Gonorrhoea can be spread during vaginal,
anal, or oral sex.
If you have had gonorrhoea and were
treated, you can still get infected again through unprotected sex with someone
with gonorrhoea.
Gonorrhea can also be spread perinatally from mother to baby during childbirth.
Gonorrhoea may have no symptoms and the
infection can linger in the body for weeks or months before being discovered.
For those who develop symptoms, these typically
appear about 1– 14 days after sex.
Common symptoms of gonorrhoea:
•
Women may complain of vaginal
discharge, lower abdominal pain, pain during sex. These symptoms are often very mild and may be mistaken for
urinary tract infection or bacterial vaginosis •
Men may complain of white, yellow or green discharge
from the penis, burning sensation when urinating, tingling or testicular pain
and swelling
•
Symptoms of rectal infection in
both men and women may include discharge, anal itching, soreness, bleeding, or
painful bowel movements
•
Throat infection commonly has no symptoms or presents as a sore throat
Polymerase chain reaction (
PCR) or Nucleic acid amplification tests (
NAAT/NAT) are the most sensitive tests and suitable for self-collected vaginal swabs or urine-based screening. Tests may be done on:
• A urine sample
• A swab of the cervix, vagina, or urethra
An alternative test is a bacterial culture from a swab of the cervix, vagina, or urethra.
Cross Street Medical offers gonorrhoea screening tests. Speak to our doctors today about what you may need. Female doctors are available by appointment. We ensure patient privacy and confidentiality for all discussions, tests and treatments.
In men, gonorrhoea causes inflammation of the urethra (urethritis), epididymis (epididymitis) and prostate gland.
A rare complication is infertility. Gonorrhoea may also increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.
In women, gonorrhoea causes pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Complications of PID are infertility, ectopic pregnancy and long-term pelvic/abdominal pain.
If gonnorrhoea is left untreated, it can spread into the blood to become disseminated gonoccocal infection (DGI). DGI leads to skin pustules or petechia, septic arthritis, meningitis, or endocarditis. This may occur in women and men, and can be life-threatening.
Untreated gonorrhoea may also increase a person’s risk of
HIV infection.
Since 2015, the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend treatment with two antibiotics (to prevent antibiotic resistance).
No follow-up testing for gonorrhoea is recommended.
For positive cases, other sexually transmitted diseases/infections such as
chlamydia,
syphilis, and
HIV should be
tested.
Furthermore, all sexual partners (within 60 days of the onset of symptoms) should be
screened for gonorrhoea and treated.
Cross Street Medical offers all relevant treatments for gonorrhoea. Speak to our doctors today about what you may need. Female doctors are available by appointment. We ensure patient privacy and confidentiality for all discussions, tests and treatments.