To live healthily is a wish for everyone. Nobody wants to get trapped in a disease or acquire a lifelong disease for which medications are to be taken throughout. Infections like Sexually Transmitted Diseases can become life-threatening if not addressed in their early stages. However, not all STDs are equally infectious. Gonorrhea is a type of STD that is caused by bacteria that can be easily cured with the help of anti-biotics.
In this article, we explain in detail, what STDs are, the types of STDs, the symptoms of Gonorrhea, and much more.
What are STDs?
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 1 million new STD cases are acquired and reported every day across the globe. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are also commonly known as Sexually Transmitted Infections, that has the primary carrier mode of transmission through intimate contact, as the name suggests.
Some STDs are highly contagious and can also be spread through non-intimate contact like sharing wet used towels, blood donations, and exchanging used razor blades.
Types of STDs
According to a Healthline study, there are more than 20 different types of STDs across the world. They all are differentiated according to the type of pathogen that causes the infection in the initial stages and according to their availability of treatment and cure. Though there are more than a dozen types of STDs, not all the types are highly prevalent, only a handful of them amount to over 95% of the cases. Following are the most common types –
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- HIV
- Herpes
- Trichomoniasis
- Syphilis
Some of them can be deadly due to the nature of the microorganism that causes the disease in the first place, like HIV and Herpes. Other types are non-viral meaning they have a different causing agent that is typically curable.
What is Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is a type of STD caused by a bacteria called Neisseria Gonorrhoeae that spreads from one person to another primarily through intimacy. Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported STD in the US according to research by Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC).
Symptoms of Gonorrhea
STDs in general, do not exhibit any symptoms as soon as the foreign pathogen invades the human anatomy. Symptoms of Gonorrhea can take anywhere between several weeks to even months to see the first sign. It is because of this nature, more people tend to spread the disease to all other intimate partners in the meanwhile, without their knowledge.
Following are some of the commonly seen symptoms in both men and women –
- Unusual genital discharge
- Severe abdominal and back pain
- Pain during intercourse
- Heavy periods in women
- Genital swelling
- Swollen testicles
- Inflammation around the penis
- Pain while urinating
- Swelling in the neck lymph nodes
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Pain in the eye
- Sensitivity to light
- Painful joints
- Bleeding or pain with passing bowel movements
As said before, if you are sexually active and experience these symptoms then get tested for Gonorrhea right away because the symptoms are already exhbitng late than the actual contraction date.
How to Test for Gonorrhea?
Living in the internet era, everything that you need is just one click away, so does your healthcare provider. If you experience any of the above symptoms of Gonorrhea, get tested for Gonorrhea as quickly as possible. When it comes to STDs, the sooner you get diagnosed, the better your chances of recovering faster.
Can Gonorrhea be Cured?
Unlike HIV or similar other virus-induced STDs which make it hard to cure due to its genomic nature, Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria that can be cured with anti-biotics if addresses as soon as possible. If you test positive for the Gonorrhea test, your physician will prescribe you medications according to the symptoms and the condition you are exhibiting.
Conclusion
All the diseases have some adverse consequences on our overall health. They come in a variety of symptoms indicating something is wrong. When you notice unusual symptoms popping up, get tested for the disease to confirm your condition and to treat the infection accordingly. Some people tend to ignore the symptoms wait for them to go away on their own, which can lead to serious medical complications in the long run. Help spread the knowledge about Gonorrhea like STDs and let us put an end to this STD epidemic.
