Gonorrhea
- Gonorrhea is an important preventable cause of infertility.
- Gonorrhea can also cause fallopian tube that may cause permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, which can lead to infertility.
- In the United States, an estimated 6 million new cases of gonorrhea infections occurred annually.
- CDC recommends annual chlamydia and gonorrhea screening of all sexually active women younger than 25 years, as well as older women with risk.
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can infect both men and women and is spread by having sex with someone who has gonorrhea. This can happen if you have unprotected sex. Anyone who has sex can get gonorrhea through unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex. However, sexually active young people are at a higher risk of getting gonorrhea.
Factors that increase the risk of getting gonorrhea:
- Having a new sex partner
- Having more than one sex partner
- Having a sex partner who has more than one sex partner
- Having sex with someone who has an STI
- Having an STI now or in the past
- Not using condoms consistently when not in a mutually monogamous relationship
Most people who have gonorrhea have no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with an infected partner. Even when gonorrhea causes no symptoms, it can damage your reproductive system.
Symptoms
- An abnormal vaginal discharge
- Painful, frequent, and burning sensation when urinating
- New onset of abnormal bleeding, bleeding between periods
- Bleeding with intercourse
If you are a sexually active woman younger than 25 years, you should get a test for gonorrhea every year. If you are an older woman with risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners, or a sex partner who has an STD, you should get a test for gonorrhea every year.
Have an honest and open talk with your health care provider. You should be examined by your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms or if your partner has an STD or symptoms of an STD.
Lower your chances of getting gonorrhea
- Abstinence, you cannot get an infection if you are not exposed.
- Be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and has negative STD test results.
- Know your sexual partners—the more partners you or your partners have, the higher your risk of getting an STI.
- Use latex condoms the right way every time you have sex.
treatment
Yes, gonorrhea can be cured with the right antibiotic treatment, but you should follow your doctor’s instructions.
- If prescribed,a single dose of medication, you should wait seven days after taking the medicine before having sex. If prescribed a medicine for you to take for seven days, you should wait until you have taken all of the doses before having sex.
- It is important that you take all of the medication your doctor prescribes to cure your infection. When taken properly it will stop the infection and could decrease your chances of having complications later.
- You should not have sex again until you and your sex partner(s) have completed treatment.
- You should be tested again about three months after you are treated, even if your sex partner(s) was treated.
Infertility
Gonorrhea is a preventable cause of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility. Untreated, about 10-15% of women with gonorrhea will develop PID. Gonorrhea can also cause fallopian tube infections without any symptoms. PID and “silent” infections in the upper genital tract may cause permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and surrounding tissues.
In woman, untreated gonorrhea or having multiple gonorrheal infections increases a woman’s risk of serious reproductive health complications. Infections can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes (tubes that carry fertilized eggs from the ovaries to the uterus) causing a condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which can cause infertility and increases a women’s risk of an ectopic pregnancy.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
There are no tests for PID. A diagnosis is usually based on a combination of your medical history, physical exam, and other test results. You may not realize you have PID because your symptoms may be mild, or you may not experience any symptoms. However, if you do have symptoms, you may notice
- Pain in your lower abdomen
- Fever
- An unusual discharge with a bad odor from your vagina
- Pain and/or bleeding when you have sex
- Burning sensation when you urinate
- Bleeding between periods.
You should
- Be examined by your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms
- Promptly see a doctor if you think you or your sex partner(s) have or were exposed to an STD
- Promptly see a doctor if you have any genital symptoms such as an unusual sore, a smelly discharge, burning when peeing, or bleeding between periods
If PID is diagnosed early, it can be treated. However, treatment won’t undo any damage that has already happened to your reproductive system. The longer you wait to get treated, the more likely it is that you will have complications from PID.