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Libido > STD's >
Gonorrhea (Gonorrhoea)
Gonorrhea is a curable sexually transmitted
disease (STD) caused by a bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhea. These bacteria can infect the genital
tract, the mouth, and the rectum. In women, the
opening (cervix) to the womb (uterus) from the birth
canal is the first place of infection. The disease
however can spread into the womb and fallopian tubes,
resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID
affects more than 1 million women in this country
every year and can cause infertility in as many as 10
percent of infected women and tubal (ectopic)
pregnancy.
Gonorrhea is spread
during sexual intercourse – vaginal, oral, and
anal. People who practice anal intercourse can get
gonorrhea of the rectum. Even women who do not engage
in anal intercourse can get gonorrhea of the rectum
if the bacteria are spread from the vaginal area.
Infected women can
pass gonorrhea to their newborn infants during
delivery, causing eye infections in their babies.
This complication is rare because newborn babies
receive eye medicine to prevent infection. When the
infection occurs in the genital tract, mouth, or
rectum of a child, it is due most commonly to sexual
abuse.
What Are the
Symptoms of Gonorrhea?
The early symptoms of gonorrhea often are
mild. Symptoms usually appear within two to 10 days
after sexual contact with an infected partner. A
small number of people may be infected for several
months without showing symptoms.
When women have
symptoms, the first ones include:
- bleeding
associated with vaginal intercourse;
- a painful or
burning sensation when urinating; and/or
vaginal discharge that is yellow or bloody.
More advanced
symptoms, which indicate development of PID, include
cramps and pain, bleeding between menstrual periods,
vomiting, or fever.
Men have symptoms more
often than women. Symptoms include:
- pus from the
penis and pain, or
- a burning sensation during urination that may be severe.
Symptoms of rectal
infection include discharge, anal itching, and
occasional painful bowel movements with fresh blood
on the faeces.
How is
Gonorrhea Diagnosed?
Doctors or other health care workers usually
use three laboratory techniques to diagnose
gonorrhoea: staining biological samples directly for
the bacterium, detection of bacterial genes or
nucleic acid (DNA) in urine, and growing the bacteria
in laboratory cultures. Many doctors prefer to use
more than one test to increase the chance of an
accurate diagnosis.
The staining test
involves placing a smear of the discharge from the
penis or the cervix on a slide and staining the smear
with a dye. Then the doctor uses a microscope to look
for bacteria on the slide. You usually can get the
test results while in the office or clinic. This test
is quite accurate for men but is not good in women.
Only one in two women with gonorrhea have a positive
stain.
More often, doctors
use urine or cervical swabs for a new test that
detects the genes of the bacteria. These tests are as
accurate or more so than culturing the bacteria, and
many doctors use them.
The culture test
involves placing a sample of the discharge onto a
culture plate and incubating it up to two days to
allow the bacteria to multiply. The sensitivity of
this test depends on the site from which the sample
is taken. Cultures of cervical samples detect
infection approximately 90 percent of the time.
The doctor also can
take a culture to detect gonorrhea in the throat.
Culture allows testing for drug-resistant bacteria.
How is
Gonorrhea Treated?
Doctors usually prescribe a single dose of
one of the following antibiotics to treat gonorrhea:
- Ceftriaxone
- Cefixime
- Ciprofloxacin
- Ofloxacin
If you have gonorrhoea
and are pregnant or are younger than 18 years old,
you should not take ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin. Your
doctor can prescribe the best and safest antibiotic
for you.
Gonorrhea and
chlamydial infection, another common STD, often
infect people at the same time. Therefore, doctors
usually prescribe a combination of antibiotics, such
as ceftriaxone and doxycycline or azithromycin, which
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 of infection.
What Can
Happen if Gonorrhea is Not Treated?
In untreated gonorrhoea infections, the
bacteria can spread up into the reproductive tract,
or more rarely, can spread through the blood stream
and infect the joints, heart valves, or the brain.
The most common result
of untreated gonorrhea is PID, a serious infection of
the female reproductive organs. Gonococcal PID often
appears immediately after the menstrual period. PID
causes scar tissue to form in the fallopian tubes. If
the tube is only partially scarred, the fertilized
egg cannot pass into the uterus. If this happens, the
embryo may implant in the tube causing a tubal
pregnancy. This serious complication results in a
miscarriage and can cause death of the mother.
Rarely, untreated gonorrhea can spread through the
blood to the joints.
If you are infected
with gonorrhea, your risk of getting HIV infection
increases (HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, causes
AIDS). Therefore, it is extremely important for you
to either prevent yourself from getting gonorrhoea or
get treated early if you already are infected with
it.
Can Gonorrhea
Affect a Newborn Baby?
If you are pregnant and have gonorrhoea, you
may give the infection to your baby as it passes
through the birth canal during delivery. A doctor can
prevent infection of your baby's eyes by applying
silver nitrate or other medications to the eyes
immediately after birth. Because of the risks from
gonococcal infection to both you and your baby,
doctors recommend that pregnant women have at least
one test for gonorrhea during pregnancy.
How Can I
Prevent Getting Infected With Gonorrhea?
By using male latex condoms correctly and
consistently during vaginal or rectal sexual
activity, you can reduce your risk of getting
gonorrhea and its complications.
Buy and Use Condoms - Cover your stump before you hump!!
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