Exams and Tests

The doctor will conduct a physical examination.

• Tenderness for women in the area of the sex organs and a pus-filled discharge from the vagina or penis, along with a high white-blood-cell count and fever could indicate an infection.

• A sample of the discharge will be sent to the laboratory. The laboratory will put the specimen on a special bacteria plate to see if it will grow the gonorrhea bacteria. This usually takes at least 2 days to detect. The doctor may also order diagnostic tests to examine samples of the discharge under a microscope.

• Most hospitals and clinics now have urine kits that will screen for gonorrhea. These tests are not as sensitive as genital cultures but are good tests for screening.