Wait 7 days after your treatment, and until every partner you have had sex with in the last 60 days has been treated and waited their own 7 days. That covers oral and anal sex too. If the infection was in your throat, go back for a test of cure 7 to 14 days after treatment. Everyone should get retested about 3 months later.
What is the exact waiting rule?
The CDC treatment guidelines say to avoid sex for 7 days after treatment and until all of your sex partners have been treated. Your partners should also wait 7 days after their own treatment.
The usual treatment is a single shot of ceftriaxone, 500 mg for most adults (1 g for people who weigh 150 kg or more). So for most people, day 1 is the day of the shot. If you were also given 7 days of doxycycline because chlamydia wasn't ruled out, CDC's chlamydia rule is to wait until you finish those pills too.
If symptoms are still there at day 7, keep waiting and get checked.
Does oral or anal sex count?
Yes. CDC says gonorrhea spreads through vaginal, anal, and oral sex without a condom. It can infect the throat and the rectum, so the 7-day wait applies to every kind of sex.
Throat gonorrhea is harder to cure than genital gonorrhea. CDC says there are no reliable alternatives to ceftriaxone for a throat infection.
Do I need a retest?
It depends on where the infection was.
- Throat (pharyngeal) infection: go back for a test of cure 7 to 14 days after treatment. Testing before 7 days can give a false positive.
- Genital or rectal infection treated with the standard shot: CDC says a test of cure is not needed.
- Everyone: get retested about 3 months after treatment, even if your partners were treated. If that doesn't work, get retested at your next visit within the year.
What if my symptoms don't go away?
Go back to your clinician. CDC's fact sheet says to return if symptoms continue for more than a few days after treatment. The guidelines say treatment failure should be considered if symptoms don't clear within 3 to 5 days and you haven't had sex since.
Gonorrhea is getting harder to treat because drug-resistant strains are increasing. If symptoms persist, your clinician may take a culture to see which antibiotics work against your strain. That is also why finishing treatment and going to your follow-up tests matters.
How do I tell a partner?
Most women with gonorrhea have no symptoms, and many men don't either. So a partner may not know they have it, and you may not know who had it first. It's a common infection, not a judgment on anyone.
Ask your clinician about expedited partner therapy (EPT), where you are given medicine to pass to your partner without them needing an exam first. Because the standard gonorrhea treatment is a shot, CDC says EPT for gonorrhea is mainly used when a partner is unlikely to get seen soon. The partner pill used for EPT is cefixime 800 mg, plus doxycycline if chlamydia hasn't been ruled out. Getting seen in person is still the better option for partners, especially if they have symptoms. EPT rules vary by state.
- Who to tell: anyone you had sex with in the 60 days before your symptoms or your test, or your most recent partner if it was longer ago.
- What to say: "I tested positive for gonorrhea and got treated. You should get tested and treated too, and we should wait 7 days after we're both treated."
- If it feels too hard: ask your local health department about partner notification services.
When should you get care?
In an emergency, call 911Get seen soon if symptoms last more than a few days after treatment, or you have testicle pain, swelling, or heaviness.
Get seen the same day or within a day for new or worse lower belly or pelvic pain, fever, pain or bleeding with sex, or bleeding between periods. These can be signs of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
Get seen the same day if you have new joint pain or swelling, or a new rash of small spots or pus bumps on your hands or feet. Gonorrhea can rarely spread to the blood and joints, which can be life-threatening.
Call 911 for trouble breathing or swelling of your face or throat after a shot or pill, sudden severe pain in the scrotum, or, if you could be pregnant, sudden sharp lower belly pain, shoulder pain, or fainting.
How our AI doctor decides when to send you to care ›Are there new pills for gonorrhea?
In December 2025, the FDA approved 2 oral medicines for uncomplicated gonorrhea of the urethra or cervix: zoliflodacin (Nuzolvence) and gepotidacin (Blujepa). Gepotidacin is approved only for people with few or no other options. Both are approved for infections of the urethra or cervix. The CDC 2021 guidelines still list the ceftriaxone shot as the recommended treatment, and the 7-day wait and retest advice above still apply.
Common questions
When can I have sex after gonorrhea treatment?
Wait 7 days after treatment and until all recent partners have been treated and waited 7 days too. That includes oral and anal sex. If symptoms are still there, wait and get checked.
Is the 7 days counted from the shot or from when I feel better?
From treatment. CDC says 7 days after treatment, and until partners are treated. If you are also taking 7 days of doxycycline, finish the pills first. If you still have symptoms after a few days, go back to your clinician.
Do I need a test of cure?
Only if the infection was in your throat. Then go back 7 to 14 days after treatment. For genital or rectal gonorrhea treated with the standard shot, CDC says it isn't needed. Everyone should still get the 3-month retest.
Can I get gonorrhea again?
Yes. Treatment does not make you immune. Getting it again from an untreated partner is common, which is why partner treatment and the 3-month retest matter.
Can my partner just take pills instead of getting a shot?
Sometimes. With expedited partner therapy, a clinician can give you cefixime pills to pass on, plus doxycycline if chlamydia hasn't been ruled out. CDC prefers that partners get seen in person when they can.
Pymander is not a replacement for a physician and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions about a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911.