Gonorrhoea Testing Kit for Women

Gonorrhoea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoea and is the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the UK.

Genital gonorrhoea can be contracted by having unprotected sex with an infected person. If you are concerned that you have put yourself at risk then you should wait 14 days before taking a test as it may take this amount of time before the infection can be detected.

• The test kits are a simple urine test for men and a swab test for women.
  
• The kits are posted in discreet plain unmarked packaging with no indication of their contents. You will then send your sample, in the pre-paid envelope; to The Doctors Laboratory (TDL) in London*. They are the largest independent providers of clinical laboratory diagnostic services in the UK. Once the lab has received your sample, your results will be available 2-3 days later. We will contact you by your chosen method, email or SMS to let you know that there is a message in your “in box” via your secure login at Webmed Pharmacy to get the results.
  
• If your test is positive for Chlamydia or gonorrhoea we will ask that you complete a simple medical questionnaire that our Doctor can assess for your suitability and, if approved, be prescribed the oral antibiotics to treat the infection.
  
• If you or your partner have already tested positive for a STI by using a home test kit from another site or from visiting a sexual health clinic then you may still complete our simple medical questionnaire that our Doctor can assess for your suitability and, if approved, you can be prescribed oral antibiotics to treat the infection.
  
• *The Doctors Laboratory (TDL) www.tdlpathology.com
  

From extensive research, it has shown that if a person is diagnosed with gonorrhoea, there is a high probability that they also have Chlamydia. Therefore, we recommend a 2 in 1 test kit that would identify whether you have either or both conditions and avoid the need to purchase two test kits.

If recently, you have had unprotected sex and are worried that you may have gonorrhoea you should wait for 14 days before taking a test. This is because the infection can take up to two weeks to be detected.

The test kit for women is a swab test as this provides a much more accurate result than a urine test for gonorrhoea in women. It involves using a swab that looks a bit like an extended cotton bud that you insert 5cm (two inches) into your vagina. Please read the instructions provided with each test kit before proceeding. You should wash and dry your hands before using the test kit.

The swab test kit contains the cotton swab in a sealed test tube. Open the tube and place the tip of the swab about 5cm (two inches) into the vagina. Rotate the swab around the vagina for 10 to 15 seconds before removing it and placing it back in the test tube.  Make sure you do not touch the tip of the swab with your hands and do not put it down anywhere before placing it back into the test tube as this may affect your result.

Follow the instructions on the leaflet with the test kit. There is a label on your test tube of your test kit for your name, date of birth and the date you collected your sample. It is also very important to include your request form with your details as the laboratory will not test your sample without this information.
Put your sample and your request form with your details into the pre-paid envelope and post it to the lab as soon as possible. You don’t need to pay for any postage and can put your sample in any post box.

After the lab has received it, your test results will be available in 2-3 days.

The Doctors Lab, TDL, requires three unique identifiers so that they can accurately identify your sample.

This means we need your first name, surname and date of birth.

The test results are communicated to you by whatever form of communication you choose at registration. The choices are open email, email notification or SMS notification. For the latter two forms of communication you simply receive an email or text advising you that you have a message from Webmed in your message centre on the website.

There will not be any detail in this message, it will simply ask you to login to your Webmed account, using your email address and secure password. When you have logged in you will find your confidential test result.

No.

A test kit can be sent to your home for you to provide a sample, but this needs to be tested in an approved and regulated laboratory. For men it is a urine sample and for women it is a swab test.  We use The Doctors Lab (TDL), who are the largest independent providers of clinical laboratory diagnostic services in the UK.

They use Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATS) to detect gonorrhoea and Chlamydia. This method of testing for gonorrhoea and Chlamydia is highly sensitive and can detect minute amounts of genetic material. This is why the tests are so accurate.

We provide test kits where you can take your sample at home. It’s a simple urine test for men and a swab test for women. The test sample is then sent to The Doctors Lab (TDL), in Manchester or London for analysis. They are the largest independent providers of clinical laboratory diagnostic services in the UK.

If you have had unprotected sex and are worried that you may have gonorrhoea you should wait for 14 days before taking a test. This is because the infection can take up to two weeks to be detected.

