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Gonorrhea
Introduction
Gonorrhea is a curable sexually transmitted disease, or STD. It is the second most
commonly reported bacterial STD after chlamydia. Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted
disease. It causes symptoms similar to gonorrhea. Millions of people get gonorrhea
every year. The highest rates of gonorrhea are among sexually active teenagers and
young adults.
The bacteria that cause gonorrhea can infect the genital tract, mouth or anus. If left
untreated, it can cause many health problems and lead to infertility in both men and
women.
This reference summary explains the symptoms, causes and treatment of gonorrhea. It
also includes information about health complications related to the disease.
The Reproductive System
This section reviews the male and female reproductive systems. It will help you better
understand the way gonorrhea affects the body.
The male reproductive organs include:
• The testicles.
• The duct system, made up of the
epididymis and the vas deferens.
• The penis.
Seminal Vesicles
Prostate Gland
Male reproductive organs are located
both inside and outside the pelvis.
Testicles
Duct System
This document is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a doctor or healthcare professional or a
recommendation for any particular treatment plan. Like any printed material, it may become out of date over time. It is important that you rely on the
advice of a doctor or a healthcare professional for your specific condition.
©1995-2016, The Patient Education Institute, Inc. www.X-Plain.com
Last reviewed: 06/08/2016
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The testicles are egg-shaped glands that sit in a soft pouch called the scrotum. The
testicles have 2 main functions:
• The production of sperm, which are the male reproductive cells.
• The production of hormones, including testosterone.
Testosterone plays major role in puberty for boys. During puberty, testosterone causes
boys to develop deeper voices, bigger muscles and body and facial hair. Testosterone
also stimulates the production of sperm.
The epididymis and vas deferens make up the duct system. They are located
alongside the testicles, inside the scrotum.
Semen is created by glands. Semen is a fluid that contains sperm. The seminal
vesicles are a pair of glands that help make semen. They are located near the
prostate. The prostate is a gland that also secretes semen.
The urethra is the channel that carries semen to the outside of the body through the
penis. It is also part of the urinary system because it carries urine from the bladder to
the outside of the body.
The penis is made up of two parts: the shaft and the glans. The main part of the penis
is called the shaft. The tip of the penis is called the glans, or the head. At the end of the
glans is an opening. Semen and urine exit the body through this opening after traveling
through the urethra.
The female reproductive organs include:
• The ovaries.
• The Fallopian tubes.
• The uterus.
• The cervix.
• The vagina.
Ovaries
Fallopian
The female reproductive organs are
located in the pelvis, between the
urinary bladder and the rectum.
Uterus
Cervix
Vagina
This document is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a doctor or healthcare professional or a
recommendation for any particular treatment plan. Like any printed material, it may become out of date over time. It is important that you rely on the
advice of a doctor or a healthcare professional for your specific condition.
©1995-2016, The Patient Education Institute, Inc. www.X-Plain.com
Last reviewed: 06/08/2016
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When an ovary releases an egg, the egg goes down the Fallopian tube to the uterus. It
may become fertilized by sperm along the way.
If a woman gets pregnant, the fetus stays in the uterus until delivery. The inner layer of
the uterus is called the endometrium. The endometrial lining grows and thickens each
month to prepare for pregnancy.
If a woman does not become pregnant, the endometrial lining flows out of the body.
This is called a menstrual period.
The narrow, lower part of the uterus is the cervix. The cervix is the passageway to the
vagina. The vagina opens to the outside of the body between the urethra, which is the
urinary bladder opening, and the rectum.
Symptoms
A small number of people may be infected with the bacteria that
cause gonorrhea for several months without showing symptoms.
For women, the early symptoms of gonorrhea often are mild.
Symptoms usually appear within 2 to 10 days after sexual
contact with an infected partner.
When women have symptoms, early symptoms may include:
• Bleeding associated with vaginal intercourse.
• Painful or burning sensations when urinating.
• Yellow or bloody vaginal discharge.
More advanced symptoms in women include cramps and pain, bleeding between
menstrual periods, vomiting or fever.
Men have symptoms more often than women. Symptoms in
men can include:
• White, yellow or green pus from the penis with pain.
• Burning sensations that may be severe during urination.
• Swollen or painful testicles.
This document is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a doctor or healthcare professional or a
recommendation for any particular treatment plan. Like any printed material, it may become out of date over time. It is important that you rely on the
advice of a doctor or a healthcare professional for your specific condition.
©1995-2016, The Patient Education Institute, Inc. www.X-Plain.com
Last reviewed: 06/08/2016
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Gonorrhea can also cause a rectal infection in both women and men. It can be
transmitted through anal sex. Symptoms of rectal infection include:
• Anal itching.
• Bright red blood in stool.
• Abnormal discharge.
• Painful bowel movements.
Symptoms often appear 2 to 5 days after infection but could appear as late as 30 days
later.
Causes
Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria. The bacteria grow in warm, moist areas.
The bacteria that cause gonorrhea can grow in the:
• Anus.
• Eyes.
• Mouth.
• Reproductive tract, like the cervix, uterus and Fallopian tubes in women.
• Throat.
• Urethra, which is the tube through which
urine leaves the body.
People get gonorrhea by having sexual contact
with an infected person. Sexual contact includes
oral, anal and vaginal sex. This is because the
bacteria that cause gonorrhea are carried in
semen and vaginal fluids.
Diagnosis
If you have the symptoms of gonorrhea, your health care provider will perform a
physical exam and review your patient medical history. He or she may ask you about
your sexual activities over the last several months. It is important to be honest.
