Gonorrhea
“I offered you a choice, and you took it."
I shot him what I hoped was a truly scathing glare. "Some choice. I was dying. Some drunk shot me from a pickup. Why wouldn't I have just woken up with gonorrhea like every other girl of loose moral fiber?”
What Gonorrhea is?
Do you think bacteria can only ruin your stomach? Think again! They are also the culprit behind many genital infections. Gonorrhea is one of the sexually transmitted diseases and it is caused by the bacterium Neisseria Gonorrhoeae. It is a bacterial infection and the infection may involve the genitals, mouth, and rectum. Infected men experience pain during urination and discharge from the penis. In women, it affects the cervix and it can also transfer from mother to child. If the mother is infected there is a chance that the child might catch eye infections. It spreads mainly when you come in contact with an infected person. Therefore, the highest chances of getting infected come from anal, vaginal, and oral sex.
How to know you have Gonorrhea?
This type of infection may not cause any symptoms at the start that is why it is hard to know that you have it if it is mild. It affects many areas of your body and mostly found in the genital tract. You might experience the symptoms when the infection has spread a lot. This type of bacteria affects both men and women so symptoms in men and women are discussed below:
In Men
Symptoms common in men are:
- Painful urination
- Pus from the penis tip
- Pain and swelling in a testicle
In Women
Symptoms common in women are:
- Increased vaginal discharge
- Abdominal pain
- Pelvic pain
- Painful urination
- Vaginal bleeding during periods and after intercourse
What Causes Gonorrhea?
As we know that it is a bacterial infection so it is caused by the bacteria named Neisseria gonorrhoeae. However, the major cause of the spread is unsafe sexual contact with an already infected person. The other person might not even know that he or she is infected if their infection is mild because at that time the symptoms are not apparent enough to be noticed.
Does Gonorrhea Affect other Body Parts?
When it comes to infecting your body parts Gonorrhea does not remain confined to your genitals only. It not only spreads fast from one person to another but it also affects other body parts which include:
-
- Rectum
- Eyes
- Throat
- Joints
Are You at Risk of Developing Gonorrhea?
Men are at more risk than women. Some other factors also count when it comes to Gonorrhea:
- Having sex with a new partner
- Having sex with a partner which have more partners
- Having a partner which have another sexually transmitted disease
Can Gonorrhea cause Complications?
Gonorrhea, if left untreated for a long period can not only infect other parts of your body, it also causes many complications which we are discussed here:
- Infertility in women
- Infertility in men
- Risk of HIV/AIDS
- The complication in having a child
- Infections in joints
- Eye infection in the baby
What Precautionary Measures can you Take?
Do you feel helpless against Gonorrhea? You don’t need to! You are still the one who is in control. All you have to do is to follow some precautionary measures to keep yourself safe and sound which are the following:
- Use condoms during having a sex
- Limit the numbers of sex
- Go for gonorrhea screening
- Don’t sex with an affected partner
When to See the Doctor?
You should consult your doctor if you feel any of the signs and symptoms of gonorrhea and don’t be shy to consult your doctor with complete details of your problem. You should consult a health care practitioner as soon as possible if you feel painful urination, pain, and swelling in the testicle or pus from the penis tip. In women increased vaginal discharge, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding during periods, and after intercourse are the signs that you should consult a doctor for treatment.
What is the Treatment for Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is a disease that is caused by a type of bacteria therefore like any other bacterial infection it can be treated by antibiotics named Ceftriaxone and Azithromycin. Make sure that you use them on the recommendation of a registered health care practitioner.