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Suggest Treatment For Gonorrhea

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Posted on Tue, 28 Oct 2014
Question: I had sex on the September 22, 2014 I went to my OBGYN on Wednesday September 24, 2014 he done a pelvic exam on Thursday September 25, 2014 the doctor called and said I tested positive for gonorrhea. My sex partner went on Monday September 29, 2014 and had a urine test done and his test cam back neg. My question is how good is a urine test done for testing for gonorrhea?
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Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (37 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
tests are sensitive

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

Every test has sensitivity and specificity. These let us know how accurate a test may be.

The sensitivity of a test gives you the true positives of the test. This means that if a test is said to be very sensitive then it picks up people with the particular illness well.
This infers that if a person gets a negative result and the test is a sensitive test then that result is likely accurate.

The specificity of a test- looks at the true negative of the tests. If a test has a high specificity it means that it is it can pick up persons who truly do not have the condition.
This means that if the person gets a positive result, then they are really positive because if they did not have it (were negative), then the test would pick it up.

There are different lab methods that can use urine to pick up gonorrhea.

Since you are wondering about the negative result, need to look at the sensitivity of the test.

The sensitivity of the different lab methods can vary from 66% to 100% depending on the exact method use ( PCR, TMA or SDA).
This means these tests are fairly sensitive and he is likely truly negative.

He should still be treated however, in the chance that the result is falsely negative.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Gonorrhea

Brief Answer: tests are sensitive Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic Every test has sensitivity and specificity. These let us know how accurate a test may be. The sensitivity of a test gives you the true positives of the test. This means that if a test is said to be very sensitive then it picks up people with the particular illness well. This infers that if a person gets a negative result and the test is a sensitive test then that result is likely accurate. The specificity of a test- looks at the true negative of the tests. If a test has a high specificity it means that it is it can pick up persons who truly do not have the condition. This means that if the person gets a positive result, then they are really positive because if they did not have it (were negative), then the test would pick it up. There are different lab methods that can use urine to pick up gonorrhea. Since you are wondering about the negative result, need to look at the sensitivity of the test. The sensitivity of the different lab methods can vary from 66% to 100% depending on the exact method use ( PCR, TMA or SDA). This means these tests are fairly sensitive and he is likely truly negative. He should still be treated however, in the chance that the result is falsely negative. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions