What you Need to Know about Gonorrhea
By STD Concern
Formally nicknamed "the Clap", gonorrhea is another bacterial infection that's spread through semen and vaginal fluids. It's caused by a bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This STI can also be successfully treated with antibiotics. This STD is spread through sexual contact including Intercourse, Oral and Anal sex. It can also spread from Mother to infant through child birth. You can be infected repeatedly by this disease and keep infecting others and not know it.
Gonorrhea Symptoms
Even after the infection occurs, gonorrhea’s symptoms often take several weeks to become noticeable.
In both genders, the main symptom of gonorrhea is often:
- genital discharge, which can be cloudy, creamy, or colored
- persistent and painful urination
- swollen genitals
- a sore throat are also common
- women may also experience pain while having intercourse, and discomfort during menstruation
Untreated Gonorrhea
If left untreated, gonorrhea may cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women, while men could become infertile and experience pain in their testicles. Another problem can be septic arthritis and endocarditis. If you have any signs or just concerned get tested because it can be cured within a short period of time and you won’t have to worry about long term complications.
STD Testing
► Gonorrhea Testing at Lab Near You
Treatments
Gonorrhea can be treated by antibiotics, like azithromycin, or with a vaccine, such as ceftriaxone or cefixime. Either of these treatments is available at your doctor's office. Symptoms should resolve after a week of receiving either the pill or the injection. Diagnostic method would be testing the Urine. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) you should refrain from having sex for at least one week after your final day of treatment to prevent the spread of the bacterium.
Transmission Rate
The amount of people infected by this disease is estimated at 50 to 100 million cases every year. WHO (World Health Organization) estimates 88 million are infected every year. This is a curable STD but it can lead to death in rare cases. This STD affects about 0.8% of women and 0.6% of men.
Conclusion
If you don’t want to get this STD then practising safe sex is an option which would include using condoms and not having sex with an infected person. Getting tested ounce even if you don’t show any symptoms but you have had multiple sex partners, because some people won’t show any symptoms.
Resources
- Gonorrhea - CDC Fact Sheet – Retrieved July 27, 2018
- Gonorrhea – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonorrhea. Retrieved July 27, 2018
