Expedited partner therapy (EPT) helps stem rising STD cases by treating the sex partners of people diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea without requiring the partner to be examined first. The patient carries a prescription or the medicine to their partner. More partners actually get treated, which breaks the cycle of reinfection that keeps case numbers climbing.
without a separate exam
legal status varies
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| What | treat partners — without a separate exam |
| For | chlamydia & gonorrhea |
| Why | stops reinfection |
| Where | most states — legal status varies |
What EPT is and how it works
EPT — short for expedited partner therapy — is the practice of treating the sex partners of someone diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea by giving that patient a prescription or the actual medication to deliver to their partner, without the clinician examining the partner first CDC, EPT. Normally, treating an infection means the partner has to make their own appointment, show up, get examined, and fill their own prescription. Each of those steps is a place where treatment falls through. The partner is busy, embarrassed, uninsured, or simply never goes.
EPT removes those steps. The person already in the clinic carries their partner's cure home. This matters because chlamydia and gonorrhea live in a sexual network, not in one body. If you're treated but your partner isn't, you'll often be reinfected the next time you have sex, and the infection keeps bouncing back and forth, and outward to new partners. Treating both people at roughly the same time clears the infection from a couple and stops it from spreading.
How well it works
The strongest argument for EPT is simple: a partner who never gets treated can't be cured, and an untreated partner is the most common reason a treated patient gets infected all over again. By making treatment something a partner receives at home rather than something they have to chase down, EPT raises the share of partners who actually take the medicine.
The CDC recommends EPT as a useful option to help get partners treated, particularly the male partners of women diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea, a group that's notoriously hard to pull into clinics. Fewer untreated partners means fewer reinfections, and fewer reinfections across a community means the overall case count drops. If you've been treated, this is also the most effective way to avoid a repeat infection — see our explainer on chlamydia reinfection for why retesting still matters even after both of you are treated.
Who EPT is for and how to use it
EPT is mainly used for two infections, chlamydia and gonorrhea, and it makes sure your partner is actually treated so you don't get reinfected. It's generally offered when you've tested positive for one of these and you have a recent sex partner who is unlikely or unable to come in for their own visit.
In practice it looks like this:
- You test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea and get treated yourself.
- You tell your clinician about your recent partner or partners.
- If EPT is appropriate and legal where you live, the clinician gives you either a prescription or the medication itself, plus written information for your partner about the dose, possible side effects, allergy warnings, and when to seek care.
- You deliver it to your partner, who takes the treatment without needing their own appointment.
- You both avoid sex until treatment is complete and any required waiting period has passed, so you don't reinfect each other.
There are limits. EPT works best for straightforward chlamydia or gonorrhea in partners who don't have symptoms that need a hands-on exam. A partner with testicular pain, pelvic pain, fever, or signs of a more serious infection should be seen in person rather than treated by proxy. Those symptoms can signal complications that pills handed off at home won't address.
Cost and how to get it
Your partner gets treated without their own appointment, which is frequently the difference between them being treated and not. Ask your clinician or your pharmacist directly. It's legal in most states, and it's the cleanest way to avoid being reinfected by an untreated partner CDC, EPT legal status.
Cost varies by where you go. Many public health clinics and family-planning clinics provide partner treatment at low or no cost, while a retail pharmacy fill will depend on the drug and whether insurance applies. Because the partner isn't being seen as a patient, billing can be different from a normal visit — another reason to ask up front. The medications used for uncomplicated chlamydia and gonorrhea are standard, widely stocked, and inexpensive compared with the cost of an untreated infection that comes back.
What EPT does not protect against
EPT treats an existing chlamydia or gonorrhea infection in a partner. It is not prevention, and it doesn't cover everything. It does nothing for HIV, syphilis, herpes, trichomoniasis, or HPV, and it won't stop a future infection. A partner treated through EPT could still carry another STD entirely, so ideal care is still a full visit and a full screen when that's possible.
It also can't replace a clinician's eyes when something's wrong. If a partner has unusual symptoms, a possible drug allergy, or could be pregnant, handing off a pill skips the exact assessment that catches a problem early. EPT is a tool for the common, uncomplicated case, not a substitute for medical care when the situation is anything but.
How EPT fits with the rest of prevention
Think of EPT as one layer in a stack. It cleans up a known infection in your immediate partner; the other layers stop new ones from taking hold.
| Tool | What it does | What it doesn't do |
|---|---|---|
| EPT | Gets a current partner treated for chlamydia/gonorrhea fast, preventing your reinfection | Doesn't prevent future infections or cover other STDs |
| Testing | Finds infections you can't feel, in you and your partners | A negative early test can miss a recent exposure |
| Condoms | Lower transmission of most STDs during sex going forward | Don't treat an infection already present |
| Vaccines (HPV, hepatitis B) | Prevent specific viral infections before exposure | Don't cover bacterial STDs like chlamydia/gonorrhea |
After a positive result, both treat the infection and confirm it's gone. Re-screening at the recommended interval catches reinfection, which is common even after correct treatment. If you haven't been tested recently, get tested — and if you're trying to figure out the right moment after a possible exposure, our guide on when to test after exposure explains why timing changes what a test can find.
When to talk to a clinician
Bring up EPT at the visit where you're diagnosed. Tell your clinician you want your partner treated and ask whether EPT is available for your infection in your state, since its legal status varies by jurisdiction and even by which infection it's used for. If you've already left the clinic, a pharmacist can often tell you what's possible locally.
See a clinician in person, rather than relying on EPT, if a partner has pain, fever, discharge that's getting worse, a known drug allergy, or might be pregnant. Those situations need an exam and individualized care, not a handed-off prescription.