What Is Gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea is an extremely common sexually transmitted disease in both men and women in the United States. The disease is caused by a bacterium, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, that is spread through contact with the penis, vagina, anus or mouth.

Gonorrhea Complications: Untreated gonorrhea, regardless of whether symptoms are present, can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women and epididymitis, in men, conditions which can be painful and leave both sexes infertile. Gonorrhea also can spread to the bloodstream and the joints and may cause death. Finally, people with gonorrhea are infected more easily with HIV, and people with HIV who also have gonorrhea can transmit gonorrhea more easily to someone else. Drug resistant strains of gonorrhea have turned it into a superbug, and complicate the treatment of gonorrhea.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea in Women: Women may or may not have symptoms of the disease, or they may have symptoms that may be mistaken for other general urogenital infections such as a bladder or vaginal infection. Initial symptoms are:

• Painful or burning while urinating
• Increased vaginal discharge
• Vaginal bleeding between periods

Symptoms of Gonorrhea in Men: People infected with the gonorrhea bacteria may or may not have symptoms of the disease. Anywhere from 2-30 days after infection men may have symptoms and signs of gonorrhea such as:

• Burning sensation while urinating
• White, yellow or green discharge from the penis
• Painful or swollen testicles (sometimes)

Some men have no symptoms at all.

Men and women may have a gonorrhea infection in the rectum which may cause discharge, anal itching, soreness and bleeding, and/or painful bowel movements. Both men and women also may get infected with gonorrhea in the throat, which may cause a sore throat.

Gonorrhea and Pregnancy: A pregnant woman may pass a gonorrhea infection to her baby as the baby passes through the vaginal canal during birth. The baby can become blind, get a bloodstream infection or an infection in the joints, but treatment of pregnant women for gonorrhea can reduce these risks to the baby. Treatment for gonorrhea during pregnancy reduces the risk of passing gonorrhea to the baby.

Gonorrhea Prevention: Like any other sexually transmitted disease, the proper use of latex condoms reduces the risk of getting infected, or infecting others, with gonorrhea. If you have any symptoms of gonorrhea, make sure to contact your doctor and get treated as soon as possible. Also, make sure you notify all your sexual partners so they can be tested and treated too. Once treated for gonorrhea, a person can get the infection again.

Diagnosis of Gonorrhea: Several tests can detect the bacteria in the urethra or cervix. Samples may also be obtained from the rectum or the throat. If gonorrhea is diagnosed, your doctor may recommend you get tested for other sexually transmitted diseases as well, such as chlamydia, because many people have both infections at the same time.

Gonorrhea Treatment: Gonorrhea is treated with several different types of antibiotics. However, gonorrhea treatment is getting more complicated as some strains of gonorrhea imported to the United States from Asia are resistant to drugs that used to treat the disease. If your doctor prescribes antibiotics to treat a gonorrhea infection, take the entire dose schedule as prescribed. Misuse or abuse of antibiotics has led to the gonorrhea “superbug.” If you feel the infection is not improving, see your doctor immediately.

Notify Sex Partners: As embarrassing as it may be, let all of your sexual partners past and present know of a diagnosis of gonorrhea so they can get treated too. Between 1975-1997, the rate of gonorrhea in the U.S. declined through the work of a nationwide campaign, but now the rate is rising again. The CDC estimates that more than 700,000 people annually get new gonorrheal infections in the U.S. By working together, we can get gonorrhea under control, so don't be shy, show your community spirit and share the news.