Gonorrhea infection

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Gonorrhea is also known as “drip” or “clap”.  The contagious infection most likely gets passed on to anyone having a sexual relationship with an infected individual.

Gonorrhea, at times, proliferates by contacting the affected fluids of the body.  This way, there is a high probability of passing the contagion from an expecting mother to her baby at the time of her birth.

Irrespective of the gender, both females and males are vulnerable to the infection. The infection opens out easily and affects people having multiple sexual relations.

The reasons of developing Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is developed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.  It is a bacterial infection that easily develops and multiplies in the body’s mucous membranes. The bacteria of Gonorrhea thrive in a moist and warm environment and hence its onslaught can be almost all the important organs of reproductive system, such as:

• Cervix of the uterus, i.e. Opening of the uterus
• Uterus
• Egg canals (Fallopian tubes)
• Urethra (the tube for carrying urine out of the male and female body from the bladder)
• The bacteria may also develop in anus, throat and mouth.

How common is the infection?

Gonorrhea is a widespread contagion ailment and several lakhs of people get afflicted with it every year.  The teenagers, who are overly sexually active are more likely to have the Gonorrhea infection.

How to know the Gonorrhea onslaught?

Not everyone afflicted with Gonorrhea will show any kind of symptoms.  So, getting to know when to ask for treatment is a complex question. When the symptoms start showing up, they are already late by two to ten days when they were exposed to the ailment. The infection takes around 30 days of developing in a full scale and may include the symptoms given hereunder:

Symptoms of Gonorrhea in females:

• Whitish, greenish or yellowish vaginal discharge
• Burning sensation while urinating
• Pain in the pelvic area or the lower abdomen
• Itching in the eyes along with redness (conjunctivitis)
• Bleeding in between periods
• Spotting after copulation
• Vulvitis – (Vulva swelling)
• Burning sensation in the throat because of indulging in oral sex
• Swelling in throat glands because of oral sex indulgence

In some females, the symptoms are too mild to come to notice.

Many females having gonorrhea vaginal discharge mistake it for a yeast infection and try treating it with anti-yeast contagion drugs available without prescription.  As the vaginal discharge may be because of several issues, it is advised to consult the doctor for correct diagnosis and cure.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea in males:

• Abnormal discharge of white, green or white color from the penis
• Because of indulging in oral sexual act, you may experience a burning sensation in your throat
• Burning sensation while urination
• Burning sensation in the throat because of indulging in sex orally
• Your testicles may get swollen and become painful
• Glands in your throat may get swollen because of indulging in sex orally.

In males, the symptoms generally begin appearing in about 2 to 14 days after catching the contagion.

How Is Gonorrhea Diagnosed?

For diagnosing Gonorrhea, your doctor may take a specimen with a swab from the fluid present in the urethra in males.  Similarly, a sample is taken from the cervix of the uterus in females.

The sample is given to the laboratory for an analysis.  You are also given anal or throat culture to ascertain the presence of infection in your anus or throat. There are other examinations wherein your urine may also be tested for the existence of bacterial infection.  There are other tests which check a urine sample for the presence of the bacteria. You may need to wait for several days until your tests come back from the lab.

Chlamydia is yet another sexually transmitted disease (STI) and often comes along with Gonorrhea.  So, it is advised you to get examined for both, if any of the two makes an onslaught.

Is Gonorrhea treatable?

Yes, of course. Gonorrhea is very much treatable and curable.

How to treat Gonorrhea?

For treating the Gonorrhea contagion, your doctor may prescribe you injectable or oral antibiotics. Your copulating partner also requires treatment for preventing the onslaught of re-infection and further opening out of the disease.

It is pertinent to know that you need to complete the antibiotics course, if you feel improved and free from infection. Besides, never ever use someone else’s prescribed medicines for treating your infection.  This may further complicate your treatment.

Apart from this, do tell in case you had sexual relations with anyone recently that you are afflicted with the contagion. This becomes essential in view of the fact that the Gonorrhea does not initially show any symptoms.  And, the females having no symptoms may not go in for the diagnosis of the infection and its treatment, if they are not given an alert signal by their sexual partners.

Do not indulge in sexual activities until finishing the entire medicinal course, even if you feel improved.

Use of condoms while having sex help in preventing the infection.

What will happen if Gonorrhea is not treated?

Gonorrhea, if left untreated, may cause grave and everlasting issues in both females and males.

In females, if the infection is not cured timely, it may cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which may harm the Fallopian tubes, where the tubes get connected from the ovaries to your uterus. This harm may further cause infertility.

Having an untreated contagion may enhance the risk of developing ectopic pregnancy wherein the fertilized egg begins growing out of the uterus, whereas its usual place of developing is the uterus.  This is quite a dangerous situation for the mother and the expected offspring.

In males, Gonorrhea may lead to epididymitis. It is a serious issue wherein the testicles develop painful experience and even cause infertility, if left uncured. If there is a delay in the treatment, the infection may also harm the prostate and cause scarring in the urethra, thus, making urination painful.

The untreated Gonorrhea infection may open out to your joints and even blood, making it a life-threatening situation. With Gonorrhea, the HIV contagion, also known as HIV, gets contracted easily.

Those having HIV contagion and Gonorrhea easily transmit both the diseases to anyone who comes in their sexual contact.

Risk factors of Gonorrhea during pregnancy and birth of a child:

Gonorrhea in females during pregnancy may run a risk of premature delivery or unplanned abortion. The contagion may get passed to the baby via the birth canal at the time of birth. This may cause serious issues with the baby, like blood infection, injection into the joints or even blindness. The prompt treatment of the Gonorrhea infection may lessen these complicated risks. Pregnant females are advised to seek appropriate medical help from an experienced medical practitioner.

Prevention of Gonorrhea Infection

For reducing the risks of Gonorrhea contagion:

Use of condoms properly while copulating with your partner is advised.

Restricting the count of sex partners is seen as the good preventive step.  Going back and forth to different partners may help you in preventing the onslaught.

Stay away from having sexual relations.  If not, at least restrict yourself to one partner, who is not infected.

If you suspect you may be infected, simply avoid any sexual relations and promptly consult a medical practitioner.

Genital symptoms like burning sensation or unusual discharge while urinating, any rash or sore should work as a warning for stopping sexual relations and consulting a qualified doctor promptly.

In case you are diagnosed having Gonorrhea or some other STD, immediately seek medical help and inform all your sex partners and advise them too to seek medical aid for the treatment.