Gonorrhea remains a sexually transmitted disease that continues to affect millions of people all over the world. Each year, nearly three-quarters of a million people across the globe contract gonorrhea.
Some might contract the gonorrhea germ and are not even aware they have been infected. Now, they will likely notice the symptoms because they are so severe. However, they might not realize the symptoms are associated with the specific condition of gonorrhea.
Shedding a little light on the symptoms can help those suffering from the problem be able to quickly recognize it and seek immediate medical attention.
How Gonorrhea Spreads
Before mentioning the common symptoms of this disease, it is necessary to point out how it is spread. When a person is able to connect specific symptoms with specific activities, then it might become easier to make the connection between the two.
The common way gonorrhea is spread is through sexual activity. Vaginal, anal, and oral sex can spread this disease along with other STDs. Basically, if you begin to notice the common symptoms of gonorrhea showing up after a bout of sexual activity, then you would be best served having an STD screening performed since the chances you have come down with gonorrhea or another sexually transmitted disease is possible.
Both men and women may suffer from organ damage if gonorrhea continues to spread untreated. If there are no obvious signs of infection, then it is likely the infected person will not seek medical care. Hence, the disease continues to wreck havoc on the body.
The Difference between Gonorrhea Symptoms In Men And Women
It also bears mentioning that there may be some differences between how the symptoms show up in men vs. how they show up in women. Of course, there will be some similarities between men and women as far as the symptoms that emerge, but differences do exist as well.
The Main Gonorrhea Symptoms That Emerge In Those Who Have Been Affected By The Disease
The most common symptom in men would be a very painful, burning sensation during urination. This can be combined with a grotesque white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis. The testicles may also swell up and suffer from pain.
Surprisingly, women do not always show any symptoms. The symptoms that do occur in women can be very minor and attributed to another condition. That said, the disease can still cause major problems to women and could even lead to sterility.
The symptoms women experience would also be painful urination and discharge. Excess bleeding in between periods is also a possibility.
The symptoms of rectal infections would be the same among both men and women. Discharge, painful bowel movements, and bleeding would be common symptoms. Rectal infections also might not show any symptoms whatsoever.
Infections of the throat rarely show any symptoms. The most common symptom of a gonorrhea infection of the throat would be soreness.
The specific serious condition women may face when gonorrhea spreads would be pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is a disease that is the result of the gonorrhea reaching the uterus or fallopian tubes. One of the effects of this infection would be, as previously mentioned, sterility.
The Time Period Required For The Symptoms To Show Up
It may be possible for gonorrhea symptoms to show up within two to five days after first exposure. In some instances, the symptoms may not show up for one full month. In rare instances, the symptoms may never show up at all.
Even though there may not be any symptoms present, the disease is still there and may be causing internal problems. Also, the disease will be able to spread to others even though obvious symptoms are not present.
What To Do If No Symptoms Are Present
The best solution when no gonorrhea symptoms are present would be to simply have an STD screening performed at least once a year or when you feel you may have been exposed. A proper screening with reveal the presence of any STDs in the body.
This would include gonorrhea as well as any other serious disease that has been contracted such as herpes, chlamydia, syphilis and the like.
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