Gonorrhoea

Also called the "clap" or "drip", gonorrhoea is a contagious disease transmitted most often through sexual contact with an infected person. Gonorrhoea may also be spread by contact with infected bodily fluids, so that a mother could pass on the infection to her newborn during childbirth. Both men and women can get gonorrhoea. The infection is easily spread and occurs most often in people who have many sexual partners.

What causes gonorrhoea?

Gonorrhoea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the mucus membranes of the body. Gonorrhoea bacteria can grow in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening of the womb), uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body) in women and men. The bacteria can also grow in the mouth, throat and anus.

How common is gonorrhoea?

Gonorrhoea is the second most common  sexually transmitted infection in the UK, with over 19,000 cases reported in 2006.  The highest rates of infection are usually found in 15 to 19-year-old women and 20 to 24-year-old men.

How do I know if I have gonorrhoea?

Not all people infected with gonorrhoea have symptoms, so knowing when to seek treatment can be tricky. When symptoms do occur, they often appear from two to ten days after exposure, but can take up to 30 days and include the following:

Gonorrhoea symptoms in women

• Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the vagina
• Lower abdominal or pelvic pain
• Burning when urinating
• Conjunctivitis (red, itchy eyes)
• Bleeding between periods
• Spotting after intercourse
• Swelling of the vulva (vulvitis)
• Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
• Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)

In some women, symptoms are so mild that they go unnoticed.

Many women with gonorrhoea discharge think they have a yeast infection and self-treat with medications purchased over-the-counter. Because vaginal discharge can be a sign of a number of different problems, it is best to always seek the advice of a doctor to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.

Gonorrhoea symptoms in men

• Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the penis
• Burning when urinating
• Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
• Painful or swollen testicles
• Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)

In men, symptoms usually appear five to seven  days after infection.

How Is gonorrhoea diagnosed?

Your doctor will use a swab to take a sample of fluid from the urethra in men or from the cervix in women. The specimen will then be sent to a laboratory to be analysed. You also may be given a throat or anal culture to see if the infection is in your throat or anus. There are other tests which check a urine sample for the presence of the bacteria. You may need to wait for several days for your tests to come back from the lab.

Gonorrhoea and chlamydia, another common sexually transmitted disease, often occur together, so you may be tested and treated for both.