Gonorrhea Symptoms

Gonorrhea is one of the most widespread sexually transmitted disease. In the United States alone, some 600,000 cases of gonorrhea are reported each year, with only approximately half reported to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

But despite these, most still do not know the real deal with gonorrhea. There are still an abundance of falsehoods concerning the disease making it important for one to know the truth. Here are the basic gonorrhea facts:

Gonorrhea, more commonly known as “the clap”, is a curable disease caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a kind of bacteria that thrives in damp and humid areas of the reproductive region such as the cervix and the fallopian tubes for women and in the urethra for men.

Sexual intercourse is almost always the means of getting gonorrhea but it can also spread from an infected mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy.

Once infected, symptoms typically appear two to seven days after the infection.

Discharge of pus from the urethra is perhaps the most well known symptom of gonorrhea especially in men. Interestingly, one of the more fascinating gonorrhea facts is that this symptom is where the term gonorrhea comes from. Gonorrhea comes from the Greek word gonórrhoia literally meaning “seed flow”, a phrase from the false belief that the discharged pus contains semen.

Gonorrhea symptoms in men include: a burning sensation accompanies urination, which becomes frequent and the passage of urine becomes blocked making urination painful.

On the other hand, Gonorrhea symptoms in women are not as apparent. Even if symptoms do turn up, they can be so non-specific that they can mistaken for other infections. Women with gonorrhea suffer symptoms of excruciating sensation when urinating, an upsurge of vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding between periods.

Some more gonorrhea facts to help you distinguish truth from the myths:

Myth: Gonorrhea spreads only through ejaculation.

Fact: Ejaculation is not necessary in contracting gonorrhea. On the contrary, it can proliferate even only through sexual contact with an infected person’s penis, vagina, rectum and/or the mouth. It can also spread from an infected mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy.

Myth: One is not at risk of gonorrhea in an oral sex.

Fact: Although gonorrhea is most of the time contacted through anal or vaginal intercourse, gonorrhea can be as easily transferred from an infected individual to another through oral sex. Gonorrhea is a bacterial disease; hence it can be transmitted through contact, which in this case is between a person’s mouth with his/her partner’s infected genital.

Myth: There are more teens infected with gonorrhea than do sexually active people in older age groups.

Fact: Sadly, this myth is true. Furthermore, this is the most alarming among all the gonorrhea facts mentioned. Gonorrhea is most widespread among teens aged 15-19 as compared to any other age group and the rate of infection is rising in recent years.

Now these gonorrhea facts may be disturbing, but it is important to know that gonorrhea can be cured successfully through antibiotics. Antibiotics such as ceftriaxone, cefixime, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and ofloxacin are administered in single doses and are generally the most effective in curing gonorrhea. However, it is essential to note that there are strains of gonorrheal bacteria that are becoming resistant against the use of antibiotics.

These gonorrhea facts aim to help in the avoidance of the spread of this sexually-transmitted disease. Knowing is half the battle against gonorrhea and its best cure is none other than its prevention.

Tags: sexually transmitted disease, STI, Chalmydia, Treatment, Clap

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Trust a bad thing to happen in threes, like STD’s. What’s worse than having Gonorrhea? It’s having Gonorrhea and Chlamydia at the same time. These are the top two sexually-transmitted infections according to the CDC. Not uncommon as they’re easy to catch. Good thing they can be easily treated by a course of antibiotics.

Even worse is having those two plus Herpes or HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), a tie on third most common. When you get Herpes, you get a nasty rash. If you catch the HPV, you get a bundle of warts.

Gonorrhea is caused by the bacteria, neisseria gonorrhoea. The symptoms show 2-7 days after infection. It presents differently in men and women. Men get a yellowish discharge, burning on urination, blood in the urine and some swelling in the head of the penis.

The women are generally asymptomatic, meaning without symptoms. You will not know it until the infection has gone up your reproductive tract. It can infect your cervix, uterus, tubes and/or ovaries.

When this happens it becomes worse for women to have Gonorrhea. The consequences of it spreading up include infertility and ectopic pregnancy. The men, because they see signs of the disease more quickly and get the treatment, stop it in its tracks more often. If left untreated, gonorrhea in men can lead to sterility too.

And although it is primarily a genito-urinary disease, some of its symptoms can look unrelated. Some of the rarer symptoms include Proctitis (inflammation of the rectum) and Phayngitis (sore throat). Yes, the symptoms will also tell where the action happened and where the bacteria’s incubating.

Chlamydia, although a lot like Gonorrhea, is caused by a different bacteria, Chlamydia trachomatis. Generally, this is more ‘silent.’ Those who are infected do not get symptoms for weeks (1-3 weeks).

Infected men and women get a burning sensation during urination and abnormal discharge. The tip of the penis can also start itching. For women, sex can become painful and there might be bleeding between periods.

Chlamydia can also manifest as Arthritis (yes, swelling of the joints) along with skin lesions and inflammation in the eye/urethra. This is called Reiter’s Syndrome.

If you catch these two, get treated quick – embarrassment should be the least of your problems. If you happen to get it while pregnant, the doctor will still give you antibiotics, the safer ones, to get rid of the infection. If it went undiagnosed, it could rupture your bag prematurely and make you go into labor. If you deliver vaginally, your baby could get Conjunctivitis (eye infection) and Pneumonia (lung infection).

Herpes and HPV are caused by viruses that are treated with antivirals. The warts go away on their own though (2-3 years) and are generally not bothered with since they don’t pose any major health risks. There are just major aesthetic issues.

Tags: Clap, STD, sexually transmitted disease, Symptoms, Gonorrhea

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Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria. It is transferred by having unprotected sex (oral, anal, vaginal) with an infected person.

The symptoms show up 7-21 days after contact. Generally these will depend on the site where the bacteria is incubating. If it was transmitted via vaginal sex, the bacteria will incubate in the reproductive tract. The symptoms for men include difficulty passing urine, flank pain and an off-white discharge from the penis. It’s what usually gets men to go to the doctor.

For women, the symptoms are so mild they hardly get noticed. But in some severe cases, if Gonorrhea was transmitted vaginally or rectally, it can cause pain during sex, fever, lower abdominal pain, thick vaginal discharge, bleeding in between periods, and rectal itching.

If it was transmitted via oral sex, it will incubate in the mouth. This is called Pharyngeal Gonorrhea and will present as a sore throat. Yes, a simple sore throat can be a marker for Gonorrhea.

Testing for this disease includes swabbing, urinalysis and a gram stain. Swabbing is taking a sample of the tissue in the area that could be infected. Swab samples can be taken from the throat (on the tonsils and on the back of the throat), from the vagina (on the cervix and on the urethra) and from the penis.

The sample is then looked at under a microscope. A positive test indicates the presence of the bacteria.

With urinalysis, one has to submit a urine sample for testing. The medical technologists will also screen for the bacteria. A positive test indicates the presence of Gonorrhea.

The Gram–Stain testing involves taking a sample of body fluid from the cervix or the penis and putting it on a slide. The doctor then puts a dye on it and examines it under a microscope. A positive test indicates the presence of the bacteria.

The treatment for Gonorrhea is antibiotics. People make the mistake of stopping the medicines right after they get better, like when one loses the sore throat. It is important to finish the 5 or 7-day course the doctor prescribed. Why? Because it hasn’t cleared out enough of the bacteria. It is not completely out of your system just yet.

If and when the condition relapses, you might need a stronger antibiotic because the bacterium is already resistant to the first one you took.

It is equally important to get your partner treated. It would be pointless getting yourself healthy again only to be re-infected with the same disease.

Tags: The Drip, Chalmydia, Gonorrhea, Symptoms, sexually transmitted disease

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Of all the Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) known in the world, there is none that is more popular yet unknown than Gonorrhea STD. It is an oft-mentioned example of an STD but very few details have been broadcast.

So what, exactly, is Gonorrhea STD?

The story of Gonorrhea STD begins with the Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which is a type of bacterium that grows and multiplies easily in warm and moist areas in the body. By “warm and moist”, it only means that Gonorrhea STD grows in the reproductive organs of women, and in the urine canal, anus, mouth, throat and eyes of both men and women.

Gonorrhea STD is a fairly common disease. People get it essentially through sex; whether it is regular, oral or anal, it doesn’t matter. A man does not have to ejaculate to spread Gonorrhea STD to his partner. A mother can also transmit the Gonorrhea STD to her baby during delivery, but a majority of those infected are teenagers and young adults who are sexually active.

