Untreated gonorrhea can cause serious and permanent health problems in both women and men. In women, gonorrhea can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The symptoms may be quite mild or can be very severe and can include abdominal pain and fever 13.
In men, gonorrhea can cause a painful condition in the tubes attached to the testicles, which can, in rare cases, lead to infertility. Rarely, untreated gonorrhea can also spread to your blood or joints. This condition can be life-threatening. Untreated gonorrhea may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV.
an unusual vaginal discharge, which may be thin or watery and green or yellow in colour. pain or a burning sensation when passing urine. pain or tenderness in the lower abdominal area – this is less common. bleeding between periods, heavier periods and bleeding after sex – this is less common.
A person infected with gonorrhea may go up to six months with no signs of infection before more severe signs and symptoms show themselves. Any of the symptoms that present within the first few weeks can easily be mistaken for another type of infection like a vaginal one.
Signs and symptoms of gonorrhea
If your gonorrhea infection does display symptoms, they can show up as soon as 2 days to as long as 30 days after infection.
Gonorrhea symptoms normally show up between 1 and 10 days after you get the infection. Some people don't see any symptoms until after they've had the infection for months. Others -- usually women -- may never have symptoms at all.
With the right treatment, gonorrhea infection can be cured completely.
If gonorrhea remains undetected and undiagnosed for a long period of time, the infection is likely to spread and affect other parts of the body. Patients who have carried the infection for a long time are at risk of complications and may begin to experience gonorrhea symptoms months or even years after infection.
Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. Anyone with genital symptoms such as discharge, burning during urination, unusual sores, or rash should stop having sex and see a health care provider immediately.
In people assigned female at birth, untreated gonorrhea can: Spread to other reproductive organs, including your uterus and fallopian tubes, and cause pelvic inflammatory disease. PID can cause infertility and ectopic pregnancies, which can be life-threatening to the mother (birthing parent) and the baby.
In females, untreated gonorrhea may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is an infection of the fallopian tubes, uterus, and cervix. If left untreated, PID may cause permanent damage to the reproductive tract, which may lead to infertility. It may also lead to long-term pelvic pain.
Complications from untreated gonorrhea include pelvic inflammatory disease or epididymitis. Early treatment can help prevent such complications. Can gonorrhea be dormant for 20 years? No.
In the 1500s, this word referred to a rabbit's nest; due to the active sex lives of rabbits, the name was picked up as a slang term for brothels, a place where people engaged in regular sex and could spread the disease easily. If you had the disease, you had “clapier bubo.” This was eventually shortened to “clap.”
At-home gonorrhea tests are self-collection test kits, which provide the materials needed to gather a sample of urine or a swab from the genitals, throat, rectum, or another site of potential infection. Test results are typically available within a few business days after the laboratory receives the sample.
Both gonorrhea and chlamydia are sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that share a number of similarities. They're both very common STIs (commonly transmitted by having unprotected sex with a sex partner). Their symptoms often resemble each other.
You should know that you can still test positive and negative as a couple when cheating didn't take place. Historically, this has been known as a discordant STI result, and it refers to a situation where a sexually active couple receives different negative and positive diagnoses after taking an STI test.
Symptoms include pain in and around the groin and pelvis, or discomfort when urinating. It may also create flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, body aches, or fatigue.
Most men with gonorrhea don't have any symptoms. If they do get symptoms, they usually show up between 2 and 14 days after having sex with someone who's infected. Symptoms can also show up weeks later. Even without symptoms, if you have gonorrhea and you don't get it treated, it can lead to other health problems.
If treated early, gonorrhoea is unlikely to lead to any complications or long-term problems. However, without treatment, it can spread to other parts of your body and cause serious problems. The more times you have gonorrhoea, the more likely you are to have complications.
Luckily, it can be easily treated. Without treatment, gonorrhea can cause a number of long-term health problems for both women and men. In men, untreated gonorrhea can lead to epididymitis, an inflammation of the tube that carries sperm. Severe epididymitis can result in infertility.
Even though gonorrhea is highly treatable, it will not go away without medication. Gonorrhea cannot be cured without medication. Someone who has gonorrhea will be prescribed antibiotic medication.
Sometimes only one partner will have symptoms, even though both have the disease. That's why notifying your sexual partners about the results of your test is important.