What is gonorrhea? How common is gonorrhea? How do people get gonorrhea? Who is at risk for gonorrhea? What are the signs and symptoms of gonorrhea? What are the complications of gonorrhea? How does gonorrhea affect a pregnant woman and her baby? Who should be tested for gonorrhea?

Understanding Gonorrhea: The Basics

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by infection with the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium. This bacterium infects the mucous membranes of the reproductive tract, including the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes in women, and the urethra in both women and men. N. gonorrhoeae can also infect the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, eyes, and rectum.

Prevalence of Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a very common infectious disease. According to the CDC, approximately 1.6 million new gonococcal infections occurred in the United States in 2018, with more than half occurring among young people aged 15-24. Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States. However, many infections are asymptomatic, so reported cases only capture a fraction of the true burden.

Transmission of Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is transmitted through sexual contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus of an infected partner. Ejaculation does not have to occur for gonorrhea to be transmitted or acquired. Gonorrhea can also be spread perinatally from mother to baby during childbirth.

Risk Factors for Gonorrhea

Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. In the United States, the highest reported rates of infection are among sexually active teenagers, young adults, and African Americans.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea

Many individuals with gonorrhea are asymptomatic. When present, signs and symptoms in men may include dysuria or a white, yellow, or green urethral discharge, usually appearing one to fourteen days after infection. In women, the initial symptoms and signs may include dysuria, increased vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding between periods. However, most women with gonorrhea are asymptomatic, and the symptoms can be mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection.

Complications of Gonorrhea

Untreated gonorrhea can lead to serious and permanent health problems in both women and men. In women, gonorrhea can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can lead to internal abscesses, chronic pelvic pain, and increased risk of infertility or ectopic pregnancy. In men, gonorrhea may be complicated by epididymitis, which in rare cases can lead to infertility. Gonorrhea can also spread to the blood and cause a life-threatening condition called disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI).

Gonorrhea and Pregnancy

If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she may pass the infection to her baby during childbirth. This can cause blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection in the baby. Prompt treatment of gonorrhea in pregnant women can reduce the risk of these complications.

Gonorrhea Testing and Screening

Anyone with genital symptoms or who has had a recent sexual partner with an STD should see a healthcare provider for evaluation and testing. Additionally, CDC recommends that some individuals be screened for gonorrhea even if they do not have symptoms or a known exposure, as part of routine STD screening. Anyone who is sexually active should discuss their risk factors with a healthcare provider and ask whether they should be tested for gonorrhea or other STDs.

Gonorrhea and HIV

Untreated gonorrhea can increase a person’s risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Therefore, it is important to seek prompt treatment for gonorrhea to reduce the potential for HIV transmission.

Reinfection and Prevention

People who have had gonorrhea and received treatment may be reinfected if they have sexual contact with a person infected with gonorrhea. Practicing safe sex, using condoms, and limiting the number of sexual partners can help reduce the risk of contracting or transmitting gonorrhea.

Conclusion

Gonorrhea is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease that can lead to serious and permanent health complications if left untreated. Understanding the risk factors, symptoms, and prevention methods is crucial for individuals to protect their sexual health. Regular testing and prompt treatment are essential for controlling the spread of gonorrhea and reducing its impact on public health.

Detailed STD Facts – Gonorrhea

What is gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by infection with the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium. N. gonorrhoeae infects the mucous membranes of the reproductive tract, including the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes in women, and the urethra in women and men. N. gonorrhoeae can also infect the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, eyes, and rectum.

How common is gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea is a very common infectious disease. CDC estimates that approximately 1.6 million new gonococcal infections occurred in the United States in 2018, and more than half occur among young people aged 15-24.¹ Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States.²  However, many infections are asymptomatic, so reported cases only capture a fraction of the true burden.

How do people get gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea is transmitted through sexual contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus of an infected partner. Ejaculation does not have to occur for gonorrhea to be transmitted or acquired. Gonorrhea can also be spread perinatally from mother to baby during childbirth.

