Gonorrhea

Signs & Symptoms

It can take up to 14 days after exposure for gonorrhea symptoms to appear. Many people who are infected with gonorrhea don’t have any symptoms, or their symptoms are so mild they can be mistaken for something else.

Women might experience:

• Increased vaginal discharge.
• Vaginal itching.
• Pain or burning when urinating.
• Pain or bleeding during sexual intercourse.
• Bleeding after intercourse.
• Bleeding between menstrual periods.
• Pain in the lower abdomen.

Men might experience:

• Discharge from the penis.
• Burning and/or itching around the tip of the penis.
• More frequent urination.
• Pain or burning when urinating.
• Painful or swollen testicles.

Diagnoses & Treatment

Diagnosing Gonorrhea

Females

Your doctor will perform a pelvic exam. Then he or she will take a swab sample from your cervix, throat or anus. The sample will be sent to a lab, where a test will show if Neisseria gonorrhoeae is present.

You may also be asked for a urine sample for a different type of gonorrhea test.

Males

Your doctor will take a swab sample from your penis, throat, or anus. You may also be asked for a urine sample for a different type of gonorrhea test.

Treatment

Gonorrhea is 100% curable with oral antibiotics. Be sure to tell your doctor if you’re taking birth control pills or any other medications, as some antibiotics don’t work as well if you’re taking other medications.

Since it is possible to have both chlamydia and gonorrhea at the same time, you might be given two different medications.

Be sure to finish the prescription and avoid all sexual (oral, vaginal, anal) contact - even with a condom - during treatment and for at least 7 days after you’ve finished your prescription.

Your partner(s) must be tested and treated at the same time to prevent re-infection.

Left untreated, gonorrhea:

• Can increase your chances HIV transmission if you are engaging in unprotected sexual activity with someone living with HIV - (the immune system cells (CD4/T-cells) that are working to fight the gonorrhea infection are the very cells that HIV target. The immune system cells are present at the site of a gonorrhea infection - the genital area - making someone more vulnerable to HIV).
• Might spread to other parts of your body, causing problems such as arthritis.
• Can cause infertility in men by spreading to the testicles and prostrate gland.
• Can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women by spreading to the fallopian tubes and ovaries. PID can cause tubal pregnancies or infertility.
• Can be passed on to a baby during delivery and cause eye and lung infections.

Follow Up and Prevention

Follow Up

It’s important to know that your infection is cured.  Your health-care provider will tell you when to return for a follow-up test.  Depending on which tests you need, you’ll be asked to return 1-6 weeks after finishing the medication. If you’re menstruating, you shouldn’t be retested until your period ends.

Prevention

Both males and females can reduce the risk of contracting gonorrhea by:

• Not having sex.
• Being tested together with all new partners prior to sexual activity..
• Always using condoms.

Pregnant women should be screened and treated if necessary to prevent gonorrhea eye infections in their newborns.