We usually receive your test results within 2-3 days of the lab receiving your test sample.

At Webmed we use The Doctors Laboratory (TDL), which is the largest independent provider of clinical laboratory diagnostic services in the UK. The test is very accurate at over 99%.

Please be aware that testing too soon after you have had sex is the most common way to get a false negative for gonorrhoea and Chlamydia.

You should wait until 14 days after sexual contact before you test to find out if you have contracted Chlamydia or gonorrhoea. If you test any earlier you may get a false negative result. This is because the infection hasn’t had enough time to develop in your body to a level where it can be detected.

You can check that you are clear of gonorrhoea 14 days after treatment but you should wait until 6 weeks after treatment to test if you are clear of Chlamydia. This is because it can take that length of time before the dead Chlamydial DNA clears from your system.

The gonorrhoea test kit only tests for gonorrhoea but from extensive research, it has shown that if a person is diagnosed with gonorrhoea, there is a high probability that they also have Chlamydia. Therefore we recommend a 2 in 1 test kit that would identify whether you have either or both conditions and avoid the need to purchase two test kits.

This test kit is similar to the other test kits; it’s a simple urine test for men and a swab test for women.

The test results are communicated to you by whatever form of communication you choose at registration. The choices are open email, email notification or SMS notification. For the latter two forms of communication you simply receive an email or text advising you that you have a message from Webmed in your message centre on the website.

There will not be any detail in this message, it will simply ask you to login to your Webmed account, using your email address and secure password. When you have logged in you will find your confidential test result.

The recommended treatment for gonorrhoea by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), is an antibiotic injectionalong with another antibiotic that is taken orally. This treatment can be obtained from a sexual health clinic or your GP.

The treatment that we offer is second line treatment for those who don’t want an injection or are unable to get to a sexual health clinic.

The treatment for gonorrhoea that we prescribe is two tablets of Suprax and two tablets of Azithromycin. Both are taken together as a single dose.

We also provide a “test of cure” that you send to the lab 14 days after treatment to make sure you are clear of infection.

There are two treatments available, that are both a combination of two different types of antibiotics.

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH),recommended first line treatment for gonorrhoea is an injection of ceftriaxone, usually in the buttock or the thigh, and another antibiotic called Azithromycin that is in tablet form and taken orally

The second line treatment for those who don’t like injections or don’t have the time or don’t want to suffer the embarrassment of going to a sexual health clinic is two tablets of Suprax 200mg (cefixime) and two tablets of Azithromycin 500mg. All four tablets are taken together as a single dose.

Webmed Pharmacy’s Gonorrhoea treatment pack contains  tw tablets of both antibiotics, therefore four tablets in all. It also, includes a FREE “test of cure” test kit to use at least 14 days after taking the treatment to make sure you are clear of infection.

Both first and second line treatments for Gonorrhoea also treat any Chlamydia infection present. It is common for people to get both Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia infections at the same time.

If treated early, gonorrhoea is unlikely to lead to any complications orlong-term problems.

However, without treatment, it can spread to other parts of your bodyand cause serious andpermanent health problems in both women and men.

In women, gonorrhoea can spread to the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.

In men, gonorrhoea can cause a painful infection in the testicles and prostate gland, which may lead to reduced fertility in a small number of cases.

In rare cases, when gonorrhoea has been left untreated, it can spread through the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections in other parts of the body (sepsis).

The best way to prevent catching Gonorrhoea is always use a condom and don’t have unprotected sex.

Also, please be aware sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) can be caught from sex toys used by an infected person. Therefore, they should be washed and covered with a new condom each time they are used.

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) recommend that sexually active people should get tested once a year and on change of sexual partner.

Yes. You can get re-infected by coming into contact with an infected person through unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex. You can also catch Gonorrhoea from sharing sex toys that aren’t washed or covered with a new condom each time they’re used. 

Gonorrhoea can’t be passed on through casual contact, such as kissing and hugging, or from toilet seats, swimming pools, sharing baths, towels, or cutlery.

Yes, it’s very important that you should tell your partner as, if left untreated, the infection may cause serious long-term damage to their health and fertility.