Gonorrhea:
It is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause infection of the genitals, rectum, and throat. It is common among young people between the ages of 15 and 24. It is a particularly serious problem for women because it can damage the female genital organs.
Methods of Transmission:
- Gonorrhea can be contracted by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with a person who has gonorrhea even when there are no symptoms (it can be contracted from a person without signs or symptoms).
- Touching the genitals. A man does not need to ejaculate for gonorrhea to spread, where touching of infected fluids from the vagina or penis and then touching the eye can lead to eye infection.
- An infected pregnant woman can transmit the infection to her baby during childbirth.
- Gonorrhea does not spread by hugging, swimming pools, toilet seats, sharing bathrooms, towels, cups, plates or cutlery as the bacteria cannot live outside the human body for long.
Pregnancy and gonorrhea:
When a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she can transmit the infection to the baby during childbirth, and this may cause serious health problems for the baby, so you should talk to the doctor about conducting the correct examination, testing and treatment, to help as quickly as possible reduce the possibility of health problems for the baby. For pregnant women, untreated gonorrhea increases the risk of:
- Abortion
- Premature birth.
- Low birth weight.
- Water coming down too early.
Children born to affected mothers are at risk of developing the following:
- Blindness.
- Joint infection.Life-threatening blood infection.
Treating gonorrhea as soon as it is detected in pregnant women will reduce the risk of these problems for both the mother and the baby.
Symptoms:
Gonorrhea often has no symptoms, but it can cause serious health problems even without symptoms. Symptoms in women can include:
- Pain or burning sensation when urinating.
- Increased vaginal secretions.
- Vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods.
Men who develop symptoms may have:
- Pain or burning sensation when urinating.
- White, yellow or green discharge from the penis.
- Swelling or pain in the testicles (although this is less common).
Signs and symptoms in other parts of the body include:
- Rectum (anus): Itching in the anus, pus-like discharge, bright red blood on toilet paper, painful bowel movements.
- Eyes: Pain, itching, sensitivity to light, pus-like discharge.
- Throat: Sore throat, swollen glands in the neck.
- Joints (e.g.: knee): Heat, redness, swelling, or pain during movement.
Gonorrhea can cause serious health problems, even if there are no signs or symptoms.
When to see a doctor:
- When you notice any of the previous symptoms.
- If the partner has an STD.
Complications:
When not treated, gonorrhea can cause serious and permanent health problems:
- In women, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. Some complications of pelvic inflammatory disease include:
- Formation of scar tissue that blocks the fallopian tubes.
- Ectopic pregnancy.
- Infertility (inability to conceive).
- Long-term pelvic/abdominal pain.
- In men, gonorrhea can cause a painful condition in the tubes connected to the testicles, which in rare cases can lead to infertility.
- Both women and men can get a bloodstream infection from gonorrhea, accompanied by joint infection and arthritis.
- People with gonorrhea are more likely to be infected with HIV.
Treatment:
Gonorrhea can be cured, but it is important to take all the medications prescribed by your doctor to treat the infection. Medications should not be shared with anyone else. Although the medication will stop the infection, it will not cure any permanent damage caused by the disease.
Having sex after treating gonorrhea:
- Wait seven days after completing all medications before having sex.
- You and your partner should avoid sex until you have entirely completed treatment and symptoms have gone.
- Gonorrhea patients should be retested about three months after the initial infection has been treated, even if the partner has received successful treatment.
- If you had gonorrhea and took medication in the past, it is still possible to get it again, and it happens when you have sex without a condom with someone who has gonorrhea.
Prevention:
The only way to completely avoid STDs is to not have vaginal, anal or oral sex, but the chances of contracting gonorrhea can be reduced by:
- To be in a long-term relationship (marriage) with a partner who has been tested and does not suffer from gonorrhea.
- Using a condom is the best way to prevent STDs when having sex (a man does not need to ejaculate to infect a partner with gonorrhea)
- Other methods do not protect women from contracting sexually transmitted diseases (e.g.: contraceptive pills, injections, implants, etc.).
- Ensure that you and your partner are screened for STDs.
- Not having sex when the partner's health is unknown, to avoid contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
- Avoid increasing the number of your sexual partners; The risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases increases with multiple partners.
- Avoid alcohol or drug use; the possibility of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases.
The steps work best when used together, and no single step can protect against every type of STD.
Gonorrhea Test:
- When you have a new sexual partner.
- You have had gonorrhea or another sexually transmitted disease in the past
- When not using a condom during sex.
- When you have any of the symptoms of gonorrhea.
Instructions for people with gonorrhea:
- Visit the doctor for treatment immediately; Where antibiotics treat the disease, but they will not cure permanent damage to the reproductive organs.
- Finish all prescribed medications, even when symptoms disappear.
- Inform the sexual partner of the infection so that it can be examined and treated.
- Avoid sexual intercourse until treatment is complete for you and your partner.
- You can get gonorrhea again when you have sex with someone who has it.
- See your doctor if you have symptoms that do not go away within a few days after completing the antibiotics.