The symptoms of Gonorrhea STD typically do not show themselves in many men and women. But some men show symptoms as short as two to five days after being infected, or 30 days after being infected.

In men, the symptoms include a burning sensation at urination, or a discharge from the penis, typically white, yellow or green in color. Sometimes, men infected with Gonorrhea STD experience pain or a swelling in their testicles.

In women, the symptoms are less obvious and might even be mistaken for another type of infection in the bladder or vagina. Women who are infected will typically feel a burning sensation when they are taking a pee break or their vaginal discharges may increase or they may have vaginal bleeding between periods.

In both men and women, the symptoms may include itching, soreness or bleeding in the anus, or painful movements in the bowel.

The problems brought by gonorrhea goes beyond the symptoms. Gonorrhea causes pelvic inflammatory disease or PID in women. PID can lead to abscesses and chronic pain in the pelvis. It can also damage the fallopian tubes and cause infertility or ectopic pregnancy.

In men, gonorrhea causes epididymitis, or a pained condition of the testicles.

Other than pain in the reproductive organs, gonorrhea can spread to the blood or to the joints in the body, which can threaten the life of victims. An infected woman can pass on the disease to her baby as it passes through the birth canal, causing blindness or an infection in the blood or joints.

Tags: Gonorrhea, Clap, STD, The Drip, Symptoms

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Gonorrhea neisseria is the bacterium that infects the urethra and genital tracts. The infection of the genital sites results in that venereal disease known as gonorrhea. Its medium of contagion is sexual contact such as penis-vaginal contact and oral contact of either penis or vagina.

Gonorrhea neisseria is commonly called as gonococcus. The bacterium was first discovered in 1879 by the German bacteriologist Albert Neisser. Albert Neisser observed the presence of a certain in all discharges of patients siffering from the disease. The bacterium was scietifically named as Neisseria gonorrhoeae after the German doctor.

Gonorrhea neisseria looks like a pair of kidney beans in a stained smear. That is because the bacterium pairs up with another in a stained serum. In a laboratory medium, they appear to have circular shapes: round or oval. Here, the bacterium exists in pairs, in singles, or in clumps.

They sound cute, but gonorrhea neisseria, like most bacteria, is, in fact, parasitic to humans. Although its presence has also been observed in animals, the bacterium only adversely attacks humans.

First, in males, they attack the urethra. When the bacterium attacks the urethra, the bacterium-carrier suffers from burning sensation on urination. The presence of pus in the discharge is also a symptom of the presence of gonorrhea neisseria.

Infection in females usually occurs first in the uterine cervix. Females usually do not experience the burning sensation that accompanies urination as much as men.

Infection, however, may spread to other sites in the body. In women, for instance, gonorrhea neisserium can spread into the upper genital tract. If such occurs, inflammation of the fallopian tube may result and other complications.

Newborn babies may also get infected by the bacterium if the mother suffers from gonorrhea. This occurs when the baby passes through the infected genital tract upon delivery.

Gonorrhea neisseria or gonococcus is known to attack only certain parts of the body. The bacterium thrives in the body’s moist areas such as the genitalia and the rectum. It is also found to grow in the throat.

Gonorrhea neisseria can also invade the bloodstream. This allows the infection to spread into other parts of the body such as the skin, heart valves and tendons. This is known as extragenital infection.

When health professionals conduct smear tests and examine the smear, they look for the presence of gonorrhea neisseria. The presence of this bacterium is a sure indicator that the patient suffers from that common venereal disease called gonorrhea. This bacterium is responsible for gonorrhea.

Tags: The Drip, Gonorrhea, Treatment, STD, Clap

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Gonorrhea, although its signs and symptoms can manifest usually up to 10 days or even a month, is considered a disease that is very well dispersed. The basic treatment for an infection such as this type of sexually transmitted disease is eradicating the offending organism that has invaded the body.

One of the goals is to first provide a remedy to the patient and next is to determine all of the people that the patient had sexual intercourse and have them tested for the infection as well. Treatment of all other people with whom the patient had sexual encounters within the past 60 days should be done to prevent further infection to more people. The patient is prohibited to have sexual contacts for the meantime while being treated.

