Unprotected Sexual Activity
It is a known fact that the best way to ensure safety from gonorrhea is to stay away from any sort of sexual activity. There is a lower risk of getting gonorrhea infection if you are having a long-term sexual relationship with just one person and you are sure that you are their only partner. The risk of getting gonorrhea increases if you:
- Are younger in age
- Have sex with multiple partners
- Have sex with newer people
- Have a prior history of gonorrhea infection
- Already suffered from other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
There are several health conditions that can increase your chances of getting gonorrhea and for that very reason, it is essential to get treatment for them as soon as possible. Gonorrhea can lead to the following health conditions if it goes without any treatment:
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Infertility
- PID
- An ectopic pregnancy that can be a medical emergency
In addition, gonorrhea can also affect the newborns of pregnant women suffering from gonorrhea infection. Without getting proper treatment, gonorrhea can lead to stillbirth or preterm labor in pregnant women with gonorrhea. Moreover, the infants born with gonorrhea infected mothers can develop a life-threatening blood infection i.e., bacteremia, loss of vision, and joint infections. While in the case of men, severe conditions of gonorrhea can result in epididymitis which can lead to infertility issues. In the case of both men and women, gonorrhea can result in a disseminated gonococcal infection which can be fatal. Some symptoms of disseminated gonococcal infection include:
- A fever
- Dermatitis
- Arthritis
- Swelling and inflammation around the tendons
People having gonorrhea also have a higher risk of transmitting or contracting HIV. The reason behind this is that the infection can lead to open sores, which makes it more convenient for bacteria and viruses to enter the body cavity. As gonorrhea is a bacterial infection, you can get the infection when bacteria enter the body through the mouth, vagina, penis, or anus mostly during unprotected sex. In addition, you can pass or get gonorrhea by sharing sex toys that do not go through proper washing or have no covering of a new condom.
However, in the case of women, the most common area of the body for contracting and transmitting infection is the cervix. The cervix is the gateway from the vagina to the womb or the uterus. The infection tends to initiate inside the urethra in men. The urethra is a tube that helps the urine to leave the body. Gonorrhea spreads very fast and is contagious, especially during sexual activity. However, you cannot contract or pass gonorrhea infection by touching your partner casually such as hugging or kissing them. In addition, gonorrhea infection does not also spread by sharing cutlery, plates, or washrooms.
People usually fall victim to gonorrhea infection by having unprotected sex with a person having the infection. Gonorrhea spreads when the vaginal fluids, semen (cum), and pre-cum gets inside or on your mouth, anus, or genitals. Also, gonorrhea spreads even if the penis does not enter all the way inside the anus or vagina. The major ways through which people contract gonorrhea are from having oral sex, vaginal sex, and anal sex. Gonorrhea can also spread through touching the eye if you are carrying infected fluids on your hand. Moreover, pregnant women with gonorrhea can also pass the infection to their babies during vaginal childbirth.
If a person contracts oral gonorrhea then they might have a sore or itchy throat that does not subside on its own. You might also experience difficulty in breathing and swallowing. However, most often people with gonorrhea do not show the symptoms immediately after the contraction with gonorrhea bacteria. In fact, when a person starts noticing symptoms of gonorrhea, it is at that point the bacteria replicates itself into thousands of copies. Another thing that is confusing for people is that the conditions of oral gonorrhea are the same as for strep throat. While in reality, strep throat results from the spread of bacterial infection through sneezing or cough and oral gonorrhea is a type of oral STD. Although the symptoms of both oral gonorrhea and strep throat might overlap, they are in no way the same kind of infection. (6)