Gonorrhea

You can get gonorrhea by having sex with someone who has gonorrhea. A pregnant woman with gonorrhea can give the infection to her baby during childbirth.

Any sexually active person can get gonorrhea through unprotected sex. If you are sexually active, have an honest and open talk with your health care provider and ask whether you should be tested for gonorrhea or other STIs.

If you are a sexually active, younger than 25 years, or risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted infection, you should be tested for gonorrhea every year.

Some men with gonorrhea may have no symptoms at all. However, men who do have symptoms, may have:

• Burning sensation when urinatin
• White, yellow, or green discharge from the penis
• Painful or swollen testicles (less common)

Most women with gonorrhea do not have any symptoms. Even when a woman has symptoms, they are often mild and can be mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection. Women with gonorrhea are at risk of developing serious complications from the infection, even if they don’t have any symptoms. Symptoms in women can include:

• Painful or burning sensation when urinating
• Increased vaginal discharge
• Vaginal bleeding between periods

Rectal infections may either cause no symptoms or cause symptoms in both men and women that may include:

• Discharge
• Anal itching
• Soreness
• Bleeding
• Painful bowel movements

You should be examined by your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms or if your partner has an STI or symptoms such as an unusual sore, a smelly discharge, burning when urinating, or bleeding between periods.

Most of the time, urine can be used to test for gonorrhea. However, swabs may be used to collect samples from your throat and/or rectum.

In some cases, a swab may be used to collect a sample from a man’s urethra (urine canal) or a woman’s cervix (opening to the womb).

Pregnant Women

If you are pregnant and have gonorrhea, you can give the infection to your baby during delivery. This can cause serious health problems for your baby.

If you are pregnant, it is important that you talk to your health care provider so that you get the correct examination, testing, and treatment, as necessary. Treating gonorrhea as soon as possible will make health complications for your baby less likely.

Yes, gonorrhea can be cured with the right treatment. It is important that you take all of the medication your doctor prescribes to cure your infection. Medication for gonorrhea should not be shared with anyone. Although medication will stop the infection, it will not undo any permanent damage caused by the disease.

Untreated gonorrhea can cause serious and permanent health problems in both women and men. In women, untreated gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Some of the complications of PID are

• Formation of scar tissue that blocks fallopian tubes
• Ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the womb)
• Infertility (inability to get pregnant)
• Long-term pelvic/abdominal pain

In men, gonorrhea can cause a painful condition in the tubes attached to the testicles. In rare cases, this may cause a man to be sterile, or prevent him from being able to father a child.

Rarely, untreated gonorrhea can also spread to your blood or joints. This condition can be life-threatening.

The only way to avoid STDs is to not have sex. If you are sexually active, you can do the following things to lower your chances of getting gonorrhea:

• Being in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and has negative STD test results
• Using protection during sex