Chances are the answer is yes!
If you are sexually active, you run the risk of becoming infected with gonorrhea and many other sexually transmitted infections and diseases. Getting tested not only protects your health, but you partner’s sexual health as well. It’s suggested that you should get tested if you have multiple or even one new partner, engage in high risk or unprotected sexual activity or before you enter into a monogamous relationship.
Here is a list of factors that make getting tested even more important:
If you have been with a partner who has gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is passed through sexual contact, ejaculation does not need to occur in order for the infection to be passed. If you know that you have come in sexual contact with an infected partner you should be tested right away. Infections are much easier to cure when they first begin.
If you are pregnant
The need for testing is extremely high during pregnancy since the mother can give the infection to the baby during delivery as it passes through the birth canal. Gonorrhea in babies can cause blindness, joint infection or a blood infection that can be life-threatening. If the infection is caught early in the pregnancy, it may be successfully treated.
If you have been treated for gonorrhea in the past
Even if you have been cured of the infection in the past, it does not make you immune to re-infection. Speak with a professional about your risk factors and they may advise having another test performed.
If you have symptoms
Though it is very difficult for many people to notice the initial symptoms, it is extremely important to be tested for gonorrhea, as well as other STDs, if you experience any unusual symptoms.