Gonorrhea is an infectious disease caused by neisseria ghonorrhoeae. It is transmitted most often through sexual contact with an infected person. However, it may also be spread by contact with infected bodily fluids. Gonorrhea is such a common disease that both men and women should pay great attention to its symptoms and signs. And in this article, I will mainly list some common symptoms of this disease.
Not all people infected with gonorrhea have symptoms, so knowing when to seek treatment can be tricky. When symptoms do occur, they are often within two to 10 days after exposure, but they can take up to 30 days to develop. The common symptoms of gonorrhea include the following:
Gonorrhea symptoms in women
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the vagina
Lower abdominal or pelvic pain
Burning when urinating
Conjunctivitis (red, itchy eyes)
Bleeding between periods
Spotting after intercourse
Swelling of the vulva (vulvitis)
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
Itching in anus
Gonorrhea symptoms in men
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the penis
Difficulty in urinating
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Painful or swollen testicles
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
Complications of untreated gonorrhea
When the disease is not treated properly, it can evolve to serious and permanent problems in both women and men.
In women, if left untreated, the infection can cause
pelvic inflammatory disease, increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy and so on. In men, gonorrhea can cause epididymitis, affect the prostate and lead to scarring inside the urethra. In addition, gonorrhea can spread to the blood or joints. This condition can be life-threatening. Also, people with gonorrhea can more easily contract HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Therefore, once suffering gonorrhea, both men and women are suggested to take timely and proper treatment. What patients should keep in mind is that all sexual contacts of the person with gonorrhea should be contacted and tested. This helps prevent further spread of the disease. In some places you may be able to take counseling information and medicines to your sexual partner yourself. In other places, the health department will contact your partner.
