Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection), with the highest rates of infection being in teens and young adults. There is currently an epidemic of this STI in Butte County.
Symptoms:
As with all STIs, symptoms may not be present, but you or your partner may still be infected and infecting others.
Women:- Thick green or yellowish discharge from the vagina.
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding.
- Burning or pain upon urinating or having a bowel movement.
Men:
- Thick green or yellowish discharge from the penis.
- Burning or pain upon urinating.
How it is Spread:
It is a bacteria that thrives in moist and warm areas including the reproductive tract, mouth, throat, eyes and anus, and is spread through sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal, or oral). Ejaculation is not necessary to spread the disease.
Side Effects:
Women:- Transmitted by birth
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).
About one million women each year in the United States develop PID. Women with PID do not necessarily have symptoms. PID can lead to internal abscesses pus-filled pockets that are hard to cure) and long-lasting, chronic pelvic pain. PID can cause damage the fallopian tubes enough to cause infertility or increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition in which a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube.
Men:- Epididymitis, a painful condition of the testicles that can lead to infertility if left untreated.
Gonorrhea can spread to the blood or joints. This condition can be life threatening. In addition, people with gonorrhea can more easily contract HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. HIV-infected people with gonorrhea are more likely to transmit HIV to someone else.
Treatment:
Some antibiotics can successfully treat gonorrhea in teens and adults. Although there are new strains of drug-resistant gonorrhea that have developed in the United States.Gonorrhea is becoming increasingly difficult to treat. Treatment doesnot repair any other damage done by the disease.
How to Avoid:
Abstinence until a single, life-long, committed, and monogomous relationship is the only sure way to avoid being infected. If you are married, stay faithful. If you are sexually active, stop and get tested.
Sources:
Center of Disease Control and Prevention
The Medical Institute
Other Diseases
STDs & STIs OverviewHPV
Gonorrhea
Chlamydia
Genital Herpes
Trichomoniasis
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
HIV/AIDS
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- Common Emotional Effects of Sexual Activity
- Pain from broken relationships
- Fear, confusion about romantic feelings
- Altered self-esteem
- Sense of betrayal and abandonment
- Guilt, depression and emotional roller coaster
- Impaired ability to form healthy long-term relationships