People who have had gonorrhea and received treatment may be reinfected if they have sexual contact with a person infected with gonorrhea.

Who is at risk for gonorrhea?

Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. In the United States, the highest reported rates of infection are among sexually active teenagers, young adults, and African Americans ².

What are the signs and symptoms of gonorrhea?

Many men with gonorrhea are asymptomatic ^{3, 4}. When present, signs and symptoms of urethral infection in men include dysuria or a white, yellow, or green urethral discharge that usually appears one to fourteen days after infection ⁵. In cases where urethral infection is complicated by epididymitis, men with gonorrhea may also complain of testicular or scrotal pain.

Most women with gonorrhea are asymptomatic ^{6, 7}. Even when a woman has symptoms, they are often so mild and nonspecific that they are mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection ^{8, 9}. The initial symptoms and signs in women include dysuria, increased vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding between periods. Women with gonorrhea are at risk of developing serious complications from the infection, regardless of the presence or severity of symptoms.

Symptoms of rectal infection in both men and women may include discharge, anal itching, soreness, bleeding, or painful bowel movements ¹⁰. Rectal infection also may be asymptomatic. Pharyngeal infection may cause a sore throat, but usually is asymptomatic ^{11, 12}.

What are the complications of gonorrhea?

Untreated gonorrhea can cause serious and permanent health problems in both women and men.

In women, gonorrhea can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The symptoms may be quite mild or can be very severe and can include abdominal pain and fever ¹³. PID can lead to internal abscesses and chronic pelvic pain. PID can also damage the fallopian tubes enough to cause infertility or increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy.

In men, gonorrhea may be complicated by epididymitis. In rare cases, this may lead to infertility ¹⁴.

If left untreated, gonorrhea can also spread to the blood and cause disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). DGI is usually characterized by arthritis, tenosynovitis, and/or dermatitis ¹⁵. This condition can be life threatening.

What about gonorrhea and HIV?

Untreated gonorrhea can increase a person’s risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS ¹⁶.

How does gonorrhea affect a pregnant woman and her baby?

If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she may give the infection to her baby as the baby passes through the birth canal during delivery. This can cause blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection in the baby ¹⁷. Treatment of gonorrhea as soon as it is detected in pregnant women will reduce the risk of these complications. Pregnant women should consult a health care provider for appropriate examination, testing, and treatment, as necessary.

Who should be tested for gonorrhea?

Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. Anyone with genital symptoms such as discharge, burning during urination, unusual sores, or rash should stop having sex and see a health care provider immediately.

Also, anyone with an oral, anal, or vaginal sex partner who has been recently diagnosed with an STD should see a health care provider for evaluation.

Some people should be tested (screened) for gonorrhea even if they do not have symptoms or know of a sex partner who has gonorrhea ¹⁸. Anyone who is sexually active should discuss his or her risk factors with a health care provider and ask whether he or she should be tested for gonorrhea or other STDs.

CDC recommends yearly gonorrhea screening for all sexually active women younger than 25 years, as well as older women with risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted infection.

People who have gonorrhea should also be tested for other STDs.

How is gonorrhea diagnosed?

Urogenital gonorrhea can be diagnosed by testing urine, urethral (for men), or endocervical or vaginal (for women) specimens using nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) ¹⁹. It can also be diagnosed using gonorrhea culture, which requires endocervical or urethral swab specimens.

FDA-cleared rectal and oral diagnostic tests for gonorrhea (as well as chlamydia) have been validated for clinical use ²⁰.

What is the treatment for gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea can be cured with the right treatment. CDC now recommends a single 500 mg intramuscular dose of ceftriaxone for the treatment of gonorrhea. Alternative regimens are available when ceftriaxone cannot be used to treat urogenital or rectal gonorrhea. Although medication will stop the infection, it will not repair any permanent damage done by the disease. Antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea is of increasing concern, and successful treatment of gonorrhea is becoming more difficult ²¹. A test-of-cure – follow-up testing to be sure the infection was treated successfully – is not needed for genital and rectal infections; however, if a person’s symptoms continue for more than a few days after receiving treatment, he or she should return to a health care provider to be reevaluated. A test-of-cure is needed 7-14 days after treatment for people who are treated for pharyngeal (infection of the throat) gonorrhea.

