Gonorrhoea
What is it?
Gonorrhoea, often called the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a bacterium called gonococcus. It's the second most common bacterial STI in the UK - roughly 22,000 people have it.
It can infect the genitals of both men and women, and it can also affect the anus, rectum and throat.
What causes it?
Gonorrhoea is most commonly transmitted by vaginal, oral or anal sex. It can also be passed on from the mouth to the anus and vice versa, as well as being transferred by fingers and shared sex toys.
Who is at risk?
- Gonorrhoea is more common in men, with the diagnoses of males in the UK rising by 8% between 2000 and 2001.
- During 2001 43% of all diagnoses made were in London, but the biggest increases in the infection happened in the West Midlands, where cases rose by up to 24%.
- 42% of all cases in women were among the under-20 age group.
How to avoid it Sexual promiscuity, particularly if unprotected, will greatly increase your chances of getting gonorrhoea. Using a condom correctly provides good protection against the infection.
What are the symptoms? Roughly 10% of infected men and half of all infected women show no symptoms at all. When they do appear, symptoms can take up to 14 days to surface.
In women, symptoms include:
- Unusual vaginal discharge, usually watery, yellowish-green and/or smelly
- Painful or burning sensation when urinating
In men, symptoms include:
- Discharge from the tip of the penis, usually yellow, white or green
- Painful urination
- Inflamed testicles and prostate gland
For both sexes, it's also possible to experience discharge or bleeding from the anus, as well as irritation in that area.
Diagnosis Your local genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic can test you for gonorrhoea. A doctor or nurse will:
- Examine the infected area
- Take swab samples from that area
- Possibly take a urine sample
One sample may be put under the microscope at the clinic, enabling you to get a diagnosis immediately. Another sample will be sent to a laboratory either for diagnosis or to confirm diagnosis. Results should be back within seven days.
Treatment - If gonorrhoea is caught at an early stage, treatment is very simple. It involves a dose of antibiotics, usually taken in tablet form.
- Tests may be taken again at a later stage to confirm that the infection has cleared up.
- You should not have unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex until you have been given the all clear.
Complications If left untreated, gonorrhoea can lead to really serious health problems:
- As with chlamydia, in women it can spread across the reproductive system, resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease. This can lead to pelvic pain, damage to the fallopian tubes, ectopic pregnancy (where the baby starts growing in the fallopian tubes and not the womb)and infertility. The infection can also be passed to babies during birth, which can cause blindness.
- In men it can result in painful inflammation of the testicles and the prostate gland.
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