Getting treatment quickly
If you find out the person you had sex with has gonorrhea, talk with a healthcare professional right away. If it's within 1–3 days after exposure, you may be able to get an antibiotic as a precaution against infection. You can also talk with your partner about
When to speak with a doctor
Getting test results can be potentially confusing or a source of anxiety. Every test on this list gives you the option of quickly connecting with a healthcare professional at no or low cost.
If there's a healthcare professional you trust, you can also speak with them to discuss your results, treatment for a positive diagnosis, and next steps.
How to choose an at-home gonorrhea test
You may want to consider the following when choosing a test:
- your kit will arrive in a discreet envelope
- the test will be analyzed in a CLIA-certified laboratory
- your online privacy and test results will be protected with up-to-date security features
- your identity and information will not be sold, ever, to any third party
- test results will be provided within 1 week or less
- follow-up consultations with healthcare professionals are available
Frequently asked questions
Yes, testing for gonorrhea at home is a safe, accurate, and secure alternative. Most at-home STI testing brands use the same type of samples as an in-office collection.
In addition, most at-home testing companies send your samples to the same exact labs that in-person healthcare professionals use. This means the accuracy of the results is the same.
Finally, all the tests listed here are completely confidential and private — they have to be under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Even the packaging for these tests is discreet. The only indication of where the package is coming and going is the shipping label.
Instant tests for gonorrhea do exist at slightly higher price points. Though there are no instant STD tests on our list, the ones we do recommend return results quickly — anywhere from 2–7 days.
Instant gonorrhea tests are available at certain health facilities, and there are some companies that also make instant home kits.
Not all rapid STD tests have the same level of accuracy. For gonorrhea, vaginal swab sample tests are considered more accurate and preferable to urine tests.
The bottom line
Regularly testing for STIs is important for anyone who is sexually active, for your own health and to protect others. And at-home gonorrhea tests, like the ones on our list, make it easier to do so.
Note, if you're looking for free or reduced-cost STI testing, there are programs and resources that can help.
You can also find at-home STI tests at some retail stores like Walmart or Walgreens.
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