Hundreds of millions of people around the world are infected with one sexually transmitted disease of another, and every year, millions more get infected. Symptoms vary from disease to disease, but anal or rectal infections have similar patterns. Most STDs that affect the anus are transmitted through anal sex, which means that homosexual men are more vulnerable to anal STDs, especially gonorrhea in the anus.
Gonococcal infection can get transmitted through any part of the body that is involved in sexual activity, including oral, vaginal, and anal sex. In men, gonorrhea in the anus is transmitted from the penis of the infected to the anus of the other individual while in women, it usually spreads from the already infected vagina into the anus. Symptoms of gonorrhea are noticeable about three days to two weeks after infection. Some of the symptoms of gonorrhea include discomfort, pain, and itching in the anus, visiting the toilet frequently, and getting a bloody discharge from the anus.
Treatment of Gonorrhea in the Anus
You should never wait for too long before getting tested for gonorrhea if you suspect that you have been infected. It is only through a test that you can discover that you have been infected, and then you can get treated appropriately. If you delay treatment for too long, the bacteria will spread to the inner parts of the reproductive system, such as the epididymis (in men) and the fallopian tube (in women). This can lead to more serious infections and scarring that can cause ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pain syndrome, and worse, infertility. Infected people also stand the risk of having the gonococcal infection spread into the bloodstream and to other parts of the body, which can cause further severe complications such as meningitis, sepsis, and infectious arthritis.
Testing for Gonorrhea in the Anus
There are different methods for testing for gonorrhea;
- A test kit for gonorrhea
- A test at the hospital where a doctor takes direct samples from the anus.
If you have engaged in sexual relations with an infected person, you are at a high risk of getting infected, and you should go for a test immediately.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5354566/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150204/