Gonorrhoea
Gonorrhoea a bacterial infection like chlamydia but less common. It used to be called ‘the clap’. Young men and women between 16 – 24 years of age are most affected by the disease.
How do you catch it?
Gonorrhoea can easily be passed from one person to another through unprotected sexual contact:
• Vaginal sex
• Anal sex
• Oral sex
• Intimate touching
• Shared sex toys
• Can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby
Symptoms
About 10% of infected men and 50% of infected women don’t have any obvious signs of the infection. However, you may notice the following:
• Thin white, yellow or greenish discharge from the penis or vagina
• Frequent need to pass urine
• Pain when passing urine
• Men may have painful testicles
• Women may have heavier than normal periods or bleeding between periods
• Frequent need to pass urine
• Pain when passing urine
• Men may have painful testicles
• Women may have heavier than normal periods or bleeding between periods
Treatment
It can be diagnosed using a swab or urine test (women) or just a urine test (men).
Tests for gonorrhoea can be done at GUM or sexual health clinics and some GP surgeries. Tests are free; you may have to pay a prescription charge for treatment if you go via your GP.
If the test is positive, gonorrhoea can be treated by a course of antibiotics.