To eradicate the organism or the bacteria that causes gonorrhea, antibiotics are prescribed by the physician. Various antibiotics can significantly treat gonorrhea in no time at all. However, there are also some strains of bacterial gonorrhea that need to be considered so the physician could really treat the patient well. Consequently, the patient must also be tested for other signs of other STDs as well.

Penicillin, tetracycline, and sulfa drugs at times still can treat gonorrhea, but it is not widely used anymore because many bacteria now no longer respond to the drug as they have grown resistant. The bacteria which gives gonorrheal infection has arisen to the other antibiotics class, the fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, or levofloxacin).

These are not used anymore for treatment of gonorrhea. Nowadays, cephalosporins (ceftriaxone) and spectinomycin are advised for patients with gonorrhea as well as azithromycin has established better results to those with simple infections. Other alternative antibiotics for this simple gonococcal infection are also available.

The patient should take great care in following a strict medication regimen. Even if the medication has stopped the infection, the patient is now more prone to infection again and any permanent impairment is hard to treat. If signs and symptoms persist, the patient needs to visit the physician to be reevaluated. Most often a gonorrhea culture is done to identify what strain of bacteria is resistant to that type of medication the patient had taken. A follow-up visit is recommended usually after one week upon treatment ends. Then a final laboratory tests is done to confirm total eradication of the infection.

The treatment for gonorrhea is uncomplicated. Antibiotics, if taken precisely as instructed by the doctor, easily treats gonorrhea infections. Poor compliance leads to further complications such as other related diseases including the pelvic inflammatory disease.

Tags: Clap, The Drip, sexually transmitted disease, STI, Gonorrhea

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Gonorrhea is a kind of sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacteria Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, the gonococcus. In a recent study conducted by the American Social Health Association, an estimated 1.1 million men and women in the United States are prone to gonorrhea infection annually. The extent of infection, the severity, and the signs and the symptoms may vary in men and women.

Although people who suffer from gonorrhea are likely to be symptomatic, unlike other STDs like Chlamydia, one of the most common gonorrhea sign is no symptom at all. Like Chlamydia, gonorrhea signs manifest themselves two to six days after being exposed or infected to the bacteria.

In men, the most common gonorrhea sign is a yellowish substance from the penis, accompanied by painful urination, and there is an urge to pee frequently. If not treated right away, the disease can spread from the urethra to contaminate the seminal vesicles, Cowper’s glands, prostate gland, and the epididymis, which, if inflamed and scarred, can may the victim sterile.

In women, the gonorrhea sign is manifested in the urethra or cervix. Sometimes, the infection is so slight that it goes undetected, particularly with an inflamed cervix. Other common gonorrhea signs consist of a cloudy vaginal discharge, abnormal menstrual cycle, pain when urinating, and lower abdominal discomfort. When the gonorrhea sign is unnoticed and not treated at once, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can lead to infertility, pelvic abscesses, and ectopic pregnancy.

People who engage in oral and anal sex are prone to gonorrhea. When infected through oral sex, common gonorrhea signs may involve sore throat, tonsillitis, or may not be manifested at all. In anal sex, some of the gonorrhea signs may include itchiness, urge to go to the toilet frequently, an inflamed rectum or anus, itchiness, pus-like or bloody discharge, or may not manifest itself at all.

To detect this disease, health care providers utilize a smear, or usually, cultivated in culture. Another way of diagnosing gonorrhea signs is through DNA probes which can lead to an immediate diagnosis. The most common form of treating gonorrhea signs is through antibiotics. However, there are some forms of gonorrhea strains that are resistant to penicillin so new antibiotics are needed to effectively cure these resistant gonorrhea strains. Since infection with both gonorrhea and Chlamydia is a usual occurrence, both partners need simultaneous treatment. The health care professional will determine the most suitable method of treatment.

When diagnosed with gonorrhea, the infected individual should take full advantage of antibiotics and come back for a consultation four to seven days after treatment for a repeat culture to ensure the effectiveness of the treatment. The infected person should avoid vaginal, oral, or anal sex until cure from the disease has been guaranteed to avoid being infected with gonorrhea again.

