Gonorrhea Symptoms, Testing, Treatment, and Risks

What are the Symptoms of Gonorrhea?

 

Gonorrhea, like other sexually transmitted infections, usually produces no symptoms, especially in women. Even when symptoms occur, the signs of the disease can vary between men and women:

 

For men, symptoms can include:

 

  • A burning sensation when urinating

  • A white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis

  • Painful or swollen testicles (less common)


For women, symptoms may be mild and mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection. They can include:

 

  • Increased vaginal discharge

  • A burning sensation when urinating

  • Vaginal bleeding between periods

  • Painful sexual intercourse

  • Abdominal or pelvic pain


Gonorrhea also causes infection in other parts of the body such as the rectum, throat, and eyes. Rectal infection may cause patients to have those signs and symptoms like discharge, anal itching and soreness, discharge, bleeding during bowel movements, or painful defecation. Throat gonorrhea causes no symptom at all or only a sore throat, while gonorrhea infection in the eyes may provoke eye pain, sensitivity to light, and pus-like eye discharge from one or both the eyes.


Those who are sexually active need regular tests for Gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases because prompt treatment can remove complications and risks of exposing others.


Gonorrhea Symptoms


 

How Do You Test for Gonorrhea?

 

Testing for Gonorrhea usually involves either a urine test or a swab sample.

 

  • Urine Test: You'll be asked to provide a urine sample for this test. This method is commonly used to detect Gonorrhea in the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) but might not be practical for infections in other areas, like the throat or rectum.

  • Swab Sample: A healthcare provider may take a swab from potentially infected areas, including the cervix (in women), urethra (in men), rectum, throat, or eyes. The swab is then analyzed in a lab to detect the presence of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria, which causes Gonorrhea.


A swab sample is often more effective at detecting Gonorrhea in women than a urine test. In men, urine tests and swab tests are equally effective. Swab tests of the throat or rectum may be used by people who have had sex orally or anally.

The test normally takes a very short time and is usually painless. Early diagnosis by test is crucial because most adults infected with this disease do not present symptoms and continue to pass on the infection to others. Proper antibiotics treatment would easily treat the infection in time hence prevent potential complications.

Gonorrhea Symptoms

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