STD Treatment

The treatment your doctor recommends will depend on which STD you're diagnosed with. Learn about the common methods used and how you may be able to find help at a free STD clinic near you.
Antiretroviral drugs on a table
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
Medically reviewed by Cristian Zanartu, MD
Person receiving vaccine
How Therapeutic Vaccines Work
Medically reviewed by Jenny Sweigard, MD
General practitioner doing blood test
Finding STD Treatment and Locating an STD Clinic
Medically reviewed by Matthew Wosnitzer, MD
Angry African American couple standing back to back
Can a Treated STD Come Back?
Medically reviewed by Monique Rainford, MD
Woman talking to her doctor
Treatment of Trichomoniasis
Medically reviewed by Brian Levine, MD
Prescribing a Woman Medicine
How Gonorrhea Is Treated
Medically reviewed by Brian Levine, MD
Doctor Talking with Teenage Girl
How Chlamydia Is Treated
Medically reviewed by Brian Levine, MD
This is a photomicrograph of a Gram-stained urethral exudate sample from a male who presented with a case of urethritis. In this particular view, what turned out to be numerous intracellular Gram-negative Neisseria gonorrhoeae diplococci bacteria were evident. Gram-stain is a histochemical technique used by microbiologists to differentiate microorganisms into two large groups, that of Gram-negative, or Gram-positive bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria stain a dark violet-blue, for the crystal-violet stain binds to the exterior cell wall of these organisms. On the other hand, Gram-negative bacteria bind with the counterstain, in this case, the safranin or fuchsin stain. This technique is yet another method by which the trained laboratorian identifies pathogens, in order to come to a diagnostic conclusion. Image courtesy CDC/Dr. Norman Jacobs, 1974.
Non-Gonoccocal Urethritis (NGU) Treatment
Medically reviewed by Anita Sadaty, MD