Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most commonly diagnosed bacterial STIs, they frequently cause no symptoms at all, and both are curable with antibiotics. Here’s what to know about symptoms, testing, current treatment, and why …
Chlamydia and Gonorrhea: Symptoms, Testing, and Treatment
Key Takeaways
- Both infections are frequently silent — most people with chlamydia have no symptoms, which is why screening matters more than waiting to feel something.
- Both are curable with antibiotics. Chlamydia is treated with a week of doxycycline; gonorrhea with a single ceftriaxone injection.
- Retest three months after treatment. Reinfection from an untreated partner is the most common reason these infections come back.
Table of Contents
- Why These Two Travel Together
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Symptom Comparison
- How Testing Works
- Current Treatment
- After Treatment: The Rules
- What Happens Untreated
- Who Should Be Screened
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Walk In for Testing
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most commonly reported bacterial STIs in the country, and they have three important things in common: they often produce no symptoms, they cause real damage when left untreated, and they’re both entirely curable with a short course of antibiotics.
That last point is worth sitting with. These are among the most consequential infections to miss and among the easiest to fix — the entire gap between those two outcomes is testing.
Why These Two Travel Together
Providers test for chlamydia and gonorrhea as a pair, almost always. There’s good reason:
- Co-infection is common — people diagnosed with one frequently have the other
- Symptoms are nearly identical, so neither can be identified without a test
- The same sample tests for both — one urine cup or swab covers it
- Treatment differs, which is exactly why distinguishing them matters
That last point is the practical one. Because the medications differ, guessing based on symptoms means a real chance of treating the wrong infection.
Chlamydia
Caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, and the most commonly reported bacterial STI in the US.
Its defining feature is silence. Most people who have it never develop symptoms — which is precisely why it spreads so effectively and why routine screening exists.
When symptoms do appear (typically 1-3 weeks after exposure):
In women: unusual vaginal discharge, burning with urination, bleeding between periods or after sex, pelvic pain, pain during sex
In men: discharge from the penis, burning with urination, testicular pain or swelling
Either: rectal pain, discharge, or bleeding after receptive anal sex; throat infection after oral sex (usually silent)
Treatment: the CDC’s recommended regimen is doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 7 days. Azithromycin as a single dose is an alternative in certain situations, but doxycycline is now preferred — it’s meaningfully more effective, particularly for rectal infection.
Gonorrhea
Caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. More likely than chlamydia to cause noticeable symptoms in men, though still frequently silent in women.
Symptoms (typically 2-14 days after exposure):
In men: thick yellow or green discharge from the penis (often the first sign), burning with urination, testicular pain or swelling
In women: increased vaginal discharge, burning with urination, bleeding between periods, pelvic pain — but often nothing at all
Either: rectal symptoms, or throat infection after oral sex (typically symptomless)
Treatment: a single 500 mg intramuscular injection of ceftriaxone for people under 150 kg. Per CDC guidance, ceftriaxone is now the only recommended treatment — dual therapy with azithromycin was dropped from the guidelines. If chlamydia hasn’t been ruled out, doxycycline is added.
Why the injection: oral options have lost reliability as resistance has grown. Gonorrhea has developed resistance to nearly every antibiotic used against it over the decades, and CDC actively monitors ceftriaxone susceptibility. The injection is what remains dependable.
Symptom Comparison
| Chlamydia | Gonorrhea | |
| Usually symptomless | Yes, very often | Often in women, less so in men |
| Onset after exposure | 1-3 weeks | 2-14 days |
| Discharge (men) | Clear or white, thinner | Thick, yellow or green |
| Discharge (women) | Increased, may be yellow | Increased, may be yellow |
| Burning with urination | Common when symptomatic | Common when symptomatic |
| Treatment | Doxycycline, 7 days | Ceftriaxone injection, single dose |
Don’t use this table to self-diagnose. The overlap is substantial, co-infection is common, and both are frequently silent. It’s here to explain why testing is required rather than optional.
How Testing Works
Straightforward, and usually done for both at once.
Sample types:
- Urine — most common, works for both infections
- Genital swab — vaginal, cervical, or urethral
- Throat swab — needed if you’ve had oral sex
- Rectal swab — needed after receptive anal sex
The critical point about sites: urine testing only detects genital infection. Throat and rectal infections are missed entirely unless swabbed — and both are usually symptomless. Tell your provider about all types of exposure, since they can only test where they know to look.
The test itself is a NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test), which detects the bacteria’s genetic material and is highly accurate.
Timing: both are reliably detectable 1-2 weeks after exposure. Testing sooner risks a false negative — our guide on window periods covers this in detail. If you have symptoms, get tested now regardless.
Results typically take 1-3 days. A+ Urgent Care processes tests in-house, which speeds turnaround.
Current Treatment
Chlamydia: doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 7 days. Take with food to reduce stomach upset, and avoid sun exposure — it increases photosensitivity.
Gonorrhea: a single 500 mg ceftriaxone injection, given at the visit. Done in one appointment.
Both together: ceftriaxone injection plus the doxycycline course.
Alternatives exist for allergies and pregnancy. Tell your provider about any drug allergies and about pregnancy or possible pregnancy.
Both infections are fully curable. These aren’t lifelong conditions — treated correctly, the infection is gone.
After Treatment: The Rules
Four things determine whether treatment actually sticks.
1. Finish the entire course. All seven days of doxycycline, even after symptoms clear. Stopping early risks incomplete treatment.
