Gonorrhoea: Causes, Symptoms, Effects & Treatment
Gonorrhoea is one of the sexually transmitted infections which is caused by the bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoea or gonococcus. It can be transmitted through the vagina, oral (use of the mouth for sexual intercourse) or anal sex (sexual activity on the anus) with an infected person. It is one of the dreaded diseases when we talk about sexually transmitted infections.
It is associated with serious pains on the sexual organs of the body and when these pains are noticed, quick steps should be taken to terminate it because it can result in very serious health complication as well as infertility in both, men and women.
Gonorrhoea spreads with the increasing number of sexual activities. The best way to prevent gonorrhea is to practice safe sex with the use of condom although it is not 100% safe. This is why it is advisable to abstain from sexual activities completely until you are ready.
However, the symptoms of gonorrhea vary from one person to another. Most at times, it is not usually noticeable but, in most cases, there are some visual signs after 10 days or months of contacting the infection. So, if you think you might have been infected after having sex, go for medical test to know your gonorrhoea status.
While visiting the doctor be ready to spell out the symptoms you noticed, reveal your sexual life to him, let the doctor make investigations from your previous sexual partners to find out where the source comes from. You can do this by providing their contact numbers.
The worst thing is that a lot of people have contracted gonorrhea and moving about with it without knowing and they don’t care about it. So, by the time the case gets critical they might not have enough time to recover.
Although, men get gonorrhoea more often than women, women face a very high risk of gonorrhea infection than men because it can go as far as destroying sensitive organs in their ovarian part and in their womb. Therefore, you have to handle your sexual life with care or abstain from it completely, and for married couples endeavour to know that both of you are free from gonorrhoea and try to be faithful to one another.
Moreover, statistic shows that every year about 1,500,000 (one million, five hundred) cases of gonorrhoea are being reported.
Causes of Gonorrhoea
- Sexual intercourse through the vagina and the penis with an infected person
- Anal sex with the anus
- Oral sex with the mouth
- Blood transfusion from an infected person
- Mother to child transmission through vaginal delivery.
- Getting in contact with the penis, anus or vagina of infected person
Symptoms of Gonorrhoea in Men
- Pains in the testicles but in rare cases
- Also, pains while urinating
- There is always an unusual colour discharge from the penis usually yellow, white or greenish.
- Skin inflammation or swells on the fore skin.
Symptoms of Gonorrhoea in Women
- The female sufferer experiences a thick coloured discharge from the vagina usually greenish or yellow.
- She experiences bleeding after sex but in rare cases.
- Pains while urinating
- Also pains on the abdomen
- During her period, she experiences heavy flow or bleeding in between periods.
General Effects of Gonorrhoea
- Infected semen and infected vaginal fluid leads to inflammation of the eye (the conjunctivitis)
- Infertility
- It renders the immune system vulnerable to other forms of disease
- Irritation and redness of the skin
- Swellings and inflammation of the joints and tendons
- Inflammation around the brain and spinal cord causing meningitis
- Inflammation of the heart
Effects of Gonorrhoea in Women
- Infection of the vaginal fluid
- It can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women. PID is an infection of the uterus, Fallopian tubes and ovaries caused by bacteria.
- Gonorrhea can cause miscarriage during pregnancy.
- It can lead to premature child delivery
- Gonorrhea can cause conjunctivitis in new born babes
Effects of Gonorrhoea in Men
- It causes infection of the semen
- It causes inflammation of the tube at the back of the testicles which stores and transport sperm.
- It causes swellings and tenderness in the scrotum
- Infection in the rectum
Ways of Preventing Gonorrhoea
The surest way from preventing gonorrhoea is total abstinence from sex especially among unmarried people.
Other ways of preventing gonorrhoea includes
- Safe sexual activities with the use of condoms.
- Being faithful to your partner
- Always be open to your sexual partner
- Go for regular test for STDs
- Avoid sharing of underwears and shavers especially with persons that engage in sexual activities.
Factors that Trigger the Risk of Gonorrhoea
- Age: The risk of gonorrhoea among young people is higher than that in old people
- Already Existing STDs: The risk of gonorrh0ea is also high among those that have existing sexually transmitted diseases. Also, if a person already suffered from gonorrhea he or she faces an increased risk.
- Sex Partners: People that have multiple sex partners face a very high risk of gonorrhea or having sex with someone that have sex with others also having sex with a new sex partner.
Medical Ways to Diagnose Gonorrhoea
The doctor will require a urine sample, or cough (if oral) and take it to the laboratory for examination. The bacteria causing gonorrhoea is usually tested or other sexually transmitted diseases
How to Treat Gonorrhoea
- Use of antibiotics: Antibiotics such as ceftriaxone is injected into the muscle or cefixime, pills and azithromycin should be taken in a single dose.
- Also, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, penicillin is another effective therapy for treating gonorrhea.
Rules
Take full dose of the pills until your recover from it completely
Don’t cut your doses or else it will render the antibiotic useless by causing the bacterium to develop resistance to antibiotics thereby exposes you to a higher risk
Follow up your doctor until total cure is attained.
Always visit your doctor every 6 (six) months for examination.
Natural Foods That Help in Preventing Gonorrhoea And other STIs
- Garlic: Garlic has antibacterial, antifungal and antibacterial properties which help in treating gonorrhea
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon helps to fight inflammation.
- Ginger: Ginger helps to ease inflammation and blocks microbial infections
- Neem: Neem serves as a natural antibacterial, microbicides and pesticides. It helps in stimulating the immune system and offers resistance to infectious disease.
- Turmeric: It helps to offer resistance to inflammation