Men's Health > Sexually Transmitted Disease > Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a STD that is caused by bacteria that is called “Neisseria gonorrhoeae”. Gonorrhea bacteria will grow and multiply in areas of the body that are warm and moist, such as the vagina, the womb, the fallopian tubes, and the urethra (in both women and men). In some cases the gonorrhea bacteria will also grow in other locations in the body, such as the eyes, the throat, and the mouth.

Gonorrhea is transmitted from one person to another through both oral and vaginal sex. It can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her unborn baby. Gonorrhea is a perennial disease that can be caught again and again by the same person if they continue to have contact with the bacteria. This is why it’s important to have protected sex at all times.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea

For men, the symptoms of gonorrhea can be subtle -- or they can be quite severe. In most cases, the symptoms of gonorrhea will appear about five days after the infection has occurred. In other cases it can take up to 30 days for the symptoms to appear. These symptoms include:

• a green or yellow discharge from the penis
• a burning feeling when urinating
• swollen, or painful, feeling testicles

The symptoms of gonorrhea are different for women. In most cases, women who have gonorrhea will have no symptoms; or if they do, it may appear disguised as some other medical condition, such as a vaginal or bladder infection. When symptoms finally do appear, it can be in the form of painful urination, a discharge from the vagina, or bleeding in between cycles. Both men and woman can have a discharge from the rectum as well as itching and soreness.

Gonorrhea Treatment

Proper diagnosis of gonorrhea is essential to treating this potentially serious disease. A sample will have to be taken from the infected part of the body and analyzed for the gonorrhea bacteria. Once a person is tested as positive for gonorrhea, they will have to start on a treatment of antibiotics. All of the prescribed medication must be taken to ensure that the bacteria is completely gone.

One of the major and growing concerns with gonorrhea today, is that there are many strains of the disease that are proving to be unaffected by any course of antibiotic. This means that people need to be more conscious than ever about having protected safe sex.

Jim Shaw