QUICK FACTS: Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection and is curable with treatment but can have long term effects on your health including sterility and death. It affects over 700,000 people per year. If you are sexually active in any way, you are at risk.
- Transmission: or how it is spread.Through bodily fluid secretions, unprotected vaginal sex, anal sex or oral sex. An infected mother can pass the infection to a baby during childbirth. An infant that is infected with gonorrhea during a delivery can get eye infections that may lead to blindness.
- Symptoms for Women: Many women who are infected have no symptoms. Unusual vaginal discharge, abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, burning feeling when urinating, pain during intercourse.
- Symptoms for Men: Many men who are infected have no symptoms. Abnormal discharge from penis, pain and swelling in one testicle, burning during urination.
- Treatment: Gonorrhea is treated with antibiotics. Permanent damage may occur before detection or treatment. Surgery may be needed if pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) has developed. Some strains are resistant to antibiotics.
- Possible Outcomes: Infertility, spreading to the blood stream or joints, tubal pregnancy
- Prevention: Birth control does not prevent STIs. Only a latex condom (male or female) will reduce chances of transmission, but the best way to prevent gonorrhea is abstinence (to not have sexual intercourse)
If you think you may be at risk, stop having sex and call your doctor or find a local urgent care or women’s health clinic to be tested and treated. Your partner should be tested to so that he/she does not give it to you again after you have been treated.
