Gonorrhea - Symptoms, causes and treatment

Gonorrhea or GOnorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease. in men, gonorrheawill cause symptoms in the form of discharge of pus from the penis. In addition, people with gonorrhea will feel pain when urinating.

In contrast to gonorrhea in men, if it occurs in women, gonorrhea can cause no symptoms. Gonorrhea can be cured in a few days, if given proper and prompt treatment.

Causes of Gonorrhea

The cause of gonorrhea is a bacterial infection Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This bacterium is most commonly transmitted through sexual intercourse, including oral sex and anal sex. A person is more susceptible to gonorrhea if they often change sex partners or work as sex workers.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea can occur in both men and women, but the symptoms that appear in men and women are different. The main symptoms of gonorrhea that appear in men are pus discharge from the penis and pain when urinating. While in women, gonorrhea often does not cause symptoms.

In addition, gonorrhea can also occur in infants due to infection from the mother during the delivery process. Babies affected by gonorrhea will experience eye complaints.

Gonorrhea Diagnosis

To diagnose gonorrhea, the doctor will ask about sexual activity and perform a physical exam. If necessary, the doctor will also take samples of the patient's body fluids, especially fluids from the vagina, penis and rectum. This fluid will be taken to a laboratory for examination.

Gonorrhea Treatment

The main treatment for gonorrhea is antibiotics, because the disease is caused by a bacterial infection. Keep in mind that it is not only the patient who needs to be treated, but the sexual partner of the patient also needs to be treated, because they are most likely to also suffer from gonorrhea. After recovering from gonorrhea, it is possible for someone to get gonorrhea again.

Gonorrhea Complications

Gonorrhea that is not treated properly can lead to complications. Women are more prone to complications of gonorrhea than men. Complications of gonorrhea that can appear in men are epididymitis and ulcers in the urinary tract.

Meanwhile, complications of gonorrhea that can appear in women are pelvic inflammatory disease and obstruction of the fallopian tubes. This condition can trigger a grape pregnancy or an ectopic pregnancy.

Gonorrhea Prevention

This disease is transmitted through sexual intercourse, including oral or anal sex. Therefore, the way to prevent this disease is to have safe sex, namely by using condoms, both male and female condoms, or not changing partners.