Gonorrhea incubation period
Gonorrhea in brief
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When you become infected with gonorrhea, you usually don't realize it right away. It takes a while for the gonorrhea bacteria to settle in the mucous membranes and cause symptoms. The period between infection and when you notice any symptoms is called the incubation period.
What is the incubation period of gonorrhea?
The incubation period of gonorrhea can range from 2 days to 3 weeks. On average, the incubation period is 5 days. This means that most people develop symptoms after 5 days, but it can also take 3 weeks until you notice something about gonorrhea.
Symptoms of gonorrhea
Sometimes you don't notice a gonorrhea infection at all. In women, this occurs in 30 to 60% of cases. In men, it is about 10%. If you do notice symptoms of gonorrhea, they may include pain when urinating, itching or pain at the anus and fluid coming from the vagina or penis.
When to test for gonorrhea?
Are you testing for gonorrhea just to be sure, for example because you were warned about this STI by a sex partner? Then test starting 2 weeks after you've had unsafe sex. If you develop symptoms, you can test earlier. Not sure yet which STI test to take? Then do the free STI test guide first.
Resources
This page has been carefully compiled with information from official and independent health organizations:
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