Information About Gonorrhea / Gonorrhoea
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What causes Gonorrhoea?
How long does Gonorrhoea take to show after contact?
What are the symptoms of Gonorrhea/Gonorrhoea?
What complications can arise from catching Gonorrhoea?
What causes Gonorrhoea?
Gonorrhoea is caused by a bacterium called Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, which likes to live in warm, moist areas of the body.
There are over 600 strains of Gonorrhoea.
It is a sexually transmitted infection.
How long does Gonorrhoea take to show after contact?
Usually, it takes between 2 and 10 days after contact for the signs or symptoms of Gonorrhoea to show.
What are the symptoms of Gonorrhea/Gonorrhoea?
Young women may notice one or more symptoms – eg.:
- An unusual vaginal discharge, which may increase and become thin and watery.
- Vaginal discharge may be yellow or greenish.
- There may be a burning sensation when you pass urine
- You may have pain in your abdomen (just below your stomach).
- Pelvic pain.
- Fever.
- Pain during sex.
- Irritation or discharge from your back passage.
- Irregular periods.
- Unusual vaginal bleeding.
- Generally feel unwell.
- A sore throat after unprotected oral sex.
- Abscesses or Bartholin’s cysts in your genital area.
However, 2 out of 3 women with gonorrhoea show no signs or have no symptoms.
Men may notice:
- A sharp burning pain on passing urine – often described as ‘pissing glass’ or ‘pissing sandpaper’.
- Yellow discharge from your penis.
- Tenderness in your testicles.
- Pain on ejaculation.
- A sore throat after unprotected oral sex.
- Sometimes irritation or discharge from the anus (opening to back passage).
However, 1 out of 10 men with gonorrhoea show no signs or have no symptoms.
What complications can arise from catching Gonorrhoea?
In men, complications can arise when:
A tube inside your testicle becomes inflamed and swells (epididymitis) causing pain and infertility is affected leaving you without enough fertile sperm to make a baby.
In women, complications can arise when:
- Your fallopian tubes become inflamed (salpingitis), the inside of your womb becomes inflamed (endometritis), which results in an increased risk of tubal (ectopic) pregnancy. You should note, however, that endometritis has other causes not related to sexually transmitted infection.
In men and women, complications can arise:
-
Where scarring occurs, caused by inflamed reproductive organs – in which case, there may be an increased risk of infertility (being unable to have children)
-
You may develop septic arthritis of your joints. Sexually Acquired Reactive Arthritis or SARA.
-
You may develop skin boils.
NOTE: Gonorrhoea is often found alongside Chlamydia, Trichomonas Vaginalis and Candida Albicans (Thrush), so it is important to be fully screened and treated appropriately. Contact tracing (partner notification) is vital, to reduce further spread.
Considerably more information can be found about
Gonorrhoea
in
“Sexplained One – Sex & Your Health”
by Helen J Knox

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