2. Abstain from sex for 7 days after single-dose therapy, or until you’ve completed a 7-day regimen and symptoms have resolved. This is explicit CDC guidance, and skipping it is a common way people transmit or reacquire infection.
3. Make sure partners get treated. Untreated partners reinfect you — full stop. New Jersey permits Expedited Partner Therapy, where a provider can prescribe for your partner without seeing them, which removes a major barrier.
4. Retest at three months. CDC recommends everyone diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis be retested three months after treatment. This isn’t checking whether treatment worked — it’s checking for reinfection, which is common.
Also: anyone diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea should be tested for HIV and syphilis, since co-infection is frequent.
What Happens Untreated
In women: the infection can ascend into the uterus and fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease. PID scars reproductive organs, and that damage is permanent — it’s a leading preventable cause of infertility and ectopic pregnancy, which is itself life-threatening. Much of this happens without symptoms.
In men: epididymitis, causing pain and swelling and potentially affecting fertility.
In pregnancy: preterm birth, and transmission to the baby during delivery, which can cause eye infections and pneumonia.
Rarely: gonorrhea can spread through the bloodstream, causing joint and skin involvement.
For everyone: untreated infections substantially increase HIV transmission risk.
The asymmetry is the point — a week of antibiotics prevents outcomes that are otherwise irreversible.
Who Should Be Screened
Per CDC screening recommendations:
- All sexually active women under 25 — annually, for both infections
- Women 25+ with new or multiple partners — annually
- Sexually active gay and bisexual men — at least annually, every 3-6 months with higher risk
- Pregnant women — as part of prenatal care
- Anyone with symptoms or a partner who tested positive
Screen even without symptoms. That’s the entire reason screening recommendations exist — most infections don’t announce themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can chlamydia and gonorrhea be cured?
Yes, both are completely curable with antibiotics. Chlamydia is treated with doxycycline for seven days; gonorrhea with a single ceftriaxone injection. They aren’t lifelong infections — but you can be reinfected, which is why partner treatment and retesting at three months matter.
What are the symptoms of chlamydia and gonorrhea?
Both frequently cause none. When present: discharge, burning with urination, pelvic pain or bleeding between periods in women, testicular pain in men. Gonorrhea more often causes thick yellow-green discharge in men. Because symptoms overlap and are often absent, testing is the only reliable way to know.
How are chlamydia and gonorrhea tested for?
With a NAAT, using a urine sample or a swab from the affected site. Both are usually tested together from the same sample. Throat and rectal infections require swabs from those sites — urine testing won’t detect them — so tell your provider about all types of exposure.
How long after exposure can I get tested?
Both are reliably detectable 1-2 weeks after exposure. Testing earlier risks a false negative. If you have symptoms, get tested immediately regardless of timing, since symptoms mean something is already happening.
What’s the treatment for gonorrhea now?
A single 500 mg intramuscular ceftriaxone injection. CDC no longer recommends dual therapy with azithromycin. Oral options are no longer reliable due to resistance — gonorrhea has developed resistance to nearly every antibiotic historically used against it, which is why the injection is the standard.
Do I need to tell my partners?
Yes. Untreated partners will reinfect you, and they need treatment for their own health. New Jersey allows Expedited Partner Therapy, where a provider can prescribe for your partner without examining them. Health departments can also assist with anonymous notification.
When can I have sex again after treatment?
Wait seven days after single-dose therapy, or until you’ve finished a seven-day regimen and symptoms have resolved. Also wait until all partners have been treated — otherwise reinfection is likely. This is standard CDC guidance and one of the most commonly skipped steps.
Why do I need to retest after treatment?
CDC recommends retesting three months after treatment, not to confirm the cure but to check for reinfection, which is common — usually from an untreated partner. The retest catches infections that would otherwise go unnoticed, since they’re frequently symptomless.
Can you get chlamydia or gonorrhea from oral sex?
Yes. Both can infect the throat through oral sex, and throat infections are typically symptomless. Standard urine testing won’t detect them — a throat swab is required. This is why disclosing all types of exposure matters for accurate testing.
Where can I get tested and treated in NJ?
A+ Urgent Care provides confidential walk-in testing and treatment at Bloomfield (Essex County) and Cresskill (Bergen County), seven days a week with evening hours. No appointment needed, tests are processed in-house, and self-pay options are available for privacy.
Walk In for Testing
Both infections are common, frequently invisible, and completely curable. The only thing standing between those facts and a good outcome is getting tested — because you can’t feel your way to a diagnosis with infections that usually cause nothing.
If you test positive, treatment is short and effective. Finish it, wait the seven days, make sure partners are treated, and come back at three months. That sequence is what turns a diagnosis into a resolved problem instead of a recurring one.
About A+ Urgent Care
A+ Urgent Care provides walk-in medical care across Essex and Bergen counties, with locations in Bloomfield and Cresskill open seven days a week — weekdays 8 AM to 8 PM, weekends 9 AM to 5 PM. Services include confidential STI/STD testing and treatment, illness and injury care, on-site labs and X-rays, and physicals. Led by Dr. Ajay Jetley, a board-certified emergency medicine physician with more than 15 years of experience. No appointment necessary; for any life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Meet the Author
Dr. Ajay V. Jetley, MD, is a Emergency Medicine certified physician with over 15 years of clinical experience. As the Medical Director for A+ Urgent Care in Bloomfield and Cresskill, NJ, he is dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible outpatient care for acute illnesses, minor injuries, and wellness services. Dr. Jetley combines his extensive medical expertise and affiliations with premier institutions like Englewood Hospital with a thorough, patient-centered approach to serving the Northern New Jersey community.
