Gonorrhoea

Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection, and it's caused by bacteria. Most often the infection is in the genitals, but it can also affect the throat, eyes and anus.

Many people with gonorrhoea won't notice any symptoms. If you do get them, they usually appear between 1 to 14 days after you catch the infection.

Symptoms of gonorrhoea may include:

• green or yellow fluid coming out of the penis
• pain or a burning sensation when peeing
• discomfort and swelling of the testicles
• increased discharge from the vagina
• pain in the lower tummy, particularly during sex
• bleeding in between periods or after sex

Gonorrhoea can also infect the throat, eyes or anus, and you may feel pain or notice discharge in these areas. Infection in the throat usually causes no symptoms.

If you have the infection during pregnancy, it can lead to the baby being born early (premature birth). The infection can also be passed on to the baby during birth, and it can cause eye infections in the infant.

• you're pregnant and think you have gonorrhoea

The test for gonorrhoea is simple, painless and very reliable. A sample is taken from the part of the body that might be infected and sent to a lab for analysis.

You usually don't need to be examined by a doctor or nurse, and often you can collect the sample yourself.

There are 2 main ways the sample can be collected:

• using a swab: a small cotton bud is gently wiped over the area that might be infected, such as inside the vagina, throat, or inside the anus
• a urine sample (if you have a penis): this is more accurate if it's at least 1 or 2 hours after you last peed

People who have had anal or oral sex may have a swab taken from their anus or throat.

Some clinics may be able to carry out rapid tests and give you your results straight away. Otherwise, you'll have to wait up to 2 weeks for the results.

If you have gonorrhoea, your partner will be offered testing and treatment.

Gonorrhoea is treated with antibiotics, which can be given as pills or as an injection.

Some strains of gonorrhoea are becoming resistant to antibiotics, and that can make the infection harder to treat. You may be tested again 3 weeks later to check the antibiotics have worked.

If there's a high chance you have the infection, you may be given treatment before your results come back. You may also be offered treatment if your partner(s) is found to have it.

Tell the doctor or nurse if you:

• are pregnant
• think you might be pregnant
• are breastfeeding

This may make a difference to the antibiotic you're prescribed.

If your infection is untreated, you may pass it on to other sexual partners.

In women, untreated gonorrhoea can spread to the womb and cause a serious condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID is a major cause of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women.

If men are not treated, the infection may spread to the testicles and cause discomfort. This could affect your fertility.

Do not have sex until you and your partner have both finished the treatment. You should also wait until you've had the results of the 2 week test, so you don't get infected again.

Gonorrhoea passes from one person to another through unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex, meaning sex without a condom.

It can also be passed on in other ways:

• sharing sex toys that aren't washed or covered with a new condom each time they're used
• infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eye
• from a mother to her newborn during childbirth

Safer sex is the best way to protect yourself from gonorrhoea, and from every other sexually transmitted infection. In practice, that means using a condom each time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex.

If you've been diagnosed with gonorrhoea, you should get tested for all STIs, including:

• syphilis
• HIV
• chlamydia

Gonorrhoea occurs more often in people living with HIV, so you should be offered an HIV test after your diagnosis. If you haven't been offered one, you can:

• speak to your doctor about getting tested for HIV

Testing for HIV when you have gonorrhoea can help with early diagnosis and treatment, and with preventing passing it on.