Screening for gonorrhea is done by urine test in men, by vaginal swab in women. After how long to do it after intercourse for it to be reliable?
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection caused by gonococcal bacteria. It is transmitted exclusively through sex. The majority of STIs are silent hence the importance of massive and regular screening recalls Dr. Stéphane Romand, medical biologist. How detect gonorrhea? By urinary examination? How to be sure that the gonorrhea test is reliable? Can we get tested in pharmacy? Without a prescription? How interpret their results?
To screen for gonorrhea, we analyze a sample of urine or secretions collected locally from the vagina. In women, local vaginal sampling should be preferred because the urine test is less sensitive. You Really Should Avoid Urine Tests to Diagnose Gonorrhea in the woman” insists Dr. Romand. Vaginal sampling can be done self-sampling in the laboratory or at home (and the swab is brought back to the laboratory). In humans, the diagnosis is made from the first stream of urine. “Today we have a diagnostic method by PCR test via a highly sensitive molecular method which detects the bacteria very well. In particular, it makes it possible to detect several bacteria at the same time (same swab), this is called duplex PCR“says the medical biologist.
When to do a gonorrhea test?
Dr Romand recommends at least 1 screening per year when having regular sexual activity, even when there are no symptoms.
“The incubation of gonorrhea infection requires at least 2 days so we recommend carrying out the screening test 48 hours after sexual intercourse” reminds the expert. The molecular tests of the PCR being hypersensitive, they can detect the genome of the bacterium whereas it is “dead”. “That is why it is necessary to respect a period of at least 15 days after stopping treatment to check that the gonorrhea infection is completely cured“adds Dr. Romand.
Do you have to be fasting?
It is not no need to fast. It just takes a two-hour hold for urine tests.
Tests to detect gonorrhea are not yet available in pharmacies
Where to get tested for gonorrhea? Without a prescription?
The gonorrhea detection test can be carried out with or without a prescription (the difference is only in the reimbursement), in several places:
- Medical biology laboratories
- Free information, screening and diagnosis centers (CeGIDD): anonymous and free screening centers (CDAG), STI information, screening and diagnosis centers (CIDDIST)
- sexual health centers
- PMI centers (maternal and child protection)
- AIDS associations
- PASSES (permanent access to health care for people in precarious situations)
Can you do the gonorrhea test in a pharmacy?
“To date, gonorrhea detection tests are only possible in the laboratory and not yet in pharmacy. They can nevertheless be carried out at home by bringing the swab back to the laboratory“says the medical biologist.
How long does it take to get results?
In the laboratory, the delay is quite short, generally the result comes out the same day or the next day. The delay is several days if the screening is carried out in a health center.
In the test results, a line dedicated to gonococcus named, “neisseria gonorrhoeae” next to which will be written positive or negative. A negative result means that the body is not in contact with the bacteria and you do not have gonorrhea. If it is written positive, you are infected with gonorrhea. You either have to call the laboratory for information on the treatment or contact your doctor.
Thanks to Dr Stéphane Romand, medical biologist at Unilabs France.