Family Planning Plus

The only way to be infected with gonorrhea is through sexual activity. This means oral, vaginal and/or anal sex.  Most men and women do not have symptoms of gonorrhea. The Centers for Disease Control guidelines recommend that with any positive STD test, both patient and partner(s) be treated.

You state that your gonorrhea was detected by a pap test. The pap test is a screening test for cervical cancer, it is not used and is usually not accurate at detecting STDs. The pap test may show cells that are suspicious for infection. If this would be the case, then follow up testing, like STD cultures are done. With sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea, cultures must be done to allow the bacteria to grow.

Not knowing where your exam was done, I can only refer to our clinics. Here at Family Planning Plus, we do chlamydia and gonorrhea cultures on all sexually active people between the ages of 12  and 26. This is because this age group has the highest rate of STDs.  People over age 26 are tested either by their request or if they have symptoms (discharge, burning, etc.).  Our clinics are able to test people because we are a PA Dept of Health STD screening provider. Through the Dept of Health program, we are able to offer free STD screenings to men and women. Most doctors’ offices do not routinely do STD cultures unless there are symptoms. This is because most insurance companies won’t pay for the cultures without a reason for doing them.

What does this mean for you? Discuss your results with your doctor or clinic. Was the gonorrhea diagnosed by pap test alone or by culture? If a culture was done, did the doctor see something suspicious that prompted him/her to do it?   If it was done by pap alone, you may want to either have the pap reviewed or have STD cultures performed.  The accuracy of the result depends on the individual lab. However, most hospital and clinic labs have a relatively low false positive rate.

Keep in mind that gonorrhea can live a long time in the vagina and penis. A woman is more likely to get it from a man than a man is from a woman. Neither may have symptoms. The vagina is a warm, moist environment where bacteria can harbor. There is no way to know how long an infection has been there or where it came from, especially if either person has had other or previous partners.

This is a very difficult discussion to have with a partner. The level of trust in the relationship is tested. Believing in your partner depends on both past and present experiences. It is important for you both to have open, honest dialogue about your history. If you both believe that each other has been monogamous, then trust trust that instinct. Both of you get treated and move on.