Gonorrhea, referred to in the slang as “the clap”, is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacterium. People with gonorrhea often show no symptoms of the disease, but when they do they are different in women than in men. Men will experience an infection of the tube that carries sperm and urine known as the urethra, while women with gonorrhea will have an infected cervix, the narrow portion of the uterus. Gonorrhea can cause some serious complications if not treated, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, meningitis, and sterility, but antibiotics can successfully clear up gonorrhea almost one hundred percent of the time.
The number of cases of gonorrhea has been in a steady decline since the 1980s due to public awareness, and because AIDS is such a danger that people are now being more careful when they have sex. However, there are still an estimated half a million instances of people needing treatment for gonorrhea in the United States each year, with many more cases going unreported or undiagnosed. All ages, races, and class levels are at risk from gonorrhea, but because of how the disease is transmitted (during sexual activity) the majority of cases, almost eighty percent, fall within the age group from fifteen to twenty-nine.
Gonorrhea is the result of an infection by a bacterium known as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, passed from person to person through vaginal, anal, or oral sexual relations. Men have a twenty percent chance of contracting the disease after having sex with a woman infected with gonorrhea, while women’s odds are much higher after intercourse with a man who has it, six in ten. A mother may transmit gonorrhea to her newborn, as the infant can get it during a vaginal childbirth in the infected birth canal. When gonorrhea is identified and treated right away, it can be cured, but symptoms do not always manifest themselves. These symptoms in women do not show up in four out of five instances, but when they do they include bleeding between their menstrual periods, constant pain in the abdomen, pain during urination, a yellowish discharge from the vagina, and itching if the infection is rectal, a sore throat when it is from oral sex. The fact that women do not present symptoms as often makes them much more susceptible to the complications of gonorrhea, especially pelvic inflammatory disease, where damage to the fallopian tubes that carry their eggs can occur, as well as sterility. Pregnant women with gonorrhea can not only pass it on to their baby during the delivery, but the child is at risk of developing eye infections that can precipitate blindness.
In men, who are more liable to have symptoms, gonorrhea comes with a thick, cloudy colored discharge from the penis, much burning pain when they pee, and the need to urinate often. Rectal itching accompanies an anal case of gonorrhea and perhaps a sore throat if it is oral. Left alone in men, gonorrhea can affect the prostate, the testicles, and the lymph nodes, with sterility from scarring in these areas a direct result. In both men and women, untreated gonorrhea can infect the bloodstream and then go to work on the brain, the heart, and the joints of the body.
If you notice the discharge that is associated with gonorrhea, or are feeling the burning sensation during urination along with some of the other symptoms, you need to see a doctor quickly. Your physician will do a bacterial culture test to identify the organism responsible, or perhaps conduct one of the more recent tests that reveal gonorrhea in patients, such as a test known as a gram stain test that yields faster results, or one that uses certain enzymes to identify the bacteria at fault. Over the years gonorrhea has become more and more resistant to the antibiotics used to treat it. The antibiotics that are now employed to fight gonorrhea include ceftriaxone, cefixime, spectinomycin, ciprofloxacin, and ofloxacin; these are often used in combination with each other. As with all bacterial infections, it is vital to complete the entire course of antibiotics that are prescribed, so as to not allow the infection to make a comeback. Refraining from sexual intercourse if you are diagnosed with gonorrhea is only common sense, and you need to have a follow-up visit with your physician before resuming any such activity. Any sexual partners that you had while you were infected should be notified and informed that they should seek treatment even if they do not show any symptoms of the ailment.
There is no existing vaccine against the effects of gonorrhea, but that’s not to say that there is not plenty of research being done in this area. The best way to prevent the disease is to have sexual relations with only one partner, someone who has been tested for the infection and is free of it. Condoms are another way to prevent gonorrhea, as when employed properly they are very effective. Take no chances if you experience any gonorrhea symptoms and have them checked out, even though some of them mimic those of a simple urinary tract infection.