Because re-infection is common, men and women with gonorrhea should be retested three months after treatment of the initial infection, regardless of whether they believe that their sex partners were successfully treated.

Healthcare providers and health departments can report suspected gonorrhea cephalosporin treatment failure or any N. gonorrhoeae specimen with decreased cephalosporin susceptibility through the Suspected Gonorrhea Treatment Failure Consultation Form.

What about partners?

If a person has been diagnosed and treated for gonorrhea, he or she should tell all recent anal, vaginal, or oral sex partners so they can see a health provider and be treated ²⁰. This will reduce the risk that the sex partners will develop serious complications from gonorrhea and will also reduce the person’s risk of becoming reinfected. A person with gonorrhea and all of his or her sex partners must avoid having sex until they have completed their treatment for gonorrhea and until they no longer have symptoms. For tips on talking to partners about sex and STD testing, visit http://www.gytnow.org/talking-to-your-partner.

How can gonorrhea be prevented?

Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of gonorrhea ²². The surest way to avoid transmission of gonorrhea or other STDs is to abstain from vaginal, anal, and oral sex, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.

Sources

1. Kreisel KM, Spicknall IH, Gargano JW, Lewis FM, Lewis RM, Markowitz LE, Roberts H, Satcher Johnson A, Song R, St. Cyr SB, Weston EJ, Torrone EA, Weinstock HS. Sexually transmitted infections among US women and men: Prevalence and incidence estimates, 2018. Sex Transm Dis 2021; in press.
2. CDC. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2021. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services; April 2023.
3. Handsfield HH, Lipman TO, Harnisch JP, Tronca E, Holmes KK. Asymptomatic gonorrhea in men. N Engl J Med, 290(3), 117–123 (1974).
4. Peterman T, Tian L, Metcalf C et al. High incidence of new sexually transmitted infections in the year following a sexually transmitted infection: a case for rescreening. Ann Intern Med, 145(8), 564–572 (2006).
5. Harrison WO, Hooper MR, Wiesner PJ et al. A trial of minocycline given after exposure to prevent gonorrhea. N Engl J Med, 300(19), 1074–1078 (1979).
6. Wallin J. Gonorrhea in 1972: a 1-year study of patients attending the VD unit in Uppsala. Brit J Vener Dis, 51, 41–47 (1974).
7. Platt R, Rice PA, McCormack WM. Risk of acquiring gonorrhea and prevalence of abnormal adnexal findings among women recently exposed to gonorrhea. JAMA, 250(23), 3205–3209 (1983).
8. McCormack WM, Johnson K, Stumacher RJ, Donner A, Rychwalski R. Clinical spectrum of gonococcal infection in women. Lancet, 1(8023), 1182–1185 (1977).
9. Curran J, Rendtorff R, Chandler R, Wiser W, Robinson H. Female gonorrhea: its relation to abnormal uterine bleeding, urinary tract symptoms, and cervicitis. Obstet Gynecol, 45(2), 195–198 (1975).
10. Klein EJ, Fisher LS, Chow AW, Guze LB. Anorectal gonococcal infection. Ann Intern Med, 86, 340–346 (1977).
11. Wiesner PJ, Tronca E, Bonin P, Pedersen AHB, Holmes KK. Clinical spectrum of pharyngeal gonococcal infection. N Engl J Med, 288(4), 181–185 (1973).
12. Bro-Jorgensen A, Jensen T. Gonococcal pharyngeal infections: report of 110 cases. Brit J Vener Dis, 49, 491–499 (1973).
13. Svensson L, Westrom L, Ripa K, Mardh P. Differences in some clinical and laboratory parameters in acute salpingitis related to culture and serologic findings. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 138(7), 1017–1021 (1980).
14. Berger R, Alexander E, Harnisch J et al. Etiology, manifestations and therapy of acute epididymitis: prospective study of 50 cases. J Urol, 121(6), 750–754 (1979).
15. Holmes KK, Counts GW, Beaty HN. Disseminated gonococcal infection. Ann Intern Med, 74, 979–993 (1971).
16. Fleming D, Wasserheit J. From epidemiological synergy to public health policy and practice: the contribution of other sexually transmitted diseases to sexual transmission of HIV infection. Sex Transm DIs, 75(1), 3–17 (1999).
17. Thadepalli H, Rambhatla K, Maidman J, Arce JJ, Davidson EC Jr. Gonococcal sepsis secondary to fetal monitoring. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 126(4), 510–512 (1976).
18. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for gonorrhea: recommendation statement. Ann Fam Med, 3, 263–267 (2005).
19. Van Der Pol B, Ferrero DV, Buck-Barrington L et al. Multicenter evaluation of the BDProbeTec ET system for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in urine specimens, female endocervical swabs, and male uerthral swabs. J Clin Microbiol, 39(3), 1008–1016 (2001).
20. Workowski, KA, Bachmann, LH, Chang, PA, et. al. Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021. MMWR Recomm Rep 2021; 70(No. 4): 1-187.
21. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cephalosporin susceptibility among Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates – United States, 2000–2010. MMWR, 60(26), 873–877 (2011).
22. Holmes KK, Levine R, Weaver M. Effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted infections. Bull World Health Organ, 82(6), 454–461 (2004).

