Article title: Gonorrhea: NWHIC
Conditions: Gonorrhea
Source: NWHIC
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What is
gonorrhea?
What
are the symptoms of gonorrhea?
What is the treatment for
gonorrhea?
What
complications of gonorrhea may occur?
What is the risk of
gonorrhea to a pregnant woman?
What are some preventive
measures for gonorrhea?
See also...
Gonorrhea is caused by the gonococcus, a bacterium that grows and multiplies quickly in moist, warm areas of the body such as the cervix, urethra, mouth, or rectum. In women, the cervix is the most common site of infection. However, the disease can spread to the uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes, resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID); this can cause infertility and ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. Gonorrhea is most commonly spread during genital contact, but it can also be passed from the genitals of one partner to the throat of the other during oral sex (pharyngeal gonorrhea). Gonorrhea of the rectum can occur in people who practice anal intercourse and may also occur in women due to spread of the infection from the vaginal area.
The early symptoms of gonorrhea often are mild, and most women who are infected have no symptoms of the disease. If symptoms of gonorrhea develop, they usually appear within 2 to 10 days after sexual contact with an infected partner, although a small percentage of patients may be infected for several months without showing symptoms. The initial symptoms in women include a painful or burning sensation when urinating or an abnormal vaginal discharge. More advanced symptoms, which indicate progression to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), include abdominal pain, bleeding between menstrual periods, vomiting, or fever. Symptoms of rectal infection include discharge, anal itching, and sometimes painful bowel movements.
Ampicillin, amoxicillin, or some type of penicillin used to be recommended for the treatment of gonorrhea. Because penicillin-resistant gonorrhea is increasing, other antibiotics that are given by injection such as ceftriazone or spectinomycin now are used to treat most gonoccal infections. Other new antibiotics can be taken by mouth.
Gonorrhea often occurs together with chlamydial infection, another common sexually transmitted disease (STD). Therefore, doctors usually prescribe a combination of antibiotics, such as ceftriazone and doxycycline, to treat both diseases. All sex partners of a person with gonorrhea should be tested and treated appropriately, even if they do not have symptoms of infection.
If gonorrhea is not treated, the bacteria can spread to the bloodstream and infect the joints, heart valves, or the brain. The most common consequence of gonorrhea, however, is PID, a serious infection of the female reproductive organs that occurs in an estimated 1 million American women each year. PID can scar or damage cells lining the fallopian tubes, resulting in infertility in as many as 10 percent of women affected. In others, the damage prevents the proper passage of the fertilized egg into the uterus. If this happens, the egg may implant in the tube; this is called an ectopic or tubal pregnancy and is life-threatening to the mother if not detected early.
An infected woman who is pregnant may give the infection to her infant as the baby passes through the birth canal during delivery. Most states require that the eyes of newborns be treated with silver nitrate or other medication immediately after birth to prevent gonococcal infection of the eyes, which can lead to blindness. Because of the risk of gonococcal infection to both mother and child, doctors recommend that a pregnant woman have at least one test for gonorrhea during her pregnancy. Women who are pregnant should not take doxylcycline and usually are given an alternative antibiotic such as erythromycin.
Because gonorrhea is highly contagious and yet may cause no symptoms, all men and women who have sexual contact with more than one partner should be tested regularly for the disease. Using condoms (rubbers) during sexual intercourse is very effective in preventing the spread of infection. Diaphragms may also reduce the risk of transmission. Constant awareness and precautions are necessary because a person who has once contracted the disease does not become immune--many people acquire gonorrhea more than once.
You can find out more about gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases by contacting the following organizations:
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of Communications, NIAID
Office of Population Affairs Clearinghouse
This information was abstracted from fact sheets prepared by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
All material contained in the FAQs is free of copyright restrictions, and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services; citation of the sources is appreciated.
Publication date: 1998
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