Gonorrhea is a very common bacterial infection among young sexually active people, but it can affect anyone regardless of age. This sexually transmitted infection can be referred to as “the drip” or “the clap” and it is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It can infect the vagina, cervix, penis, urethra, rectum, throat, and sometimes eyes. The infection is transmitted through vaginal fluid, pre-cum, and semen. Gonorrhea is curable with proper antibiotic treatment.
Transmission
Gonorrhea cannot be transmitted through casual contact such as: kissing, shaking hands, hugging, sharing utensils/food/drinks, saliva, coughing, or sneezing.
It is often transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal, and oral sex). It is spread when vaginal fluid, pre-cum, or semen gets inside or on a person’s genitals, anus, or mouth. The infection can be transmitted to the eyes if you touch them while you have infected fluids on your hands. It can also be transmitted from an infected pregnant individual to a baby during birth.
Symptoms
Gonorrhea is usually asymptomatic, many people with gonorrhea do not experience symptoms. When people experience symptoms, they can be mild and thus they can be confused with symptoms of less serious infections. People with a penis have different symptoms than those with a vagina.
If you have a penis you are more likely to experience symptoms and signs usually show up 2 to 14 days after infection. These symptoms include:
- Yellow, white, or green discharge
- A burning sensation or pain when urinating
- Swelling of or pain in testicles
- The urge to pee more often than usual
- Redness and swelling in the opening of the penis
If you have a vagina you are less likely to experience symptoms and signs usually show up 2 to 14 days after infection. These symptoms include:
- Any abnormal discharge that can appear yellow or bloody
- Bleeding between periods
- Pain or a burning sensation while urinating
- The urge to pee more often than usual
- Painful sexual intercourse
- A fever
- Pain in the abdomen
Gonorrhea symptoms can also be experienced if the throat has been infected. These symptoms include:
- A sore throat
- Difficulty swallowing
Anal gonorrhea does not usually display symptoms, but signs include:
- Pain when defecating
- Itching around or in the anus
- Discharge from the anus
The only way to know if you have gonorrhea is by getting an STD test.
Testing and Treatment
Testing usually consists of urinating in a cup or a nurse/doctor taking samples of your discharges through swabs of the penis, cervix, urethra, throat, or anus.
The good thing about gonorrhea is that it is usually curable by taking antibiotics. Sometimes you may only have to take one pill. Other times you may have to take pills for a duration of 7 days. If the strain of bacteria resists the antibiotics, your doctor will prescribe two antibiotics (pills and shots).
People who are being treated for gonorrhea should refrain from having sex for 7 days. Their sexual partner or partners should also be tested and treated if they are positive. If only one sexual partner is treated and they continue to have sexual intercourse with an untreated partner, they’ll continue to pass the infection back and forth between each other and to other partners.
It is important to get tested and treated for gonorrhea so that it does not cause more serious illnesses or infections. If you have a vagina and you don’t get treated, you may develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, or chronic pain. If you have a penis and you don’t get treated, it may spread to the tube that carries sperm from your testicles and this will cause pain and in rare cases may lead to infertility.
Not treating gonorrhea can increase the risk for HIV transmission. It can also spread to your blood, heart, joints, or skin and cause serious illnesses. Untreated gonorrhea in pregnant individuals can be passed to babies during birth. Babies can then develop blindness and blood or joint infections which can lead to death.
Prevention
Since gonorrhea is spread through infected fluids (pre-cum, semen, and vaginal fluids), it can be prevented through abstinence or through wearing protection. Getting regularly tested is also important to prevent infecting others and to make sure that you get treatment as soon as possible.
“Sexually Transmitted Infections (STDs).” Learn, Planned Parenthood, https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/gonorrhea.
Images by ndr and Haley Lawrence from Unsplash.
