Gonorrhoea

Also known as ‘the clap’, Gonorrhoea is a bacterial infection found mainly in vaginal fluid and semen. It is transmitted during oral and anal sex and via shared sex toys. As well as in the genital area and rectum, it can also live in the throat and eyes. Gonorrhoea infection rates have grown by roughly 40% in the last ten years.

If you have tested positive for Gonorrhoea please contact your local sexual health clinic. We do not treat Gonorrhoea at the Online Clinic. Treatment is by antibiotic injection due to emergence of super resistance bugs.

Gonorrhoea Symptoms

About 50% of women and 10% of men will not present symptoms of this infection. When symptoms are present, they can include:

Women

• Pain when passing urine
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Tenderness in the abdomen
• Bleeding in between periods

Men

• Unusual discharge from the penis tip (it may be white, yellow or green)
• Inflammation of the foreskin
• Painful testicles

When left untreated, gonorrhoea can, like Chlamydia, cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women and in men can reduce fertility and cause infections in the prostate and testicles. In very rare cases, untreated Gonorrhoea can spread through the bloodstream to infect other parts of the body, including the spinal cord.

Can Gonorrhoea be Treated?

Treatment of Gonorrhoea requires parenteral treatment (intramuscular injection) with Ceftriaxone unless culture shows sensitivity to quinolones. Please contact your local sexual health clinic, they can check antibiotic sensitivities, administer treatment and arrange partner notification. Test of cure will be arranged 2 weeks after treatment to ensure treatment success. Sex should be avoided until both you and your partner have finished treatment. Do not attempt blind treatment with oral Azithromycin or Cefixime.

The Online Clinic advocates safe sexual health practices to avoid sexually transmitted infections.

Where Can I Get Tested For Gonorrhoea?

Gonorrhoea is very easily detected using a first catch urine sample or a urethral or vaginal swab. Testing can be done at your local GUM clinic or if you are looking for a much more convenient option, we recommend The STI Clinic, which is an online GUM clinic.

Testing by The STI Clinic is extremely quick (24 hours normally).