Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) which at most times may have no symptoms; however, it may still lead to serious complications. This is caused by the Neisseria gonorrhoea bacterium which is passed on through vaginal or oral sexual contact. When experiencing symptoms, those who are affected may experience penile or vaginal discharge (whitish, greenish, or yellowish), burning sensation when urinating, painful sex, painful and swollen joints, swollen lymph nodes, and eye sensitivity, discharge, and pain. Males may have swollen (may be painful) testis while females may have vaginal bleeding. Gonorrhea may also affect the rectum; symptoms include anal itching, discharge, soreness, and bleeding. Also, bowel movements may become painful. The complications include chronic abdominal pain, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and developing a scar tissue which may block the fallopian tubes. Babies of mothers with gonorrhea may become infected during delivery; the infection often affects the eyes. Tests for this STD include urinalysis, throat or rectal swabs (if the person has had oral or anal sex), and male urethra or female cervical swabs. The treatment for gonorrhea is usually antibiotics.