What is Gonorrhea?
Also called the "clap" or "drip," gonorrhea is a contagious disease transmitted most often through sexual contact with an infected person. Gonorrhea may also be spread by contact with infected bodily fluids, so that a mother could pass on the infection to her newborn during childbirth. Both men and women can get gonorrhea. The infection is easily spread and occurs most often in people who have many sex partners.
What Causes Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in mucus membranes of the body. Gonorrhea bacteria can grow in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body) in women and men. The bacteria can also grow in the mouth, throat, and anus.
How Common Is Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is the second most common infectious disease in the U.S. There were almost 337,000 reported cases of gonorrhea in the U.S. in 2008, a slight decline from the previous year. The largest number of reported cases that year was among girls between the ages of 15 and 19.
How Do I Know If I Have Gonorrhea?
Not all people infected with gonorrhea have symptoms, so knowing when to seek treatment can be tricky. When symptoms do occur, they are often within two to 10 days after exposure, but can take up to 30 days and include the following:
Gonorrhea symptoms in women
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the vagina
Lower ab dominal or pelvic pain
Burning when urinating
Conjunctivitis (red, itchy eyes)
Bleeding between periods
Spotting after intercourse
Swelling of the vulva (vulvitis)
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In some women, symptoms are so mild that they escape unnoticed.
Many women with gonorrhea discharge think they have a yeast infection and self-treat with over-the-counter yeast infection drug. Because vaginal discharge can be a sign of a number of different problems, it is best to always seek the advice of a doctor to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
What Causes Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in mucus membranes of the body. Gonorrhea bacteria can grow in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body) in women and men. The bacteria can also grow in the mouth, throat, and anus.
How Common Is Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is the second most common infectious disease in the U.S. There were almost 337,000 reported cases of gonorrhea in the U.S. in 2008, a slight decline from the previous year. The largest number of reported cases that year was among girls between the ages of 15 and 19.
How Do I Know If I Have Gonorrhea?
Not all people infected with gonorrhea have symptoms, so knowing when to seek treatment can be tricky. When symptoms do occur, they are often within two to 10 days after exposure, but can take up to 30 days and include the following:
Gonorrhea symptoms in women
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the vagina
Lower ab dominal or pelvic pain
Burning when urinating
Conjunctivitis (red, itchy eyes)
Bleeding between periods
Spotting after intercourse
Swelling of the vulva (vulvitis)
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In some women, symptoms are so mild that they escape unnoticed.
Many women with gonorrhea discharge think they have a yeast infection and self-treat with over-the-counter yeast infection drug. Because vaginal discharge can be a sign of a number of different problems, it is best to always seek the advice of a doctor to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
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