Gonorrhoea – NHS

Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae or gonococcus. It used to be known as “the clap”.

How gonorrhoea is spread

The bacteria that cause gonorrhoea are mainly found in discharge from the penis and in vaginal fluid.

Gonorrhoea is easily passed between people through:

• unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex
• sharing vibrators or other sex toys that have not been washed or covered with a new condom each time they’re used

The bacteria can infect the entrance to the womb (cervix), the tube that passes urine out of the body (urethra), the rectum and, less commonly, the throat or eyes.

The infection can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby. If you’re pregnant and may have gonorrhoea, it’s important to get tested and treated before your baby is born.

Without treatment, gonorrhoea can cause permanent blindness in a newborn baby.

Gonorrhoea is not spread by hugging, swimming pools, toilet seats or sharing baths, towels, cups, plates or cutlery. The bacteria cannot survive outside the human body for long.

Symptoms of gonorrhoea

Typical symptoms of gonorrhoea include a thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis, pain when peeing and, in women, bleeding between periods.

But around 1 in 10 infected men and almost half of infected women do not experience any symptoms.

Getting tested

If you have any of the symptoms of gonorrhoea or you’re worried you may have an STI, you should visit a sexual health clinic for a sexual health test.

Find a sexual health clinic

You can also contact the national sexual health helpline free on 0300 123 7123:

• Monday to Friday: 9am to 8pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 11am to 4pm

Gonorrhoea can be easily diagnosed by testing a sample of discharge picked up using a swab. In men, testing a sample of urine can also diagnose the condition.

It’s important to get tested as soon as possible because gonorrhoea can lead to more serious long-term health problems if it’s not treated, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women or infertility.

Read more about:

• diagnosing gonorrhoea 
• possible complications of gonorrhoea
• visiting an STI clinic

Treating gonorrhoea

Gonorrhoea is usually treated with a single antibiotic injection (usually in the buttocks or thigh). With effective treatment, most of your symptoms should improve within a few days.

It’s usually recommended you attend a follow-up appointment a week or 2 after treatment so another test can be carried out to see if you’re clear of infection.

You should avoid having sex until you have been told you no longer have the infection.

Previous successful treatment for gonorrhoea does not make you immune to catching it again.

Who’s affected

Anyone who’s sexually active can catch gonorrhoea, particularly people who change partners frequently or do not use a barrier method of contraception, such as a condom, when having sex. (See Your contraception guide.)

Gonorrhoea is the second most common bacterial STI in the UK after chlamydia.

In 2019, more than 70,000 people were diagnosed with gonorrhoea in England, with most cases affecting gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

Preventing gonorrhoea

Gonorrhoea and other STIs can be successfully prevented by using appropriate contraception and taking other precautions, such as:

• using male condoms or female condoms every time you have vaginal sex, or male condoms during anal sex
• using a condom to cover the penis or a latex or plastic square (dam) to cover the female genitals if you have oral sex
• not sharing sex toys, or washing them and covering them with a new condom before anyone else uses them

If you’re worried you may have an STI, visit a sexual health clinic for advice.

Find a sexual health clinic

Get more advice about sexual health.

Page last reviewed: 15 September 2021
Next review due: 15 September 2024

Gonorrhea: symptoms, treatment and signs

Urologist, endourologist

Mkrtchyan

Karen Gagikovich

Experience 15 years

Candidate of Medical Sciences, member of the European Association of Urology and the Russian Society of Oncourologists

Make an appointment

Gonorrhea (gonorrhea) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Its causative agent is the bacterium gonococcus, which affects the mucous membranes of the human body. The chronic course of the disease causes infertility.

Symptoms and signs of gonorrhea

The symptoms of gonorrhea vary between men and women. The defeat of the male body begins with the urethra, in which itching and burning occur. Squeezing the glans penis provokes the release of pus, the process of urination becomes frequent and painful, sexual intercourse ends with the release of blood from the seminal canal. Visual examination reveals intense redness of the foreskin and head of the penis. In some cases, the inguinal lymph nodes become inflamed, pain in the prostate occurs, erection becomes difficult, and bacteria infect the seminal vesicles and testicles.

In women, the picture of the disease becomes different – up to half of the carriers of the infection do not notice its signs. The lesion begins with the urethra and cervical canal, then the vagina is involved. Pale yellow discharge appears from the urethra, reddening of the skin and cervix becomes apparent, local temperature increases, itching and burning occur. In a chronic course, the infection is fixed in the uterus and its appendages.

The incubation period of the disease is 4-4 days, with good immunity, the first signs of gonorrhea in men and women occur 4-8 weeks after infection.

Causes

Gonococcus, the causative agent of gonorrhea, is transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person only through direct contact. The most common way is genital during intercourse. Anogenital and orogenital methods of infection are common.

The manifestation of gonorrhea in women during pregnancy raises the risk of infection of the child, who has to pass through the birth canal of a sick mother. Infection through common household items is possible, but there is no unequivocal evidence in favor of this phenomenon – the gonococcus quickly dies in the external environment.

Ways of infection

The main channel of infection is unprotected sexual intercourse. For women, due to the peculiarities of physiology, it carries a greater risk – the probability of getting gonococcus into the body during vaginal penetration is 95%. Men risk half as much – the small size of the urethral inlet prevents bacteria from entering the mucous membranes, ejaculation or urination after proximity wash out the gonococcus.

Anogenital contacts carry similar risks, the gonococcus is fixed on the inner lining of the rectum of the penetrating partner. The likelihood of infection increases in the presence of damage to the mucous membranes or skin (anal fissures, the effects of hemorrhoids, etc.).

Orogenital contacts remain possible by infecting one of the partners. It is difficult for gonococcus to enter the human body through the tissues of the nasopharynx, but weakened immunity or tissue damage become favorable circumstances for infection.

Risk factors

A key risk factor is intimacy without the use of contraceptives, oral caress of an infected partner. These actions are highly likely to ensure that a person is infected with gonorrhea, regardless of the strength of immunity and the degree of concern for one’s own health.

Other factors:

• past diagnosis of gonorrhea;
• age up to 25 years;
• frequent change of sexual partners;
• the emergence of a new sexual partner.

Long-term observations made it possible to establish that the age group of 18-25 years is prone to the highest risk during sexual intercourse.

Complications

The greatest danger to infected men and women is potential infertility. Sometimes gonorrhea is accompanied by candidiasis, syphilis or chlamydia. The advanced form of gonorrhea – the chronic course of the disease – can lead to bacterial damage to the kidneys, bladder or other organs (including the heart).