Tags: sexually transmitted disease, Symptoms, Clap, STI, The Drip

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Everybody wants to hear the audience clap whenever a great performance is consummated or a wonderful speech is delivered. That kind of clap is a form of flattery because it means that the people watching you appreciated what you had just done. However, a clap can sometimes be a cause of shame that is most unflattering. The clap we are referring to here means you have an unpleasant sexually transmitted disease (STD). This kind of clap is another term for a disease called gonorrhea.

Gonorrhea is a disease one often gets when you have unprotected sex with a person that has this infection in their genitals. It is caused by a nefarious bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The bacteria attacks the mucous membranes found in the genital region, which can cause severe inflammation during initial infection. As gonorrhea is an old disease that can be traced back during the biblical era, it was known as “the clap” because it was believed that unscrupulous travelers get this disease when they visit French brothels during the early 18th century. The term “the clap” has its etymology from the word “clapier”, which is the French word for “brothel”.

Although the incidence of “the clap” has been tremendously reduced over the recent years, the current estimates reveal that this grim disease is debilitating about 400,000 to as much as one million people in the United States each year. This is why awareness campaigns about the clap have been very vigorous because it can be a fatal health hazard if it is left untreated. Every one of us can be susceptible to the clap when you often engage yourself to multiple sex partners and one night stands.

You should be forewarned that you will not easily notice a person bearing “the clap” because external symptoms could be invisible within the first two weeks of infection. You should know that “the clap” can hit you hard and can affect people of every age, race and socioeconomic status. However, an age group between 15 years old to 29 years old has more propensities to be infected with “the clap” because this age group consists of adolescents and young adults that are sexually active.

Being aware of your reproductive health is the most viable solution to avoid contracting the clap. If you cannot help having sex with people you barely know, it is most advisable that you use condom. Although the clap is easily curable with penicillin and other strong antibiotics, you should still be wary about it because it can injure your reproductive system and you might never be able to conceive a child. Having “the clap” is definitely not a thing to be proud about and this is one good reason that you need to remain faithful your partner.

Tags: Clap, Chalmydia, sexually transmitted disease, Symptoms, STD

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Oral gonorrhea, or pharyngeal gonorrhea, is a bacterial infection that can cause great risks to one’s health if it isn’t given prompt attention and medical care. It is a sexually-transmitted disease that can transfer from one partner to another through oral sex.

Since oral gonorrhea usually creeps in and does its damaging effects to one’s health silently, the sad part is that the people who have oral gonorrhea aren’t even aware of the problem. Thus, there are great numbers of infected men and women alike who are suffering from this disease.
 
The Symptoms of Oral Gonorrhea:
As a fact, symptoms of oral gonorrhea aren’t likely to show up. But, when they do, these things usually come in from one to fourteen days of being infected by this.

Some of the usual symptoms of oral gonorrhea are here below:
* Vomiting
* Fever
* Pain experienced when swallowing
* Inflamed tonsils
* Redness of the throat
* Sore throat

The Possible Treatments of Oral Gonorrhea:
To cure oral gonorrhea, the person afflicted with such have to ask a reliable physician for certain tests that needs to be performed together with ample dosages of antibiotics.

Self-administration of antibiotics is not recommended since there may be more predicaments that may occur if this is done without a prior consultation. As such, since there is a high risk for both pregnant women and those who are under the age of 18 to do self-medication through the use of antibiotics, a visit to a doctor is imperative.

The usual antibiotics that would be prescribed are as follows:
* Cefpodoxime (Vantin)
* Ceftriaxone (Rocephin)
* Flouroquinolones
* And others

Usually, oral gonorrhea can be cured with one of these antibiotics. However, there are some known cases that may not be cured immediately with the use of flouroquinolones which include certain dosages on ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, or levofloxacin.

That is why, as aforementioned, a short and quick consultation with a good physician could prove to be the best option in helping an individual learn what type of antibiotics would be most useful in one’s case.

As a safety procedure, it is best to have both partners undergo medication and tests simultaneously. If this is not done, there is a great chance of re-infection, and a host of other further complications that may arise.

Oral gonorrhea shouldn’t be taken as a light issue. Rather, if the person thinks that infection has occurred, even without the symptoms, it’s always best to have a thorough check-up in order to avoid this problem.

Tags: Symptoms, Chalmydia, Gonorrhea, STI, Clap

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