Gonorrhea

What is gonorrhea?
How common is gonorrhea?
What are the symptoms?
Can gonorrhea cause problems with fertility or pregnancy?
How does gonorrhea spread?
How can I prevent transmission of gonorrhea?
What treatment is available for gonorrhea?
Is there a test for gonorrhea?
Where do I get tested?

What is gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhea, commonly leading to infection of the urethra, cervix, rectum, and/or throat in men and women.

How common is gonorrhea?
After Chlamydia, gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported STI in the United States. It is estimated that more than 700,000 persons in the United States get new gonorrheal infections each year.¹

Currently, there is very little information on the number South Asians in the United States that are experiencing STIs. Information that is available shows that STIs are a health concern for all communities, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, education, income, culture, or religion. It is important to note that shame, stigma, and fear surrounding STIs make communities, including South Asians, particularly vulnerable as it prevents people from getting informed, tested, and treated. It also keeps people from speaking openly and honestly to their doctors and partners.

For information on STIs and South Asian communities, read about the research that is available.

What are the symptoms?
Most women do not get symptoms for gonorrhea and are unaware that they have the infection. Women that develop symptoms experience abdominal pain, abnormal vaginal discharge, and bleeding between menstrual periods.

Men that develop symptoms may experience pain or a burning sensation while urinating and pus or milky discharge from the penis. Without prompt treatment, Gonorrhea can also affect the prostate and can lead to scarring inside the urethra, making urination difficult.

Can gonorrhea cause problems with fertility or pregnancy?
Gonorrhea can affect fertility if it is left untreated. In women, gonorrhea causes pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) that can lead to infertility and ectopic (tubal) pregnancies. In men, gonorrhea can cause epididymitis, a painful condition of the testicles that sometimes leads to infertility. Without treatment, gonorrhea can also be passed during birth from mother to new born baby.

How does of gonorrhea spread?
Gonorrhea is spread by vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected partner. It can also be spread from a woman to her new born infant during birth.

How can I prevent transmission of gonorrhea?
Preventing the spread of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) is simple. Get informed, make decisions, and choose how you can have safe and enjoyable sex. Read about how you can Take Control of your health and some steps you can take to prevent getting or giving an STI, such as:

Practice Abstinence (avoid having sex)
Use Condoms
Use Lubricant with Condoms
Seek a Safe and Healthy Relationship
Commit to a Monogamous Relationship
Avoid Risky Behavior
Get Tested
Get Treated

What treatment is available for gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea can be treated with oral antibiotics. In order to prevent getting another infection from the same partner, make sure your partner also receives treatment.

Is there a test for gonorrhea?
A variety of laboratory tests are available to diagnose Chlamydia infection. Tests are done from a urine sample or a specimen taken from a woman's cervix or a man's urethra, using a cotton swab. If rectal or throat infection is suspected, samples will also be taken from these areas.

Where do I get tested?
A variety of laboratory tests are available to diagnose gonorrhea infection. Tests are done with either a urine sample or a sample taken from a woman's cervix or a man's urethra, using a cotton swab. If rectal or throat infection is suspected, samples will also be taken from these areas.

Visit your doctor and ask for a test. Free testing, treatment, and counseling are available at health centers and city health departments. For more information, please consult your doctor and visit our STI Resources page.

¹Source: Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Gonorrhea – CDC Fact Sheet. Retrieved June 1, 2006, from Center for Disease Control and Prevention.