use of condoms
Gonorrhea, also known as “the clap,” is most common in sexually active people between the ages of 20-24, according to San Diego State University Student Health Services.
The good news is, according to the Center for Disease Control, cases of gonorrhea have been on the decline. From 1994 to 1995, the rate decreased from 165.1 cases per 100,000 to 149.5.
According to Sean Kaufman, a health educator for SHS, there was a time when gonorrhea was fairly common, but it is much less common now.
“HPV and chlamydia are more common now,” he said.
Gonorrhea is most commonly transmitted by unprotected vaginal, anal and oral sex. Because it is a bacteria, it grows best in warm, moist areas.
Katie (not her real name) was diagnosed with gonorrhea after having unprotected sex with her current partner one time. She said she didn’t have any symptoms, but she had heard her partner was infected.
Katie was tested at SHS, and the gonorrhea test was positive.
“I am really concerned because it happened so easily,” she said. “I was uneducated in the area of STDs, and I didn’t know if gonorrhea could be cured. I immediately started to worry that I would get something else later in life that couldn’t be cured.”
The fact is, gonorrhea can be cured. According to Kaufman, gonorrhea and other bacterial infections are treated with an antibiotic such as penicillin. The antibiotics cure the infection.
Kaufman said there is a problem with antibiotics. As with other bacterial infections, if the infected person does not finish the medication, he or she is doing more harm than good.
“If an infected person stops taking the medication when the symptoms disappear, the infection hasn’t been cured,” he said. “By doing this, they can make the infection an antibiotic-resistant strain.”
Kaufman said that if this happens, the infection will become increasingly more difficult to cure.
Like Katie, many people who are infected with gonorrhea are not symptomatic. According to Kaufman, it is more common for men to be symptomatic than women.
“With men, the infection is on the outside,” he said. “Usually, if they have something, they will know it, mostly because of painful urination. With women, the infection is on the inside.”
SHS stresses the importance of routine medical exams for sexually active women, since bacterial infections are often present without symptoms.
Kaufman said that if the infection is treated in the beginning, before symptoms appear, complications can be eliminated.
Complications that may result from gonorrhea may include infertility in both men and women. This is extremely rare in men, but it has been reported.
In women, gonorrhea can cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. According to the California Department of Health, most cases of PID are reported as a result of untreated gonorrhea infections.
PID causes the spread of microorganisms from the vagina into the endometrium, and in severe cases, it can cause infertility.
According to Student Health Services, symptoms of gonorrhea can include the following:
Women
An unusual vaginal discharge and/or pain during urination.
Discomfort or swelling in urethra, rectum, throat, tonsils, eyes and reproductive organs (it most commonly affects the genital tract).
Men
Pain or burning during urination and/or a discharge from the penis.
Can cause discomfort or swelling in the urethra, rectum, throat, tonsils, eyes and reproductive organs (it most commonly affects the urethra).
