A Note on Gonorrhea

One of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world is known as gonorrhea. The possible reason for this is the effort of nonprofit organizations and governmental institutions to make people aware about various sexually transmitted diseases. The most critical aspect of a sexually transmitted disease is that a person cannot truly spot or seek treatment unless he or she knows what to look for. This is precisely why most people should know about such common sexually transmitted diseases. The following are some details pertaining to gonorrhea.

What is gonorrhea?

As mentioned above, gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease that is particularly well known amongst the masses because of the endeavors of various governmental and nongovernmental organizations. The disease is caused by a bacterium known as Neisseria Gonorrhoeae. Neisseria Gonorrhoeae can particularly grow and multiply in locations where there is warmth and a lot of moisture. As a result of its affinity to such conditions, this bacterium infects reproductive regions of the human body.

What is the process of contracting gonorrhea?

There are four ways that gonorrhea can spread from one person to another. These are contact with four parts of the body, namely mouth, vagina, penis and anus. The reason why this disease is so particularly common amongst the masses is that it does not require ejaculation to spread. This means that a person can get this disease from another sufferer by just physical contact with any of the body parts mentioned above. In addition to these situations, a pregnant mother can also end up giving the disease to her child. Like all types of sexually transmitted diseases, the risks of contracting gonorrhea increase if a person is in the habit of multiple sexual partners. Even so, statistics seem to suggest that the young and African Americans are more susceptible to contracting this disease.

What symptoms are there?

Unfortunately, gonorrhea falls in the category of sexually transmitted diseases that do not have overt or prominent symptoms. This means that, whether the infected person is a man or a woman, it is hard for him or her to realize that infection has occurred. Even so, when symptoms do occur, they occur differently for men and women.

A man suffering from gonorrhea, if he gets symptoms, would feel a burning sensation during the process of urination and may even see abnormal yellow, green or white discharge from the penis. Rarely, the symptoms become more prominent and result in painful and swollen testicles. In women, if symptoms show up, they are a burning sensation during urination, more than normal vaginal discharge and even abnormal vaginal bleeding.

How is gonorrhea treated?

Gonorrhea has the potential to cause infertility in both men and women, which is why it should be treated immediately. The treatment for gonorrhea itself is extremely simple in that proper dosages of antibiotics are required. However, it is worth noting that drug resistant strains of gonorrhea are becoming more widespread, and the treatment of patients with such strains is particularly complex and difficult.