If your health care provider suspects that gonorrhea is causing your symptoms, he or
she will need to test for it. Tests may include taking a sample of blood or urine. The
sample will be tested for the bacteria that cause gonorrhea. Many health care
providers prefer to use more than one test to increase the chance of an accurate
diagnosis.
This document is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a doctor or healthcare professional or a
recommendation for any particular treatment plan. Like any printed material, it may become out of date over time. It is important that you rely on the
advice of a doctor or a healthcare professional for your specific condition.
©1995-2016, The Patient Education Institute, Inc. www.X-Plain.com
Last reviewed: 06/08/2016
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Another test is a culture test. It involves placing a sample of discharge from the penis,
vagina or throat onto a culture plate. Cultures
allow bacteria time to grow in the samples
collected to see if the bacteria are present.
Some health care providers use urine or cervical
swabs for a test that detects the genes of the
bacteria. These tests are more accurate than
culturing the bacteria.
Treatment
Antibiotics are medicine to treat bacterial infections.
However, treating gonorrhea with antibiotics is
becoming more difficult because drug-resistant strains
of gonorrhea are increasing around the world.
If you are pregnant or you are younger than 18 years
old, you shouldn't be treated with certain types of
antibiotics. Your health care provider can prescribe the
best and safest antibiotic for you.
Gonorrhea and chlamydia often infect people at the
same time. Therefore, health care providers usually
prescribe a combination of antibiotics that will treat both
diseases. If you have gonorrhea, all of your sexual
partners should get tested and then treated if infected,
whether or not they have symptoms. Health experts
also recommend that you not have sex until your
infected partners have been treated.
Complications
Many complications can happen if gonorrhea is left untreated. This section discusses
possible complications.
In untreated gonorrhea infections, the bacteria can spread to the reproductive tract.
More rarely, it can spread into the blood stream and infect the joints, heart valves or
brain. This can lead to arthritis, endocarditis and meningitis.
This document is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a doctor or healthcare professional or a
recommendation for any particular treatment plan. Like any printed material, it may become out of date over time. It is important that you rely on the
advice of a doctor or a healthcare professional for your specific condition.
©1995-2016, The Patient Education Institute, Inc. www.X-Plain.com
Last reviewed: 06/08/2016
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The most common result of untreated gonorrhea in women is pelvic inflammatory
disease, or PID. PID caused by gonorrhea often appears immediately after the
menstrual period. PID causes scar tissue to form in the
Fallopian tubes.
If the Fallopian tube is partially scarred, the fertilized egg
may not be able to pass into the uterus. If this happens,
the embryo may implant in the tube, causing an ectopic
pregnancy. This serious complication results in a
miscarriage and can cause death of the mother if not
treated promptly.
In men, gonorrhea causes epididymitis, a painful condition
of the testicles that can lead to infertility if left untreated.
Also, gonorrhea affects the prostate gland and may cause
scarring in the urine canal.
Ectopic Pregnancy
If you are infected with gonorrhea, your risk of getting HIV infection increases.
Therefore, it is extremely important for you to either prevent yourself from getting
gonorrhea or get treated early if you already are infected with it.
If you are pregnant and have gonorrhea, you may
give the infection to your baby as it passes through
the birth canal during delivery. A health care
provider can prevent infection of your baby's eyes
by applying silver nitrate or other medicine to the
eyes immediately after birth.
Because of the risks from gonorrhea to both you
and your baby, health experts recommend that
pregnant women have at least one test for
gonorrhea during prenatal care.
Prevention
The best way to avoid getting sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual
contact. This means that you do not have sex or sexual contact, such as oral or anal
sex, at all.
This document is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a doctor or healthcare professional or a
recommendation for any particular treatment plan. Like any printed material, it may become out of date over time. It is important that you rely on the
advice of a doctor or a healthcare professional for your specific condition.
©1995-2016, The Patient Education Institute, Inc. www.X-Plain.com
Last reviewed: 06/08/2016
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Another way to avoid it is to be in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with
a partner who has been tested and is not infected. Mutually monogamous means that
both partners abstain from having sex with other people. They only have sex with each
other.
You can also reduce your chances of getting
gonorrhea or another STD by using latex condoms.
This only works if the condoms are used correctly
every time during vaginal or rectal sexual activity.
Summary
Gonorrhea is a curable sexually transmitted disease
caused by bacteria. The bacteria that cause
gonorrhea are carried in semen and vaginal fluids.
Millions of cases are reported worldwide every year. Sexually active teenagers and
young adults have the highest rates of gonorrhea.
Some people display no symptoms for several months after becoming infected with
gonorrhea. This makes it easy to spread gonorrhea. If left untreated, gonorrhea can
cause health complications such as infertility in men and women.
Antibiotic medicines are often used to treat
gonorrhea. However, treating gonorrhea is
becoming more difficult because drug-resistant
strains of gonorrhea are increasing around the
world. If you have gonorrhea, all of your sexual
partners should get tested and then treated, if
infected, to prevent the disease from spreading.
The best way to avoid gonorrhea is to abstain from
sex entirely or have only one sexual partner that
has tested negative for gonorrhea. Condoms are
effective in reducing the risk of getting gonorrhea,
but they are not 100% effective.
This document is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a doctor or healthcare professional or a
recommendation for any particular treatment plan. Like any printed material, it may become out of date over time. It is important that you rely on the
advice of a doctor or a healthcare professional for your specific condition.
©1995-2016, The Patient Education Institute, Inc. www.X-Plain.com
Last reviewed: 06/08/2016
idfu0101
7