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Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and, therefore, its main form of contagion is through unprotected sex, however it can also happen from mother to baby during delivery, when gonorrhea is not identified and / or handled correctly.
The most common ways to get gonorrhea include:
- Unprotected sexual contact, whether vaginal, anal or oral, can be transmitted even if there is no penetration;
- From mother to child during delivery, especially if the woman has not been treated for the infection.
In addition, another rarer form of transmission of the infection is through the contact of contaminated fluids with the eyes, which can happen if these fluids are in the hand and the eye is scratched, for example.
Gonorrhea is not transmitted through casual contact, such as hugging, kissing, coughing, sneezing or sharing cutlery.
How to avoid getting gonorrhea
To avoid gonorrhea it is important that sexual intercourse happen using a condom, that way it is possible to avoid contagion with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and with other microorganisms that can also be transmitted sexually and lead to the appearance of diseases.
In addition, anyone with gonorrhea should take appropriate treatment, not only to avoid passing the disease on to other people, but also to avoid complications such as infertility and an increased risk of getting other STIs. Understand how is the treatment for gonorrhea.
How to know if I have gonorrhea
To know if you have gonorrhea, it is important to have tests done to identify the presence of the bacteria, because in most cases gonorrhea does not cause symptoms. Therefore, if the person has had unprotected sex, the best thing to do is ask the gynecologist or urologist to perform tests for sexually transmitted infections, including the test for gonorrhea.
However, in other cases, gonorrhea can lead to the appearance of signs and symptoms about 10 days after contact with the bacteria responsible for the disease, the Neisseria gonorrhoeae, there may be pain or burning when urinating, low fever, obstruction of the anal canal, in the case of having an intimate anal relationship, sore throat and voice impairment, in the case of having an oral intimate relationship, and low fever. In addition, men may experience yellow, pus-like discharge from the urethra, while women may experience inflammation of the Bartholin's glands and yellowish-white discharge.
Here's how to identify gonorrhea.