Gonorrhea

What is it? Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection that can infect the urethra, cervix, throat and rectum. A bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes these infections. Also known as: GC, "Clap", VD, "Drip." How do you get it? Gonorrhea is spread between people by direct contact with the infected sexual fluids from another person. These fluids are not always seen. Gonorrhea can be spread from an infected person's throat to a penis and vice versa, but not when oral sex is performed on a woman. Penetration or ejaculation is not necessary for gonorrhea to be transmitted. Close contact, like touching before condom use, or masturbation with the sexual fluids of an infected person can transmit the bacteria from one person to another. It is also possible, though not common, to transmit the bacteria by your hands or fingers. For example, touching infected sexual fluids then rubbing an eye could result in an eye infection known as conjunctivitis. Gonorrhea of the cervix can lead to very serious complications in infants. It can be passed from an infected mother to her baby during a vaginal delivery. This can result in eye infections (opthalmia neonatorum), which may cause blindness, as well as infections of an infant's vagina, urethra, nose or sites of fetal monitoring. A gonorrhea infection in a baby can also spread throughout the body causing sepsis, arthritis and meningitis. What are the symptoms? Gonorrhea can show symptoms, but that often depends on where the infection is located. Infections in the throat in particular, and also in the cervix and rectum, often cause no symptoms at all. So someone could have an infection and have no way of telling they need medicine to treat it or know they are passing the infection on to sexual partner(s). Gonorrhea infections in the urethra are most likely to cause symptoms. Symptoms are similar to those for Chlamydia (it is common to have these infections at the same time) and usually show up between 2 and 10 days after sexual contact. They can include: For Men - Penis: Pain when urinating Abnormal fluid discharge Swelling and/or redness around the urethra Slight fever Need to urinate more often Itching or tingling feeling inside the penis (sometimes referred to as "urethral awareness") Testicular pain or swelling For Women - Cervix: Burning when urinating Increased fluid discharge from the vagina Slight fever Need to urinate more often Change in the period or a more painful period Bleeding or spotting from the vagina between periods Pain during or after sex Pain in the lower stomach area For Women and Men - Rectum: Itching and redness around the rectum Discharge from the bum or mucous in the stools Slight fever Rectal pain Painful bowel movements Sores around the bum Constipation For Women and Men - Throat: Most often does not cause symptoms Sore throat Since more than half the people with a gonorrhea infection show no symptoms, the only way to be sure you don't have gonorrhea is to be tested. What's the test like? How often you're tested depends on how sexually active you are and how many partners you have. Your health care provider can help you determine how frequently you should be tested. For Women: The test for women usually involves a swab test of the cervix. During a pelvic examination with a speculum, a swab is placed in the cervix and gently rotated to collect the sample. It's important to note that the test for gonorrhea is specific to gonorrhea and is not covered in your yearly Pap test. The health care provider may test for gonorrhea at the same time as doing the Pap test. You can clarify this with your health care provider at the time of the exam. If you have given oral sex to a man or had anal sex, you can ask your health care provider for swabs from those areas to check for gonorrhea. For Men: To test for gonorrhea in the penis, a swab is done from the urethra. Some men find this test uncomfortable, and it may sting when you urinate afterwards. It is important not to urinate for at least two hours prior to the test. Urinating less than 2 hours before the test may flush out the urethra and cause the test to be falsely negative. If you have given oral sex to a man or had receptive anal sex (been a "bottom"), you can ask your health care provider for swabs from those areas to check for gonorrhea. What is the treatment? There are various treatments for gonorrhea. One is antibiotics, which are taken by mouth. These pills are taken all at one time, and it is recommended that you are also treated for the possibility of having a chlamydia infection at the same time. People being treated for gonorrhea should avoid sex for a week after commencing treatment. All sexual partners from the past 2 months should be informed they are a contact to gonorrhea, and go for testing and treatment. The antibiotics used to treat pregnant women may be different than those used in standard treatment. If you're pregnant and test positive for gonorrhea, your partner(s) will also need to be tested and treated. Your health care provider will then provide pregnancy specific antibiotics for you and standard antibiotics to your partner. Both you and your partner(s) will be asked to follow up with a repeat test 3-4 weeks after the initial treatment to be sure the gonorrhea is gone. If not treated? If left untreated gonorrhea can become very serious for both men and women. For Women: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): For Men: Epididymitis For Both Men and Women: Reiter's Syndrome; Disseminated Gonococcal Infection How common is gonorrhea? Gonorrhea is usually found in men between 20 and 39 years, and in women between 15 and 19 years. In 1999 there were 878 cases of gonorrhea reported in BC*, reflecting an 80% increase over the past 2 years. * BC Stats and Prevalence Data from 1999 Of particular concern to men Some men are unaware of the fact they are infected. Men are over 3 times more likely than women to be diagnosed and treated for gonorrhea, likely because most men will have symptoms and seek medical help. Also, men who have sex with commercial sex workers or with other men are more likely to catch gonorrhea. Of particular concern to women Gonorrhea is not as common among women as men, and often causes no symptoms or only vague changes in the body. It can easily be treated. A gonorrhea infection of the cervix during pregnancy can be very serious (link to How Do You Get It). Some women have burning on urination that may not be related to bladder or kidney infection and can be associated with Gonorrhea or Chlamydia. This is known as Urethral syndrome. Symptoms of Urethral Syndrome include: Urgency- a constant need to urinate Frequency- having to urinate often Dysuria - burning on urination Prevention Abstaining from sex or having one, uninfected partner is the only sure way to prevent gonorrhea. However condoms are generally effective at preventing infection if they are put on before there is genitally involved sex (immediately after undressing) and worn until the penis is withdrawn. This includes oral sex. Routine tests and treatment are also a means of preventing the spread of gonorrhea. Reportable: Gonorrhea is a reportable STD Links Other sites you may find interesting include: GayHealth.com is dedicated to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) men and women, staffed by professionals from within the LGBT community. Includes good information on Gonorrhea. The urologychannel.com community is developed and monitored by leading US urology physicians. More technical information on Gonorrhea.