Gonorrhea
Also called
the "clap" or "drip," gonorrhea is a contagious disease
transmitted most often through sexual contact with an infected
person. Gonorrhea may also be spread by contact with infected
bodily fluids, so that a mother could pass on the infection to
her newborn during childbirth. Both men and women can get
gonorrhea. The infection is easily spread and occurs most
often in people who have many sex
partners.

What Causes
Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea
is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that
can grow and multiply easily in mucus membranes of the body.
Gonorrhea bacteria can grow in the warm, moist areas of the
reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the
womb), uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in
women, and in the urethra (the tube that carries urine from
the bladder to outside the body) in women and men. The
bacteria can also grow in the mouth, throat, and
anus.
How Common Is
Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea
is a very common infectious disease. In the U.S. each year,
about 700,000 people are infected with gonorrhea, and about
75% of all reported gonorrhea is found in younger persons aged
15 to 29. The highest rates of infection are usually found in
15- to 19-year-old women and 20- to 24-year-old
men.
How Do I Know If I
Have Gonorrhea?
Not all people infected with gonorrhea have
symptoms, so knowing when to seek treatment can be tricky.
When symptoms do occur, they are often within 2-10 days after
exposure, but can take up to 30 days and include the
following:
Symptoms in
women
- Greenish
yellow or whitish discharge from the vagina
- Lower
abdominal or pelvic pain
- Burning
when urinating
- Conjunctivitis (red, itchy eyes)
- Bleeding
between periods
- Spotting
after intercourse
- Swelling
of the vulva (vulvitis)
- Burning
in the throat (due to oral sex)
- Swollen
glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In some women symptoms are so mild that they
escape unnoticed.
Many women with gonorrhea discharge think they
have a yeast infection and self-treat with yeast infection
medications purchased over-the-counter. Because vaginal
discharge can be a sign of a number of different problems, it
is best to always seek the advice of a doctor to ensure proper
diagnosis and treatment.
Symptoms in
men
- Greenish
yellow or whitish discharge from the penis
- Burning
when urinating
- Burning
in the throat (due to oral sex)
- Painful
or swollen testicles
- Swollen
glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In men, symptoms usually appear two to fourteen
days after infection.
How Is Gonorrhea
Diagnosed?
Your doctor will use a swab to take a sample of
fluid from the urethra in men or from the cervix in women. The
specimen will then be sent to a laboratory to be analyzed. You
also may be given a throat or anal culture to see if the
infection is in your throat or anus. There are other tests
which check a urine sample for the presence of the bacteria.
You may need to wait for several days for your tests to come
back from the lab.
Gonorrhea and chlamydia, another common STD,
often occur together, so you may be tested and treated for
both.
Can Gonorrhea Be
Cured?
Yes.
Gonorrhea can be treated and cured.
How Is Gonorrhea
Treated?
To cure the infection, your doctor will give
you either an oral or injectable antibiotic. Your partner
should also be treated at the same time to prevent reinfection
and further spread of the disease.
It is important to take all of your antibiotics
even if you feel better. Also, never take someone else's
medication to treat your illness. By doing so, you may make
the infection more difficult to treat. In
addition,
- Tell
anyone you have had sex with recently that you are infected.
This is important because gonorrhea may have no symptoms.
Women, especially, may not have symptoms and may not seek
testing or treatment unless alerted by their sex partners.
- Don't
have sex until you have completed taking all of your
medicine.
- Always use condoms when having
sex.