Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a type of bacterial infection transmitted through oral, anal, or vaginal sex with someone who is infected. Symptoms vary in men and women, but tend to include some type of discharge and pain. Gonorrhea is generally treated with a course of antibiotics. If left untreated, the bacteria can spread into the reproductive tract or, in rare cases, into the bloodstream and infect the joints, heart valves, or brain.

 

Gonorrhea: An Introduction

Gonorrhea is a curable sexually transmitted disease (STD). People can get gonorrhea by having oral, anal, or vaginal sex with someone who has the infection.
 

Cause of Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is caused by a bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae that can grow in warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, like the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes in women, as well as in the urethra in both men and women. Gonorrhea can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus in men and women.
 

How Is Gonorrhea Spread?

Gonorrhea transmission can occur through contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus. It can also be spread from mother to baby during a vaginal delivery. It is important to note that any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. In the United States, the highest reported rates of infection are among sexually active teenagers, young adults, and African Americans.
 

Symptoms of Gonorrhea

In most cases, men will have signs and symptoms of gonorrhea more often than women. Gonorrhea symptoms in men may include:
 
  • White, yellow, or green pus from the penis with pain
  • Burning sensations during urination
  • Swollen testicles.
 
Gonorrhea symptoms in women may include:
 
  • Bleeding associated with vaginal intercourse
  • Painful or burning sensations when urinating
  • Yellow or bloody vaginal discharge.
 
For women, early symptoms of gonorrhea are often mild.
 

Diagnosing Gonorrhea

There are three laboratory tests that doctors use when diagnosing gonorrhea. These tests include:
 
  • Gram stain
  • Gene detection
  • Lab culture.
 
The staining sample test works better when diagnosing gonorrhea in men than in women, and the gene test is more accurate than culturing the bacteria. Only 1 in 2 women with gonorrhea will have a positive Gram stain.
 

Treating Gonorrhea

Antibiotics are generally used to treat gonorrhea. It is important to take all of the medication prescribed for gonorrhea treatment. Although medication will stop the infection, it will not repair any permanent damage done by the infection.
 

Complications Related to Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea infections that are left untreated can develop into serious life-threatening complications. If left untreated, the bacteria from gonorrhea infections can spread into the reproductive tract or, more rarely, can spread into the bloodstream and infect the joints, heart valves, or the brain.
 
In women, the opening to the uterus (the cervix) is the first place to be infected by gonorrhea. The disease can then spread into the uterus and fallopian tubes, resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID affects more than 1 million women in this country every year and can cause tubal (ectopic) pregnancy and infertility in as many as 10 percent of infected women.
 
Gonorrhea complications in men can include epididymitis, which is a painful condition of the testicles that can lead to infertility if left untreated.
 
(Click Gonorrhea and Pregnancy for more information about PID and tubal pregnancies related to this condition.)
 

Statistics on Gonorrhea

In 2002, 351,852 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the United States, approximately 75 percent of all reported cases are found in people who are 15 to 29 years of age. The highest rates of infection are usually found in women who are 15 to 19 years of age and in men who are 20 to 24 years of age.
 
(Click Gonorrhea Statistics for more statistics about gonorrhea.)
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD