Gonorrhea Symptoms
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacteria that grows and multiplies easily in warm, moist areas such as the reproductive tracts of women, as well as the urinary canals of both men and women. As with many STDs, infected individuals may exhibit no visible symptoms of the disease. Women, in particular, most commonly show no signs or symptoms. For this reason, the only way to ensure that you are not infected is with regular STD testing.
For those women who do show symptoms, they are often mistaken for vaginal or bladder infections due to the similarities:
- pain or burning while urinating
- vaginal bleeding between periods
- an increase in vaginal discharge
If symptoms do appear in men, they will usually appear within two to five days after infection, but may take up to 30 days before appearing. Those symptoms could include:
- burning while urinating
- discharge from the tip of the penis that can be white, green, or yellow
- and less commonly, painful or swollen testicles
Left untreated, Gonorrhea can cause serious and sometimes even fatal problems in both men and women, which is why regular STD testing is important for any sexually active individuals.