One of the nurses that took the pregnant women during my anti-natal session spoke on gonorrhea, and with the way she spoke about it, I was very scared even when I was sure I had the infection and I had only one sexual partner.
I don't know if it was within her jurisdiction to make us feel that scared; I thought it was her duty to make us feel safe and comfortable regardless of what happens.
Gonorrhea during pregnancy can be dangerous indeed; it is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease that infects women and men. It is spread through oral, anal, and vaginal sex. It is gotten from a partner who has gonorrhea. If gonorrhea is not immediately treated, it has the ability to spread within days or weeks from the infection site.
Gonorrhoeae organisms spread from a primary site, such as the endocervix, the urethra, the pharynx, or the rectum, and disseminate via the blood to infect other end organs WHO 2016
Gonorrhea is an infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria, and the infection is certainly a major public health challenge. Aside from the possibility of spreading during sexual intercourse, it can also spread from a pregnant mother, through the genital tract, to her innocent baby during delivery.
This case leads to ophthalmia neonatorum and systemic neonatal infection.Most women do not experience the symptoms of gonorrhea; this makes them blind to the existence of the infection.
The infection could then spread from the local site into the blood, creating an infection of other organs.It is possible for gonorrhea to spread all through the body, causing localized and disseminated disease.
The infection is a major cause of severe reproductive complications in women.Since gonorrhea does not show obvious symptoms most of the time, getting routine screening is very important, and in a case where the symptoms become noticeable, they are usually confused with other genitourinary problems like bladder infections.
The symptoms, when they even eventually occur, include;
- Painful intercourse.
- Abdominal or pelvic pain.
- Bleeding or spotting after sex.
- Irregular bleeding.
- Swelling of the vulva.
The most common form of complication that gonorrhea creates in females is disseminated gonococcal infection, which encompasses pericarditis, endocarditis, acute perihepatitis, also known as Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome, and meningitis. Arthritis and pelvic inflammatory disease are also a strong possibility.
When a woman has disseminated gonococcal infection, it may come with symptoms like fever, rash, joint pain, septic arthritis, tendonitis, tenosynovitis, migratory polyarthritis, meningitis, or endocarditis that should be expected.
For a pregnant woman, the complications of gonorrhea come in the form of low birth weight, postpartum endometriosis, preterm delivery, and pre-labor rupture of the membranes. It can also cause eye problems that may create blindness for infants that are born to untreated birthing mothers.
Complications of gonorrhea in men can lead to prostate pain and inflammation, infertility, scars in the urethra, and an inflammation of the testicles.
Pregnant women who test positive for gonorrhea get treated with antibiotics, the type that is safe to be used during pregnancy. The treatment can kill the bacteria, but it cannot fix the damage that has already been created, but through regular pregnancy screenings, the risk of complications can be reduced, and treatments to save the baby can commence.
Both pregnant women and their sexual partners are advised to get tested together, as well as get treated together too. Gonorrhea infection can also affect the throat through a case of oral sex, leading to an itchy feeling in the throat. If the infection affects the anus, it will cause itching, discharge, and pain while passing feces.
There is a higher chance of getting the infection if you do not practice safe sex through the use of condoms or dental dams, if you have multiple sex partners, or if you are a man who has sex with other men.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6491276/
https://www.drdanielkushner.com/blog/what-to-know-if-youre-pregnant-and-have-gonorrhea
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4217-gonorrhea
https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/pregnancy-complications/gonorrhea-in-pregnancy/
https://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy/health-and-safety/gonorrhea-during-pregnancy_1427382
https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/gonorrhea-neonates.
Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people.
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