Gonorrhea Source: The Medical Institute for Sexual Health
What is gonorrhea?
Neisseria gonorrhea is a bacterium that causes genital infections and other infections in humans.
How many people have gonorrhea?
About 650,000 Americans become infected with gonorrhea each year.1 It is the second most common reportable bacterial sexually transmitted infection in America.
How does someone get gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is primarily spread by sexual contact, including sexual intercourse, oral sex and anal sex. A newborn baby can also become infected during the birth process if his/her mother is infected.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of gonorrhea infection vary depending on the part of the body that is infected and usually begin within a week of exposure. A genital infection typically causes discharge (increased fluid) from the vagina (or urethra) and may cause pain with urination. In women, abnormal vaginal bleeding ("spotting") is common while in men, pain and swelling around the testicles (epididymitis) may occur.
When a woman has vaginal intercourse with an infected man, the infection usually begins in the woman’s cervix. The infection may remain in the area of the cervix for some time, or may spread to the uterus (endometritis) and fallopian tubes (salpingitis). When this spread occurs, the condition is called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID may cause few symptoms and go unrecognized, or PID may be a severe, life-threatening infection. Common symptoms of PID include pelvic and abdominal pain, fever and abnormal vaginal bleeding. When abdominal tenderness is present, PID may be confused with other severe abdominal conditions, i.e., acute appendicitis or ectopic (tubal) pregnancy.
Oral and rectal infections also occur and produce irritation, pain, discharge and other symptoms in the affected area. Some individuals with oral or rectal infections may not experience symptoms and may not be aware of their infection.
How does someone find out s(he) has gonorrhea?
Usually, people with signs or symptoms of a gonorrheal infection will seek medical attention and be evaluated by a clinician. Samples of body fluids will be examined and tested to determine the presence of gonorrhea organisms.
Infection can also occur without symptoms. In fact, between 25-80 percent of infected women and a smaller percentage of men have no symptoms.
How is gonorrhea treated?
Uncomplicated gonorrhea is treated with oral or injectable antibiotics. After treatment, infected individuals should be re-examined and tested to ensure that they have been cured. If a female develops PID, hospitalization and treatment with intravenous (IV) antibiotics may be required.5 Treatment of infected pregnant women prevents transmission of infection to the newborn. Additionally, newborn infants routinely receive antibiotic eye medication to prevent eye infections caused by gonorrhea.
What are some of the long-term effects of gonorrhea infection?
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is the most common complication of gonorrhea in women, occurring in 10-20 percent of infected females. Among US women who seek medical assistance to become pregnant, one in four are infertile because of scarring caused by PID.
Disseminated gonorrheal infection (gonorrhea infection that spreads throughout the body), occurs in about 1 percent of patients with untreated gonorrhea. The most severe complications of disseminated infection are endocarditis, which can destroy the valves of the heart, and meningitis.
Gonorrhea causes problems for pregnant women. Women who are infected are at increased risk of spontaneous abortion, premature rupture of membranes and preterm birth. Gonorrhea can also infect the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus.
How can I avoid getting gonorrhea?
Condoms, when used consistently and correctly, reduce the risk of acquiring gonorrhea. Sexually active individuals, especially those at high risk for contracting gonorrhea, should be screened and treated for gonorrhea each time they change sexual partners to prevent long-term complications and avoid spreading the infection to others.
The best way to avoid gonorrheal infection is to abstain from sexual activity before marriage, marry an uninfected partner and remain sexually faithful during marriage. Unmarried individuals who have never had sexual intercourse should avoid becoming sexually active until marriage. Unmarried individuals, who are or have previously been sexually active, should be tested for gonorrhea and other STIs and return to a lifestyle of sexual abstinence.
Gonorrhea
