Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted disease, but did you know that it can be spread from the mouth and even the eyes? In order to protect yourself from this bacteria based disease, you need to understand the causes and symptoms. However, if you already have the disease, you will also need to learn about the methods of treatment. Let’s take a closer look at the causes, symptoms and treatments of gonorrhea.
Causes
Gonorrhea is sexually transmitted and the bacteria can be transferred from the penis, vagina, anus, mouth and even the eyes. The bacteria thrives in warm, moist places, which means the reproductive organs can be a breeding ground once gonorrhea is transmitted. Those that have unprotected sex, have multiple partners (or a partner that has had multiple partners) or those that use drugs and alcohol are more likely to catch the disease.
Symptoms
The symptoms of gonorrhea for men and women can be very different from each other and can take 2-5 days to after transmission to appear. Unfortunately, there are other cases where there might not be any symptoms at all. For men that experience symptoms, the symptoms may include: irritation while urinating, increased need to urinate, a discharge from the penis, inflamed urethra, sore throat and tender testicles. The symptoms for women may include some of the same symptoms include irritation while urinating, increased need to urinate and a discharge from the vagina. However, women may also experience painful intercourse, pain around the reproductive organs and a fever.
Treatments
Thankfully, gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease that can be cured. Your doctor will want to run tests to determine that you are indeed suffering from gonorrhea and to determine if you contracted any other STDs. The treatment is as simple as taking a prescribed antibiotic and you will need to visit the doctor a week after starting treatment to make sure the disease was treated. While being treated, you are not to have sexual intercourse. Those given a single dose treatment should wait at least a week before having sex and only after their partner has received treatment.
Gonorrhea can be an irritating disease, but thankfully it is treatable. However, it’s important that you get treated immediately and make sure your partner(s) also get treated. You may even have to get treated for other STDs. Last, but not least, you must refrain from having sexual intercourse while being treated or risk keeping the disease or passing it on to someone else.
About the Author: Sharlene Vancott is a health specialist who feels it is important to take time to inform the general populat about common diseases and conditions. She enjoys reading sites like YeastInfection.org and others so that she can keep up with current information regarding disorders and treatments and share that information with others.
