Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). It’s caused by infection with the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It tends to infect warm, moist areas of the body, including the:
1. urethra (the tube that drains urine from the urinary bladder)
2. eyes
3. throat
4. vagina
5. anus
6. female reproductive tract (the fallopian tubes, cervix, and uterus)
Gonorrhea passes from person to person through unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex. People with numerous sexual partners or those who don’t use a condom are at greatest risk of infection. The best protections against infection are abstinence, monogamy (sex with only one partner), and proper condom usage. Behaviors that make a person more likely to engage in unprotected sex also increase the likelihood of infection. These behaviors include alcohol abuse and illegal drug abuse, particularly intravenous drug use.
How gonorrhea is spread
Gonorrhoea is transmitted sexually, by oral, anal or genital sex.
Signs and symptoms
Both men and women may have gonorrhoea without having any symptoms and so can be infected, or spread infection, without knowing anything is wrong. Some men never develop symptoms, but most do.
Symptoms that may occur in include:
> Throat and anal infections can occur following receptive oral and anal intercourse and infections at these sites are often without symptoms.
Joint pain and infection (arthritis).
Conjunctivitis (inflammation of the lining of the eyelids and eye) in both adults and children. Babies born to infected mothers can become infected as they pass through the infected cervix and may develop gonococcal conjunctivitis soon after birth.
Having any sexually transmitted infection (STI) increases the risk of HIV infection if you are exposed to HIV virus while the other infection is present.
Men
In addition to the above, gonorrhoea in men causes urethritis (infection of the urethra, the urinary canal leading from the bladder to exit at the tip of the penis) causing:
1. discharge of pus from the penis
a burning sensation in the penis when urinating.
Women
In addition to the above, gonorrhoea in women usually affects the cervix (opening of the uterus at the top of the vagina) causing:
1. vaginal discharge
discomfort on urination
bleeding between periods, often after having sex.
The infection may spread from the cervix to the Fallopian tubes (tubes leading from the ovaries to the uterus), causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Pelvic inflammatory disease due to gonorrhoea is often without symptoms, but there may be:
1. fever
2. low abdominal pain
3. pain on intercourse.
If untreated, pelvic inflammatory disease may lead to scarring of the Fallopian tubes and ectopic (tubal) pregnancy or infertility.How can I avoid getting gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is spread through
sexual fluids like semen (cum), pre-cum, and vaginal fluids. So the best way to avoid gonorrhea and other STDs is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex at all. But most people have sex at some point in their lives, so knowing how to have safer sex is important. And using protection when you have sex really helps to lower your chances of getting an STD.
Getting tested for STDs regularly is another important way to keep yourself healthy.
How can I make sure I don’t give anyone gonorrhea?
If you find out that you have gonorrhea, don’t freak out. Gonorrhea can be cured, and there are a few ways to make sure you don’t give it to other people.
Tell your past and present sexual partners that you have gonorrhea, so they can get tested and treated, too.
Don't have sex with ANYONE until you’ve totally finished your treatment.
Your sex partners should also be treated before they have sex with anyone, including you.
Once you’ve finished your treatment and start having sex again, it’s still a good idea to use condoms every single time you have sex.
Telling someone you have gonorrhea isn’t that fun. But the infection is really, REALLY common and can be easily cured, so try not to be too embarrassed or stressed out about it. Once you get the conversation over with, you can both get treated and get on with your lives.
Treatment
Effective antibiotic treatment is available on prescription from a doctor. After treatment, a follow-up test may be needed to see if the infection has been cured.
Treatment is simple if given soon after infection. Infections may cause lifelong complications, particularly in women, if not diagnosed and treated early.
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