Signs and Symptoms of Gonorrhea
July 24th, 2008 | by admin |close windowUse the following HTML to link back to this content:
Gonorrhea is a very common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes in women, and in the urethra in both women and men. The bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus.
Signs and Symptoms.
Some men may develop no symptoms of gonorrhea at all, while others may begin to exhibit symptoms as earlier as two to five days after becoming infected. However, symptoms can take as long as 30 days to appear. Some common signs and symptoms men should look for include: a burning sensation while urinating, or a white, yellow, or green discharge coming from the penis. Sometimes, gonorrhea can cause the testicles to swell up and become quite painful.
Symptoms of gonorrhea in women are often mild, and just like men, some may show no symptoms at all. Often times, a woman who exhibit’s the symptoms of gonorrhea is misdiagnosed with a bladder or vaginal infection. The initial symptoms women should look for include: a painful or burning sensation while urinating, increased vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding between periods. Both women and men with gonorrhea who do not get treated are at a risk of developing serious complications from the infection including infertility. Women are also at an increased risk for developing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).
Diagnosis.
There are three types of tests for diagnosing gonorrhea. They are:
Swab sample.
Urine test.
Gram stain. This is done right in a clinic or doctor’s office. A sample from the urethra or a cervix is placed on a slide and stained with dye. It allows the doctor to see the bacteria under a microscope. This test works better for men than for women. Gonorrhea in the cervix or urethra can be diagnosed with a urine sample sent to a lab. A swab sample from the part of the body likely to be infected (cervix, urethra, penis, rectum, or throat) can be sent to a lab for testing.
Treatment.
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Several antibiotics can successfully cure gonorrhea in adolescents and adults including oral tablets called Ciprofloxacin and Doxycycline. Although medication will stop the infection, it will not repair any permanent damage done by the disease and you can become infected again.
Resources and Additional Information.
Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/std
CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN)
www.cdcnpin.org
American Social Health Association (ASHA)
www.ashastd.org
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