Signs and Symptoms of Gonorrhea

A gonococcal infection having noticeable symptoms is dependent on how the disease was transmitted and the gender of the infected person. Men experience gonorrhea symptoms in most cases, while for women, only a little bit more than half of them experience symptoms of gonorrhea. For this reason, anyone who falls in the risk groups or has had unprotected sex recently with someone they don’t know their medical history should take a gonorrhea test regularly.

Gonorrhoea infection can have severe complications, and everyone should know that this infection can affect any part of the body, including the rectum, throat, genitals, mouth, and eyes. Therefore, the symptoms of gonorrhea depend on the part of the body affected.

Genital Gonorrhea Symptoms

This is the most common type of gonococcal infection, and it is the cause of the most well-known gonorrhea symptoms. When a person has genital gonorrhea, the differences in symptoms are dependent on how severe the disease is and the gender of the infected person.

Symptoms in Men

90% of infected men get symptoms of gonorrhoea, and this is why it is easier for men to get diagnosed early and receive treatment right away. Men usually notice the first symptoms of gonorrhoea about seven days after infection, and some of those signs are highlighted below:

  • Incessant urination.
  • Painful and burning sensation while urinating.
  • Yellowish pus-like discharge from the penis.
  • Swollen testicles and pain in the testicles.
  • The urinary opening of the penis gets swollen, tender and red.

Symptoms in Women

Only a few women have experienced symptoms of gonococcal infection in the genitals. More than 60 percent of infected women have no complaints about seeing symptoms. Even if they do notice symptoms, the symptoms are usually vague and difficult to determine if they are indeed gonorrhoea symptoms. Some of the symptoms that women notice are;

  • Yellowish pus-like discharge from the vagina.
  • Painful urinating with a burning sensation.
  • Fever and frequent urination.
  • Painful sexual intercourse.
  • Pain in the lower abdomen.
  • Bleeding outside the menstruation cycle.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea on other parts of the body

Gonorrhoea does not only affect the genitals; they affect other parts of the body that are involved in sexual activities such as the anus and throat. In some cases, there is also gonorrhoea of the eye, which affects the eye.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea in Throat

This occurs when the infected person engages in oral sex with an already infected person. Some of the symptoms of this type of gonorrhea are hoarse voice and sore throat.

Symptoms of Anal or Rectal Gonorrhea Infection

The causal bacteria of gonorrhoea can be transmitted through anal sex, and it brings about some noticeable symptoms which are;

  • Itchy anus.
  • Burning and painful sensation when defecating.
  • Discomfort and pain in the anus.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea infection in the eye 

Gonococcal infection in the eye is extremely aggressive as the bacteria affects the cornea by penetrating through it. It is most common in infants and newly born babies as they get infected at birth. It is dangerous and can lead to blindness.

Unusual Symptoms of Gonorrhea

Some symptoms of gonorrhea do not point out a gonorrhea infection outright. These symptoms do not even show immediately; they take weeks or months to show. Some of those symptoms are:

  • Finding it hard to move.
  • Itchy Rashes on the arms, legs, palms and chest.
  • Chills and fever.

References: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5354566/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150204/