Common complications in women are:

• fallopian tube rupture;
• pelvioperitonitis;
• menstrual disorders;
• formation of adhesions in the peritoneum.

In men, the list of potential complications includes narrowing of the urethra, impotence, prostatitis, testicular necrosis, orchiepididymitis (unilateral inflammation of the testicle or epididymis).

When to see a doctor

A visit to the doctor should be planned in three cases. The first is self-detection of the symptoms of the disease or its individual manifestations. The second is the identification of gonorrhea in a partner during tests or the suspicion that she / he has gonococcus. The third is cohabitation with an infected person.

The diagnosis and treatment of gonorrhea is carried out by a venereologist. JSC “Medicina” (clinic of Academician Roitberg) is located at 2nd Tverskoy-Yamskoy lane, building 10. The clinic is equipped with the equipment necessary for the successful diagnosis of gonorrhea in the early stages. Qualification of the staff will provide patients with effective treatment in a short time.

Preparing for a doctor’s visit

A visit of patients to a venereologist is often accompanied by sampling. To obtain correct results, you should follow a few simple rules:

• stop taking medications (antibiotics) that may interfere with screening;
• do not urinate for 1.5-2 hours before taking to ensure correct smear data;
• avoid the use of genital creams and ointments;
• do not use local baths and do not shower 6-8 hours before the appointment;
• do not eat for 3-4 hours before visiting the venereologist.

Preparation for admission according to the above scheme will provide reliable results of blood tests and smears from the urethra.

Diagnostics

Complaints and examination of the patient by a doctor do not always allow assessing the clinical picture of the disease. To accurately confirm the diagnosis of gonorrhea, a collection of secretions from the urethra, anus, vagina and cervix in women is required. Sowing secretions in a nutrient medium demonstrates to laboratory staff the manifestations of gonococcal activity and their resistance to certain types of antibiotics.

Conducting an enzyme immunoassay involves the delivery of urine. Using this method, antibodies to the bacterium that causes gonorrhea are detected. Their presence in the patient’s body confirms the diagnosis.

The general and biochemical analysis of the patient’s blood makes it possible to assess the state of the body, to verify the presence or absence of inflammatory processes and accompanying gonorrhea.

Treatment

Gonorrhea in its initial form without complications is treated on an outpatient basis – the venereologist prescribes drugs and describes to the patient the scheme for taking them. Cases with complications may require the intervention of a gynecologist or urologist for women and men, respectively.

Acute uncomplicated gonorrhea is treated for 7-10 days with oral and topical (ointment) antibiotics. Treatment is prescribed not only to the carrier of the infection, but also to his partner. The stage of therapy involves the rejection of intimacy, spicy food and alcohol. It is recommended to observe the rules of personal hygiene: washing hands after using the toilet and shower.

Treatment of the chronic form begins with a course of immunostimulating drugs, which are delivered to the patient’s body through intramuscular injections for 7-10 days. After that, the venereologist prescribes a traditional course of antibiotics. Control screening is carried out after completion of treatment and every 30 days for the next six months.

Home care

Gonorrhea is a dangerous infectious disease that should not be treated on its own. A venereologist will be able to select effective drugs in a dosage that will not cause the patient to experience side effects. Screening will allow the doctor to evaluate the course of the disease and make sure there are no co-infections or prescribe additional medications if they are detected.

Self-medication is the first step towards the transition of gonorrhea to the chronic stage. The dosage of drugs incorrectly calculated by the patient relieves the acute symptoms of the disease, but does not provide a complete recovery.

Myths about gonorrhea

The infection can be contracted through household items, personal hygiene products, dishes, handrails in public transport. No, unless these objects have contact with the urethra, rectum, or nasopharynx.

Gonorrhea can be brought into the blood during tests. Exceptions – clinics use disposable needles and syringes, which are destroyed after use.

