What is gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD). More than 700,000 people in the United States get new gonorrheal infections each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Source:
Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterial infection of the cervix in women or the urethra in men by the gonococcal bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The anus, throat and eyes can also be infected by gonorrhea. Gonorrhea is diagnosed by testing a small sample of cells or discharge taken from a woman’s cervix or a man’s urethra.
Gonorrhea is preventable and treatable. Any person who engages in sexual activity can contract and pass on a gonorrhea infection. This includes heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual men and women. The more sexual partners a person has, the greater the risk of catching a gonorrhea infection. Gonorrhea can also be passed from an infected mother to her baby during vaginal delivery.
Untreated gonorrhea infection can lead to serious complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Using safer sex practices, seeking regular medical care, and seeking early, regular prenatal care can help reduce the risk of serious complications of gonorrhea.
What are the symptoms of gonorrhea?
Symptoms of gonorrhea infection vary among individuals. It is not unusual for both men and women with gonorrhea to have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all in the early stage of the disease. However, serious permanent damage to the reproductive tissues, infertility, and other complications can occur even in the absence of symptoms.
Symptoms of gonorrhea generally begin to occur about two to five days and up to about 30 days after exposure to the disease through sexual contact.
Symptoms in women include:
Lower abdominal pain
Pain or burning with urination
Painful sexual intercourse
Unusual cloudy vaginal discharge
Unusual vaginal bleeding, including after sexual intercourse
Symptoms in men include:
Cloudy discharge from the penis
Fever
Male infertility
Pain or burning with urination
Symptoms of gonorrhea can also occur in the anus or throat if sexual activity and gonorrhea infection involved these areas. These symptoms can include:
Anal itching
Cloudy discharge from the anus
Painful bowel movements
What causes gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterial infection of the cervix in women or the urethra in men by the gonococcal bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The anus, throat and eyes can also be infected by gonorrhea.
Gonorrhea is passed from one person to another during sexual contact that involves vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Gonorrhea infection can also be passed from an infected mother to her baby during vaginal delivery.
Any person who engages in sexual activity can contract and pass on a gonorrhea infection, including heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual men and women.
The more sexual partners a person has, the greater the risk of catching gonorrhea. Risk factors for gonorrhea include:
Being born to a mother with gonorrhea
Having multiple sexual partners (the more sexual partners a person has, the greater the risk of catching gonorrhea)
Having sex, including vaginal, oral, or anal sex, with a person who has gonorrhea
Having unprotected sex, including vaginal, oral, or anal sex, with a partner who has had one or more other sexual partners
Pediatric sexual abuse by an infected individual
Sex work, contact with sex worker, or drug use
Use of contraceptive intrauterine devices (pelvic inflammatory disease)
Reducing your risk of gonorrhea
Catching and passing on gonorrhea is preventable. It is important to understand that it is possible to transmit gonorrhea even when there are no symptoms.
Not all people who are at risk for gonorrhea will develop the disease. You may be able to lower your risk of contracting and spreading gonorrhea by:
Abstaining from sexual activity after being diagnosed with gonorrhea until you and your sex partner(s) have been completely treated and are cleared to resume sexual activity by your health care provider
Engaging in sexual activities only within a mutually monogamous relationship in which neither partner is infected with gonorrhea or has risk factors for gonorrhea
Getting regular, routine medical care
Seeking medical care as soon as possible after possible exposure to gonorrhea or after high-risk sexual activity
Seeking prenatal care early and regularly during a pregnancy
Using latex condoms properly for all sexual contact
How is gonorrhea treated?
Gonorrhea is treatable, and prompt diagnosis and treatment can help to reduce the risk of developing serious complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, and minimize the spread of the disease to others. You can treat gonorrhea by consistently following your treatment plan. Treatment plans generally include antibiotic medications and other treatments. Sexual partners should be notified and treated.
Antibiotic medications for gonorrhea include:
Cefixime
Ceftriaxone
Silver nitrate eye drops may be used for an infant born to a mother with gonorrhea.
Other treatments for gonorrhea include:
Abstaining from sexual activity until the infection is cured and your sexual partner(s) have been treated, regardless if symptoms existed
Hospitalization for complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease and pelvic abscess
Complications of untreated gonorrhea can be serious. You can minimize the risk of serious complications by following the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you.
Serious complications of gonorrhea include:
An increased risk for contracting HIV
Ectopic pregnancy
Infertility
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Scarring of the fallopian tubes
Urethral stricture in men
Serious complication of prenatal gonorrhea
Newborn babies are at risk for complications if their mothers have gonorrhea during pregnancy. Complications to newborn babies include:
Gonococcal conjunctivitis (neonatal ophthalmia)
Loss of vision and blindness