Know the Gonorrhea Disease You Need to be Aware of

What is Gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea or gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease. In men, gonorrhea will cause symptoms in the form of discharge of pus from the penis. In addition, people with gonorrhea will feel pain when urinating.

In contrast to gonorrhea in men, if it occurs in women, gonorrhea can cause no symptoms. Gonorrhea can be cured in a few days, if given proper and prompt treatment.

Causes of Gonorrhea

The cause of gonorrhea is infection with the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This bacterium is most commonly transmitted through sexual intercourse, including oral sex and anal sex. Gonorrhea can also be transmitted from mother to baby, during childbirth.

Because it is transmitted through sexual intercourse, a person will be more susceptible to gonorrhea if they often change sex partners or work as sex workers. According to statistical data, gonorrhea is more often found in people who:

• young age
• Have had gonorrhea before
• Suffering from other sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV.
• Live in an area where there are a lot of gonorrhea cases.

Keep in mind that gonorrhea is not transmitted through toilet seats, sharing of eating and drinking utensils, water in swimming pools, and hugs.

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Gonorrhea Diagnosis

If you suspect gonorrhea, the doctor will ask the patient about the symptoms he is experiencing, including:

• Since when did the symptoms appear?
• Sexual activity undertaken
• Conditions of the work or home environment.

After that, the doctor will perform a physical examination, especially in the genital area. If necessary, further inspections can be carried out in the form of:

• Examination of body fluid samples. The doctor will examine a sample of fluid from the body part suspected of having gonorrhea for examination in the laboratory. For example, vaginal fluid, penis, rectum, urethra, or joint fluid.
• Blood test. Blood tests can be done to see if the infection has spread to the blood.
• Antibiotic sensitivity test. This test is done when the antibiotics given are no longer effective, and you want to find other antibiotics that are effective in treating gonorrhea.

Given that gonorrhea in women may not cause symptoms, it is advisable to screen for gonorrhea in women who are at high risk, such as sex workers. Pregnant women also need to be screened for gonorrhea to ensure that they are not suffering from gonorrhea, which poses a risk of transmitting to their babies during delivery.

Gonorrhea Treatment

The main treatment for gonorrhea is antibiotics. The length of treatment with antibiotics depends on the severity. Gonorrhea that is severe and has spread to other organs requires longer treatment. Antibiotics given can be in the form of tablets or injections.

Some types of antibiotics commonly used to treat gonorrhea are:

• Ceftriaxone
• Cefixime
• Azithromycin
• Doxycycline
• Erythromycin
• Amoxicillin

In addition to the patient, the sexual partner of the sufferer also needs to be examined and treated, because it is likely that his partner is also affected by gonorrhea.

Gonorrhea symptoms will subside within a few days after treatment, but pain in the testicles or pelvis may take longer to go away completely. While excessive bleeding during menstruation, will improve during the next menstruation. Follow-up examinations need to be done two weeks after treatment to see if the infection has completely disappeared.

Gonorrhea that has been successfully treated does not make the sufferer immune to gonorrhea. Patients who have recovered can still be infected again if they have sex with people with gonorrhea.

Be sure to follow the doctor's recommendations for using antibiotics, so that treatment can be successful. Immediately see a doctor again if symptoms do not improve.

Complications of Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea can cause complications if not treated, both in men, women, and babies. Complications of gonorrhea that can appear in men include:

• Epididymitis
• Injuries to the urinary tract
• There is pus in the penis
• Barren.

Women are more susceptible to complications of gonorrhea than men, because they are often asymptomatic and therefore not treated. Some of the complications due to gonorrhea in women are:

• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Blockage in the fallopian tubes (fallopian tubes), which triggers an ectopic pregnancy
• Barren

Gonorrhea can also cause complications in babies, ranging from dry and scaly skin, prone to disease, to blindness. Gonorrhea can be related to HIV infection, because both are transmitted through sexual intercourse. If you have gonorrhea, you should also be screened for HIV disease.

Gonorrhea Prevention

Preventing sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea, is of course much better than treating them. To prevent gonorrhea, practice safe sex, namely by:

• Do not change sexual partners
• Using condoms.

If you are suffering from gonorrhea or other sexually transmitted diseases, you should not have sex until treatment is complete. The goal is to prevent transmission of the disease to others.

If a pregnant woman is exposed to gonorrhea, immediately see a gynecologist. The doctor will give antibiotics to prevent transmission of gonorrhea to the baby.