Animals carry gonococci and can infect humans. Animals do not get gonorrhea and are not carriers of its pathogens.

Prevention

Preventive measures are very simple – avoid unprotected sex and follow the rules of hygiene. When changing a sexual partner, it is worth taking tests and asking the other side about it.

How to make an appointment with a venereologist

You can make an appointment with the dermatovenereologists of Medicina JSC (Academician Roitberg Clinic) on the website: an interactive form allows you to choose the general specialization of the doctor or the name and surname of a particular specialist. A convenient menu provides information about the days of admission and free hours for visiting specialists.

The clinic administrators are ready to accept an appointment by phone +7 (495) 775-73-60, calls are processed around the clock.

JSC “Medicina” (clinic of academician Roitberg) is located on the territory of the central administrative district of Moscow in close proximity to the metro stations Belorusskaya, Mayakovskaya, Novoslobodskaya, Chekhovskaya, Tverskaya: 2nd Tverskoy-Yamskoy per, 10.

Gonorrhea, symptoms in women and men – Treatment of gonorrhea in ON CLINIC Ryazan, price

One of the most common sexually transmitted diseases is gonorrhea. Pathogenic microorganisms – gonococci – are transmitted from one person to another through sexual contact, including anal and oral.

This disease is highly contagious – the risk of transmission of gonorrhea from one partner to another during sex is over 70%, which significantly exceeds the risk of contracting other sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, cases of self-transfer of gonorrhea pathogens from the genitals to the eyes through the hands by the patient are not uncommon.

As for the possibility of infection with gonorrhea in a domestic way – through bed linen, a towel, the surface of a toilet seat, etc. – it’s highly unlikely. This is primarily due to the fact that gonococcus outside the human body remains viable for a few minutes.

Symptoms of gonorrhea in women and men

Usually, about a week passes from the moment the gonococci enter the body until the first signs of the disease appear. Here are the characteristic signs of gonorrhea in women:

• copious discharge from the genital tract, unusual for the patient’s normal condition;
• soreness and burning in the urethra when urinating;
• in some cases – fever and pain in the lower abdomen.

In the stronger sex, unlike women, gonorrhea manifests itself as follows:

• during urination, the urethra seems to “burn” and “bake” from the inside;
• White urethral discharge.

In addition, in all patients, in the case of damage to the pharynx, soreness in the throat is noted. If the gonococci are localized in the region of the rectum, then this is accompanied by the presence in a person of such symptoms of gonorrhea as an itching sensation in the anus and rectum and discharge from it.

Finally, gonorrhea in women may not be accompanied by any symptoms at all. In addition, this happens in cases where the infection occurred during anal or oral sexual contact.

Why is gonorrhea dangerous?

If even after the disease has manifested itself in all its glory, the infected person does not seek medical help, then this can lead to the development of a number of dangerous complications:

• in men – prostatitis, orchitis, inflammation of the joints and inability to become a father;
• the consequences of the lack of treatment of gonorrhea in women are the appearance of adhesions of the fallopian tubes, inflammatory processes that affect the pelvic organs, and as a result of this, a high risk of ectopic pregnancy and the inability to conceive and bear a child.

If a pregnant woman suffers from this venereal disease, then this can lead to intrauterine infection of the baby. A characteristic symptom of the disease in such children is gonococcal conjunctivitis: extensive damage by pathogens to the organs of vision of a newborn.

Detection and treatment of gonorrhea in ON CLINIC Ryazan

It is quite easy to identify the infection – for this it is enough to take a regular smear for gonorrhea for analysis with its subsequent study in the laboratory. In our private clinic in Ryazan, tests for such sexually transmitted diseases as gonorrhea, ureaplasmosis, etc. are quickly and accurately performed. To clarify the results of the analysis, the doctor can also refer the patient to PCR diagnostics.

As for the treatment regimen for gonorrhea, it includes taking antibiotics and immunostimulants prescribed by the attending physician. In addition, a course of prostate massage procedures may be necessary, as well as the introduction of a medicinal solution into the urethra and physiotherapy.