Symtoms And Treatment of Gonorrhea | Dalili na Matibabu ya Ugonjwa wa Gonorrhea
Job Overview
Symptoms And Treatment of Gonorrhea | Dalili na Matibabu ya Ugonjwa wa Gonorrhea
What is gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
This common STI tends to target warm, moist areas of the body, including the:
urethra, or tube that drains urine from the bladder
eyes
throat
vagina
anus
female reproductive tract, which includes the fallopian tubes, cervix, and uterus
Gonorrhea can affect people of any age or gender, but it’s particularly commonTrusted Source among teens and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24.
Untreated gonorrhea can lead to long-term health concerns and, in some cases, infertility. But treatment with antibiotics can cure the infection and help lower your chances of experiencing health complications.
How is gonorrhea transmitted?
You can contract or transmit gonorrhea by having oral, anal, or vaginal sex.
Using a condom or other barrier method when engaging in sexual activity can go a long way toward lowering your chances of transmitting or contracting STIs like gonorrhea. Just keep in mind these barrier methods won’t always completely eliminate your risk, especially if you don’t use them properly.
Here’s how to use condoms and barrier methods correctly.
Some evidence also suggests that oral gonorrhea may also be transmitted through French kissing, or kissing with tongue. However, more research is needed to truly understand the potential risk of transmission.
If you’ve developed gonorrhea before, you have a higher chance of contracting it again. Untreated gonorrhea can also increase your riskTrusted Source of contracting other STIs.
Gonorrhea can also be transmitted from birthing parent to baby during delivery.
Symptoms of gonorrhea
You may not always notice any symptoms if you have gonorrhea. But even if you’re an asymptomatic carrier — which means you have no symptoms — you can still transmit gonorrhea.
You might even be more likely to transmit it to your sexual partner(s) when you don’t have any symptoms, since you aren’t aware you have the infection.
You’re more likely to notice signs and symptoms of gonorrhea in the morning, according to Planned Parenthood.
If you have a penis
You may develop noticeable symptoms of gonorrhea within 2 to 30 days after exposure. That said, it may take several weeks for symptoms to appear, and you might not experience any symptoms at all.
Burning or pain during urination may be the first symptom you notice.
Other possible symptoms include:
- greater frequency or urgency of urination
- a pus-like discharge or drip from your penis (this discharge could be yellow, white, beige, or greenish)
- discoloration and swelling at the penis opening
- testicular swelling or pain
- itching and soreness in your anus
- rectal bleeding or discharge
- pain when having bowel movements
If you have a vagina
Many people with a vagina don’t develop any symptoms of gonorrhea. Symptoms you do experience can show up anywhere from a day or so to several weeks after you’re exposed.
These symptoms are often fairly mild. What’s more, they can seem very similar to symptoms of vaginal yeast or other bacterial infections, which can make them even more difficult to recognize.
Possible symptoms include:
- watery, creamy, or greenish vaginal discharge
- pain or burning while urinating
- an urge to urinate more frequently
- heavier periods or spotting between periods
- pain during penetrative vaginal sex
- sharp pain in your lower abdomen
- itching and soreness in your anus
- rectal bleeding or discharge
- painful bowel movements
Other gonorrhea symptoms
Gonorrhea can also affect your mouth and throat.
Oral gonorrhea symptoms can include:
- a persistent sore throat
- inflammation and redness in your throat
- swelling in the lymph nodes in your neck
- Gonorrhea can also cause a fever.
- gonorrhea may spread to your eyes. This typically happens if you touch your genitals, or the site of the infection, and then touch your eye before thoroughly washing your hands.
Symptoms of gonococcal conjunctivitis, or gonorrhea of the eye, can include:
- eye pain, irritation, and tenderness
- swelling in your eyelid
- eye inflammation and redness
- stringy white or yellow mucus around your eye
Tests for gonorrhea
A healthcare professional can diagnose gonorrhea in a few different ways:
- Testing your urine. Often, a urine test can detect gonorrhea.
- Testing a sample of fluid. A healthcare professional may also swab your penis, vagina, throat, or rectum to get a sample of fluid for testing. This type of test requires a laboratory culture, which can take several days.
- Testing your blood. In rare instances, a healthcare professional may use a blood test to detect gonorrhea. However, this test may not be conclusive.
- You’ll generally receive results within a few days, though this can depend on your clinic or testing location. Some clinics may provide test results within a few hours.
If you believe you could have gonorrhea, it’s important to avoid any sexual activity until you receive a negative test result.
You may also consider purchasing an at-home gonorrhea test.
Complications of gonorrhea
If you have a vagina, you have a higher chance of experiencing long-term complications of untreated gonorrhea.
Untreated STIs like gonorrhea and chlamydia may move into the reproductive tract and affect the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. This can lead to a condition known as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can cause severe, chronic pain and damage to the reproductive organs.
Blocking or scarring of the fallopian tubes, another possible complication, can:
make it more difficult to become pregnant
cause ectopic pregnancy, which happens when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus
Gonorrhea may also pass to a newborn infant during delivery.
If you have a penis, untreated gonorrhea may lead to:
scarring of the urethra
a painful abscess inside your penis, which can affect your fertility
epididymitis, or inflammation of the semen-carrying tubes near your testicles
An untreated infection can also spread to your bloodstream, where it can cause rare but seriousTrusted Source complications such as arthritis and heart valve damageTrusted Source.
Treatment of gonorrhea
Modern antibiotics can cure gonorrhea, in most cases.
You can’t treat gonorrhea with over the counter or home remedies. If you think you could have gonorrhea, or a sexual partner receives a positive test result, you’ll need to get a diagnosis and treatment from a healthcare professional.
