Gonorrhea

What is gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) bacteria. Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial STD; chlamydia is the most common.

If you’re sexually active, you can contract gonorrhea by having unprotected anal, oral, or vaginal sex with an infected partner. Babies can get gonorrhea from their mothers during childbirth. The good news is that gonorrhea can be cured. Early treatment reduces the risk of complications and spreading the disease to others.

Which symptoms does gonorrhea cause?

Gonorrhea doesn’t always cause symptoms, which is why it’s vital to undergo routine STD testing if you have certain risk factors.

Men are more likely than women (about 50% of women experience symptoms) to have symptoms of gonorrhea that can include:

• Pain during sex
• Bleeding between periods in women
• Unusual, yellow or white vaginal discharge
• Yellow, white, or green penis discharge in men
• Swollen or painful testicles in men
• Pelvic or lower abdominal pain
• Burning or pain with urination

Gonorrhea infections can also appear in the rectum after anal sex or the throat after having oral sex with an infected partner.

These or similar symptoms can appear several weeks after infection with gonorrhea bacteria.

What are some gonorrhea risk factors?

Factors that increase the risk of contracting gonorrhea include:

• History of STDs
• Having unprotected sex
• Having several sexual partners
• Men having sex with men
• Being under 25

Using a dental dam or condom when having sex reduces the chance of contracting gonorrhea and other STDs.

Can gonorrhea cause complications?

Gonorrhea can cause painful or swollen joints, liver inflammation, heart valve damage, brain damage, and other complications when left untreated.

It can damage your reproductive organs and cause an ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and infertility in women. Men with untreated gonorrhea can experience urethral scarring, testicle inflammation, infertility, and prostate problems.

How is gonorrhea diagnosed and treated?

The Cermak Immediate Care team diagnoses gonorrhea by testing fluid from the penis of men or completing a pelvic exam and sampling cervical fluid from women. They might swab your rectum or throat or have you leave a blood or urine sample.

Taking antibiotics usually cures gonorrhea. The infection typically clears up within 7-14 days. Your partner must also be treated, and it’s vital to abstain from sexual intercourse until your provider says it’s OK to avoid spreading the infection. An additional STD test after treatment ensures that your body has cleared the gonorrhea infection.

Schedule a gonorrhea STD test at Cermak Immediate Care by calling the office or using the online booking feature today. Walk-ins are also welcome.