What is it?
Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection that is extremely common. It can be transmitted through vaginal, anal and oral sex. Gonorrhea is a bacterium that grows in mucus membranes of the body, and multiplies quickly and easily in moist, warm areas such as the reproductive system, mouth, throat, and anus. There are currently around 40 million infected people within the US.
Causes:
Vaginal and anal intercourse, as well as oral sex, with an infected person can cause Gonorrhea. During birth, an infected mother can pass the infection to her baby.
Symptoms:
Symptoms vary for men and women. 80% of women and 10% of men with gonorrhea show no symptoms. In women, symptoms generally occur within 10 days of the initial exposure, and for men it can take from 1 up to 14 days for symptoms to arise if they do at all. People with gonorrhea can more easily contract and transmit HIV.
Women:
* frequent, burning urination
arthritic pain
* irregular menstruation or spotting between periods
* pain in pelvic or lower abdomen area
* pain during sex
* yellow/yellow-green discharge from the vagina
* swelling/tenderness of the vulva
* spotting after intercourse
* swollen glands or burning in the throat (from oral sex)
If left untreated, gonorrhea can cause sterility, arthritis, and heart problems as well as pelvic inflammatory diseases in women. Pelvic inflammatory disease can lead to ectopic pregnancy or sterility, as it can damage the fallopian tubes.
Men:
* pus-like discharge from the urethra
* pain during urination
* swollen glands or burning in the throat (from oral sex)
* painful/swollen testicles
If left untreated, gonorrhea can cause epididymitis, a condition of the testicles (which can lead to infertility.) It can also lead to scarring inside the urethra and affect the prostate.
Getting a Diagnosis:
- urine examination
- urethral discharge examination
- vaginal discharge examination
- cells swabbed from the cervix, throat, urethra, or rectum
Treatment:
Oral antibiotics
(It is important to note that yes treatment will cure gonorrhea, but it can be easy to contract again if your partner is not treated. So if you contract it, be sure to call up and communicate that you have it, so any partners you have had can get treated as well, and discontinue the spread of the infection)
Prevention:
Since Gonorrhea is almost always sexually transmitted it is important to practice safe sex and always use condoms!
- use of latex condoms
- getting regularly screened
- being exclusive with a partner who is also negatively screened for gonorrhea, which in that case you won’t contract it without condoms (although you should use them if you aren’t on birth control even if in a committed relationship if you don’t want to get pregnant).
Works Cited
Corinna, Heather. S.E.X.: The All-you-need-to-know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You through High School and College. New York: Marlowe, 2007. 301-02. Print.
“Gonorrhea.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Planned Parenthood. Sexually Transmitted Infections. N.p.: Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 2010. Print.