Last Updated on July 29, 2021 by Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT
How do you get Gonorrhea/How can you get “The Clap?” Gonorrhea Causes:
Gonorrhea/”The Clap” is caused by a bacteria and can be found in warm, moist places such as the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, rectum, urethra, mouth, throat, penis or testicles.
Gonorrhea/”The Clap” is usually transmitted by oral, vaginal, or anal contact and can also be passed from a pregnant person to their baby during childbirth.
How to tell if you have “The Clap?” Gonorrhea Symptoms:
Many people with Gonorrhea/”The Clap” do not have noticeable symptoms.
If symptoms do appear, in people with vulvas/vaginas they can include:
- increased vaginal discharge
- vaginal bleeding between periods
- painful or burning sensation when urinating
Symptoms in people with penises can include:
- burning sensation during urination
- white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis
- painful or swollen testicles
Symptoms not specific to genital configuration can include:
- anal itching
- soreness, bleeding, or painful bowel movements
- rectal discharge
- sore throat
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How to know if you have “The Clap?” Gonorrhea Tests:
Gonorrhea/”The Clap” can be detected via a urine sample or a swab of the vagina, rectum, throat, or urethra.
Relief spells (Rolaids?!) Gonorrhea Treatment:
Antibiotics can successfully cure Gonorrhea/”The Clap.” However, drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea are increasing in many areas and can complicate treatment.
Because many people have chlamydia as well, antibiotics for both infections are usually given together.
A person can contract it again if a partner is not treated, and they should be re-tested in 3 months to detect new infections due to sexual activity with an untreated or undiagnosed partner.
What’s going to happen to me?!!?! Gonorrhea Expectations:
If the infection spreads to other parts of the body it can be more serious, but it almost always gets better with treatment.
Things to be aware of… Gonorrhea Complications:
People with uteruses/fallopian tubes may develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and left untreated in people with penises, it can lead to infertility, prostatis, or epididymis, and/or narrowing of the urethra which makes it difficult to urinate.
Passing it from an infected mother to a child can cause blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection.
More rarely, in its advanced stages it spreads to the blood or joints and can cause aching or swelling, skin lesions, and infections of the heart, bones, and the sheaths that cover the nervous system.
In very rare cases, it can be fatal.
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References
- Symptoms
- Shover, Chelsea L., et al. “Accuracy of Presumptive Gonorrhea Treatment for Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: Results from a Large Sexual Health Clinic in Los Angeles, California.” LGBT health2 (2018): 139-144.
- Orr, Tamra B. Gonorrhea. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2015.
- Bonyah, E., et al. “Modelling the effects of heavy alcohol consumption on the transmission dynamics of gonorrhea with optimal control.” Mathematical biosciences 309 (2019): 1-11.
- Moyosore, Adebisi Temitayo. “Adolescent Sexual Development and Sexually Transmittted Infections.” International STD Research & Reviews (2016): 1-11.
- Elawad, N. A. M. “Situation of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Sudan.” Adv Reprod Sci Reprod Health In-fertil: ARRHI-102. DOI 10 (2018).
- Testing
- Reekie, Joanne, et al. “Risk of pelvic inflammatory disease in relation to chlamydia and gonorrhea testing, repeat testing, and positivity: a population-based cohort study.” Clinical Infectious Diseases 66.3 (2018): 437-443.
- Wang, Li Yan, et al. “Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhea Testing in New York Medicaid–Enrolled Adolescents.” Sexually transmitted diseases 45.1 (2018): 14-18.
- Pittman, Ellen, et al. “Patient Acceptability and Feasibility of Self-Collecting Genital Samples for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Testing in a Community Setting Using Privacy Shelters.” Journal of Adolescent Health 58.2 (2016): S107-S108.
- Hoots, Brooke E., et al. “Self-reported chlamydia and gonorrhea testing and diagnosis among men who have sex with men—20 US cities, 2011 and 2014.” Sexually transmitted diseases 45.7 (2018): 469-475.
- McRee, Annie‐Laurie, Allahna Esber, and Paul L. Reiter. “Acceptability of Home‐Based Chlamydia And Gonorrhea Testing Among a National Sample Of Sexual Minority Young Adults.” Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 47.1 (2015): 3-10.
- Treatment
- Kerani, Roxanne P., et al. “Gonorrhea treatment practices in the STD Surveillance Network, 2010–2012.” Sexually transmitted diseases 42.1 (2015): 6-12.
- Weston, Emily J., et al. “Adherence to CDC recommendations for the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea—STD Surveillance Network, United States, 2016.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 67.16 (2018): 473.
- Hook III, Edward W., et al. “Efficacy and Safety of Single-Dose Oral Delafloxacin Compared With Intramuscular Ceftriaxone for Uncomplicated Gonorrhea Treatment: An Open-Label, Noninferiority, Phase 3, Multicenter, Randomized Study.” Sexually transmitted diseases 46.5 (2019): 279-286.
- Long, Jill E., Michael R. Wierzbicki, and Edward W. Hook III. “Impact of eligibility criteria on participant enrollment for a randomized clinical trial of gonorrhea treatment.” Sexually transmitted diseases 44.6 (2017): 362.
- Singh, Ameeta E., et al. “Gonorrhea treatment failures with oral and injectable expanded spectrum cephalosporin monotherapy vs dual therapy at 4 Canadian sexually transmitted infection clinics, 2010–2013.” Sexually transmitted diseases 42.6 (2015): 331-336.
- Prevention
- Handsfield, H. Hunter. “Gonorrhea Prevention in the United States: Where Do We Go From Here?.” (2016): 731-732.
- Kirkcaldy, Robert D., et al. “Considering the Potential Application of Whole Genome Sequencing to Gonorrhea Prevention and Control.” Sexually transmitted diseases 45.6 (2018): e29-e32.
- Bowen, Virginia B., et al. “Gonorrhea.” Current Epidemiology Reports 4.1 (2017): 1-10.
- Spicknall, Ian H., et al. “Assessing Uncertainty in an Anatomical Site-Specific Gonorrhea Transmission Model of Men Who Have Sex With Men.” Sexually transmitted diseases 46.5 (2019): 321-328.
- Spicknall, Ian H., et al. “Assessing Uncertainty in an Anatomical Site-Specific Gonorrhea Transmission Model of Men Who Have Sex With Men.” Sexually transmitted diseases 46.5 (2019): 321-328.
- Transmission
- Fairley, Christopher K., et al. “Frequent transmission of gonorrhea in men who have sex with men.” Emerging infectious diseases 23.1 (2017): 102.
- Spicknall, Ian H., et al. “Assessing Uncertainty in an Anatomical Site-Specific Gonorrhea Transmission Model of Men Who Have Sex With Men.” Sexually transmitted diseases 46.5 (2019): 321-328.
- Tuite, Ashleigh R., et al. “Impact of rapid susceptibility testing and antibiotic selection strategy on the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea.” The Journal of infectious diseases 216.9 (2017): 1141-1149.
- Bonyah, E., et al. “Modelling the effects of heavy alcohol consumption on the transmission dynamics of gonorrhea with optimal control.” Mathematical biosciences 309 (2019): 1-11.
- Ndeffo-Mbah, Martial L., et al. “Dynamic models of infectious disease transmission in prisons and the general population.” Epidemiologic reviews 40.1 (2018): 40-57.
