Gonorrhea (gah-nuh-REE-uh) is a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
STDs (also called sexually transmitted infections or STIs) are infections that spread through sex (vaginal, oral, or anal). Some STDs can spread through close contact with the genitals or body fluids.
Gonorrhea spreads through sex (vaginal, oral, or anal) with someone who has the infection.
Someone with gonorrhea may have:
Many people with gonorrhea have no symptoms. They can spread the infection to others without knowing it.
A type of bacteria , Neisseria gonorrhoeae, causes gonorrhea.
To find out if someone has gonorrhea, health care providers do tests on:
Health care providers treat gonorrhea with antibiotics . Two antibiotics are needed because the gonorrhea germs may not be killed with only one antibiotic. The first antibiotic is given as a shot in the doctor's office. The second antibiotic is taken by mouth.
All sexual partners from the past 2 months need treatment too, even if they don't have signs of gonorrhea.
If someone still has symptoms after treatment, they may need treatment with different antibiotics. Or they may have been infected with gonorrhea again.
People can get gonorrhea again if:
If it's not treated, gonorrhea can lead to:
The only way to prevent gonorrhea and other STDs is to not have sex (oral, vaginal, or anal). If someone decides to have sex, using a latex condom every time can prevent most STDs.
Anyone who is sexually active should get tested for STDs every year, or more often if recommended by their health care provider.
Reviewed by: Krishna Wood White, MD, MPH
Date Reviewed: 01-10-2018