Symptoms of Gonorrhea

If exposed to gonorrhea, it can take anywhere from ten days to up to thirty days for any symptoms to show (WebMD, 2016) but many people who carry the infections experience no symptoms at all (CDC, 2015). A person of any gender can develop the infection in the eyes, rectum or throat through unprotected anal or oral sex. If the rectum is infected, symptoms can include pain, discharge, or discomfort such as itchiness (Planned Parenthood, 2014) . A gonorrhea infection in the eyes can cause discharge, swelling, irritation, or pain while an infection of the throat usually comes with no symptoms (NHS, 2015) but a person affected could experience a sore throat or redness in the throat and mouth area (American Sexual Health Association, 2016). Gonorrhea symptoms sometimes are only mild and appear only in the morning, particularly for men. This can be contributing factor as to why someone may not know they have a gonorrhea infection (Planned Parenthood, 2014).

Gonorrhea Symptoms in Women

It can be common for women who have a gonorrhea infection to think that they have a yeast infection instead (WebMD, 2016). There are a number of symptoms that gonorrhea can give women. These symptoms can range in severity and not all women will experience every symptom, if they experience any at all. Common signs of infection can include:

• Vulvar swelling (Smith, 2015)
• Burning or pain when peeing (American Sexual Health Association, 2016)
• Painful bowel movements (American Sexual Health Association, 2016)
• Bleeding between menstrual periods (Planned Parenthood, 2014)
• Unusual vaginal discharge that may be green or yellow in color (NHS, 2015)
• Increased need to urinate (Stoppler, 2016)
• Pain in lower abdomen (Health Bridge Limited, 2016)
• Fever (Kiefer, 2015)

Gonorrhea Symptoms in Men

Only around one in ten men who have gonorrhea experience symptoms. As with women, the symptoms for men can range from mild to severe. Common signs of infection can include:

• Burning while urinating (WebMD, 2016)
• Greater need to urinate (Kiefer, 2015)
• White or cloudy discharge from the penis (Smith, 2015)
• Pain or tenderness in the testicles (NHS, 2015)
• Swelling or redness at the opening of the penis (Kiefer, 2015)

Be Safe, Get Tested Regularly!

It is important to keep you and any partners you have safe by practicing safe sex and getting regular sexually transmitted infections screenings. If left untreated, there are some serious and potentially life threatening complications of gonorrhea. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important that you see your medical professional immediately and be tested. If a positive test result comes back, there is treatment plans for gonorrhea. Keep yourself healthy by making regular STI screenings part of your normal health regime!