What is a gonorrhea test?Gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). It is a bacterial infection spread through vaginal, oral, or anal sex with an infected person. It can also be spread from a pregnant woman to her baby during childbirth. Gonorrhea can infect both men and women. It is most common in young people, aged 15–24.Many people with gonorrhea don't know they have it. So they may spread it to others without knowing it. Men with gonorrhea may have some symptoms. But women often have no symptoms or mistake gonorrhea symptoms for a bladder or vaginal infection.A gonorrhea test looks for the presence of gonorrhea bacteria in your body. The disease can be cured with antibiotics. But if it's not treated, gonorrhea can lead to infertility and other serious health problems. In women, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that develops outside the uterus, where a baby can't survive. If not treated promptly, ectopic pregnancy can be fatal to the mother.In men, gonorrhea can cause painful urination and scarring of the urethra. The urethra is a tube that allows urine to flow from the bladder to the outside of the body and also carries semen. In men, this tube runs through the penis.Other names: GC test, gonorrhea DNA probe test, gonorrhea nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)
