Gonorrhea is an infection, transmitted from one person to another during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Any sexually active person can become infected with gonorrhea.
Gonorrhea can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby during childbirth.
What are the symptoms of gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is known as a "silent disease" because most people who are infected have no symptoms.
In women, symptoms can include increased vaginal discharge, a burning sensation when urinating, or vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods.
In men, symptoms can include a burning sensation when urinating or a white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis. In rare cases, swelling of the testicles may occur.
If gonorrhea is not treated it can spread into the uterus, the fallopian tubes, and lower abdomen causing a severe infection (called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease), scar tissue, and infertility.
How does gonorrhea affect a pregnant woman or her baby?
If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she can give the infection to her baby during childbirth.
Gonorrhea can cause blindness, joint infections, or a life-threatening infection in the baby.
How is gonorrhea treated?
Gonorrhea is easily treated and cured with antibiotics. All sex partners should be evaluated and treated. You will need to notify anyone you've had sexual contact with during the past 60 days to seek treatment. Treatment is available through Women's Health Center, their health care provider, or Josephine County Health Department.
To make sure that you do not get re-infected, both you and your current sexual partner(s) should be treated. It is important that you not have any sexual contact with your partner(s) until at least 7 days after you and your partner(s) have finished the prescribed medication.
Women with a positive gonorrhea test should be tested about 8-12 weeks after treatment to ensure that the infection is gone.
For more information on gonorrhea, or other sexually transmitted infections, visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/std/
