Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease that affects the reproductive system of men and women. In female subjects it can affect the uterus, cervix and fallopian tubes and compromise the urethra (the channel that connects the urinary bladder with the outside) regardless of gender. It can also harm the throat, eyes, mouth and anus. Even if it does not disappear spontaneously, it can be treated and recovered by resorting to appropriate medical therapies.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Identifying Gonorrhea
Step 1. Remember that anyone who has an active sex life can get this disease
If you have recently had sexual intercourse, you may be infected. However, there is a higher incidence among sexually active adolescents and young people.
Step 2. Learn about symptoms in men
They include burning or pain when urinating, traces of blood in the urine, discharge from the penis (white, yellowish or greenish), swollen, painful and red glans, sensitive or swollen testicles. Frequent urination and sore throat are also part of the symptoms.
Step 3. Learn about symptoms in women
They can be milder and are easily confused with those of other infections. The only way to distinguish them is to undergo serological tests (specific detection of antibodies) and cultures (taking a sample of the infected area to identify which microorganism has affected it).
Symptoms in women include: vaginal discharge (sometimes a sweet yeasty smell), burning and / or pain when urinating, frequent urination, sore throat, pain during intercourse, fever, and severe pain in the lower abdomen if the infection spreads to the fallopian tubes
Step 4. Identify the symptoms of gonorrhea
They can appear within 2-10 days of infection, or nearly 30 days in males. In most cases, no signs or symptoms occur: in 20% of infected men and 80% of infected women they do not show clearly. The symptoms are likely to be inaccurate, so if you suspect you have gonorrhea, see your doctor.
Step 5. Be aware that gonorrhea must be treated under medical supervision
If left untreated, it can cause serious health problems, including chronic pain and infertility in both men and women. Basically, if not treated, it can spread to the blood and joints and threaten the life of the person who contracted it.
On the other hand, if antibiotic therapy is followed, the symptoms disappear
Part 2 of 2: Treating Gonorrhea
Step 1. Do not avoid treating yourself thinking that the infection will disappear spontaneously
Left untreated, gonorrhea causes serious health problems. Both men and women can develop a condition known as disseminated gonorrhea. Bacteria enter the bloodstream and spread to the skin and joints. This infectious state involves fever, maculopapular rashes (small, painful, circular lesions that run from the neck down) and severe joint pain.
- In women, complications related to gonorrhea include inflammation of the fallopian tubes that result in pelvic inflammatory disease (severe pain in the lower abdomen). This inflammatory state can favor the formation of important scars within the area causing infertility or further complications during pregnancy. In addition, if the inflammation of the pelvis is not treated, it can increase the risk of an ectopic pregnancy (a pathological condition in which the nesting of the egg occurs outside the uterus).
- In men, a disease called epididymitis can develop. It causes testicular pain and ultimately infertility.
Step 2. Be aware that, if left untreated, gonorrhea can increase the risk of HIV infection
The causative agent of this disease (Neisser's gonococcus) contains proteins that allow HIV to replicate faster, increasing the likelihood of contracting this virus. HIV-negative people who have contracted gonorrhea are five times more likely to become HIV-positive.
Do not have sex until you are cured, otherwise you could pass the bacterium on to someone else. Tell the partners you've had sex with and invite them to undergo tests and possibly seek treatment, as gonorrhea can be asymptomatic in the early stages
Step 3. Contact the nearest hospital or see your doctor
Explain your situation. Your doctor or nurse may ask you the following questions: "When was the last time you had sex? Did you have oral, anal or vaginal sex? How many partners do you have? Do you protect yourself?" Gonorrhea is a disease that can spread through sexual activity. The more sexually active the partners, the higher the risk.
- Take a sip of water before you go to the studio. Your doctor will order urinalysis to look for any white blood cells (immune cells), traces of blood, or any indication of infection.
- If you are a woman, she may prescribe a pregnancy test as a precaution.
- If you are a woman, she may prescribe a cervical swab to look for microorganisms responsible for this infection in the cervix.
Step 4. Follow your doctor's directions for therapy
Once diagnosed, gonorrhea is treated as if the patient had also contracted chlamydia, because there is a high percentage of co-infection. These two bacteria are etiological agents of widespread sexually transmitted diseases and can share a very similar set of symptoms. Your doctor will provide you with treatment for both.
- Typically, ceftriaxone is prescribed to treat gonorrhea and can be given by injection (usually in the shoulder). Therefore, the doctor will clean the site with an alcohol swab and inject a dose of 250 mg of ceftriaxone intramuscularly. This drug belongs to the cephalosporin class and prevents the development of the gonococcal cell wall.
- Also, for the treatment of chlamydia, your doctor will prescribe you a single dose of azithromycin of 1 g. You can replace it with a 7-day course of 100 mg doxycycline twice a day. Both drugs prevent the formation of important enzymes and structural components of the gonococcus by interrupting its protein synthesis.
