Gonorrhoea, or the clap, is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that stems from a bacterial infection. Gonorrhoea can affect both men and women and is transmitted through having anal, oral, or vaginal sex with someone. It spreads when infected sexual fluids pass from one partner to another.
Like many other sexually transmitted diseases, gonorrhoea doesn’t always manifest with symptoms. This makes gonorrhoea a very contagious and widespread condition because people often continue having sex when they have gonorrhoea because they don’t know they’re infected. While gonorrhoea is curable, seeking medical attention is important to receive treatment.
Gonorrhoea can be tough to detect in people because it doesn’t always result in physical symptoms. This is especially true in the early stages of the disease, soon after you become infected. However, if your condition results in symptoms, they will typically include the following.
In addition to symptoms around the reproductive organs, gonorrhoea can also display symptoms in other body parts. Someone with this STD can experience pain, swelling, a rash, or soreness around the eyes, rectum, joints, and throat.
As you can see, many of the symptoms of gonorrhoea are painful and uncomfortable. Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to your body and note any irregularities so that you can seek a diagnosis and treatment for gonorrhoea.
As an STD, gonorrhoea is contracted and spread through having sexual relations with an infected partner who’s carrying a bacteria known as Neisseria gonorrhoea. Infection happens when the infected person’s sexual fluids come into contact with another person’s mouth, penis, or vagina. While anyone can get gonorrhoea, there are risk factors that increase your chances of contraction.
Aside from chlamydia, gonorrhoea is the most common STD in the world. You won’t get gonorrhoea unless you have one of the risk factors above. Because gonorrhoea can lead to infertility in both men and women and increases your risk of HIV/AIDS, it’s important to have your gonorrhoea diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
To diagnose gonorrhoea, your doctor will start with a health history and by evaluating your symptoms. If you’re displaying symptoms of gonorrhoea and have at least one of the risk factors above, additional testing will be necessary, including the following.
A Urine Test to check for infected bacteria.
A Swab Test of the penis, vagina, rectum, or throat to check for the presence of bacteria.
A Pelvic Exam to take a fluid sample for further testing.
By using one or more of these methods, your doctor can easily determine whether or not you have gonorrhoea.
Fortunately, gonorrhoea is a very treatable condition as long as you get it diagnosed by a medical professional. Antibiotics are the best and only treatment available for gonorrhoea, and it typically results in a complete recovery. Antibiotics are given either orally or via an injection, depending on your preferences and whether or not you have allergies.
It’s important to abstain from sexual relations for several weeks if you have gonorrhoea until you test negative for the bacteria. To prevent gonorrhoea, you should always engage in safe sex and limit the number of partners you have.