gonorrhea

i need to know a lot about this infection!
please tell me everything you know!

like when you first get infected, if you are one of the people who get symptoms, do the symtoms (symptoms) stay with you all the time while you have gonorrhea ? or do they go away after awhile even though you still have it? or do they come AND go all throughout?
if the infected dont get symptoms, can the go years with out the slightest clue or symptoms of this infection? could you live your whole life with gonorrhea and not know it?
is it possible for a couple who have been together for say ... a year or 2.. to both have gonorrhea without any symptoms at all[no sores or pain urinating,etc.] ?

[Tommy420]

Gonorrhea is a very easy STD to catch.  Once infected, you may or may not have symptoms.  Most common symptoms are yellowish discharge from the penis/vagina, and/or burning during urination.  It is very possible that you NOT have discharge but still have gonorrhea.  The doctor on the forum states that gonorrhea usually goes away on its own after a couple of months, but having read some of the other replies he's posted, I have a hard time believing this.  But then again, he is a doctor, and he's also highly credited on infectious diseases.  What is your specific question, as it seems that's what you're leading towards.

[wastedmistake]

those were my questions!! thanks for answering!

but, i have never heard from anywhere that any sti goes away on its own.... has a doctor really said that? cuz if thats the case then how come so many people are told that they can have it for such a long time?[granted im not exactly sure how long] but nonetheless, is that really true? and i thought that you could get serious damage in your body from having it not be treated?

does that mean its an infection,but after awhile it goes away om its own, UNLESS you continue to have unprotected sex with other infected people?

im sorry but i am so unclear about this......it could just go away?

[wastedmistake]

i also just read that its the symptoms that go away on there own, but it doesnt say anything about the virus going away on its own..... sooo is that whats meant? or what ??

i dunno....

[stillHurting]

Gonorrhea is not a virus.  But yes it can go away on it's own, meaning your body can clear the infection.  Or, as you said, you could just have reduced symptoms but still have the infection.

And yes, you CAN have serious body damage from not treating it, especially reproductive damage.  But that doesn't happen to everyone, just the same way  not all people get symptoms.

[Tommy420]

As stillHurting stated, gonorrhea is a bacteria, not virus.  Bacteria are treated by antibiotics...viruses cannot be treated by medication.  I have a hard time believing gonorrhea/chlamydia go away on their own, but if the doctor says so, then I can't argue with him.  It is definitely important that you get treated if you've been infected with gonorrhea...it can lead to prostatitis and epididymitis in men, and pelvic inflammatory disease in women.

[stillHurting]

Just one small correction, some viruses can be treated by specific anti-virals.  Witness acyclovir for HSV, and various HIV medications.   But one thing is that those drugs only suppress the virus, not totally eradicate it.

Tommy, if you want to read a little about gonorrhea going away on its own, just search for spontaneous resolution.  It's definitely documented.

By the way, I don't mean this in any bad way, I think you're one of the better posters on this site, just clearing a few things up!

[wastedmistake]

thanks guys. what kind of medication is given to people with bacterial problems such as this? and is there any way a doctor could check you for this without a papsmear?

when i went o get checked the doctor told me its was highly unlikely that i had gonorrhea for so long and me not knowing about it...so i didnt ge checked for it....but i got checked for HIV/AIDS,chlamydia,hepititis (hepatitis) ...all came back negative...
is it true if you dont have chlamydia then you are not having any symptoms that you are in the clear of having gonorrhea?

[wastedmistake]

p.s. and also the fact that my boyfriend also does not have any symptoms of it atall either??

[auntiejessi]

If your doc tested you for chlamydia with a swab or urine test, you were also tested for gonorrhea.  If you weren't tested with a swab or urine, why not just go get tested again?  You'd need antibiotics for that.  You also can't rely on whether or not your bf has symptoms.

This is not something you want to ignore and hope it gets better.  I've never heard of one case that clears up on its own, and it can spread and cause arthritis like pain.

AJ

[wastedmistake]

i got tested with a urine test... and when i got the test i did clarify to the doctor the reason i was gettin tested was because of sex with a stranger and no protection ages before i actually got to her office. and she said it was unlikely i have had gonorrhea for more then a year without an obvious "symtoms (symptoms)" of it so i only got a urine test and blood test.
this is why i ask. because everything i read about says that most people go without any symptoms atall.... but what does that really mean? does it mean many people go without symtoms (symptoms) at first? or does it mean many people will go on having it for years without any symptoms atall? meaning you could live the rest of your life and not know?
thats why i want to know the chances of me and my boyfriend both living togfether with the same STD and neither of us getting any symptoms?

and the reason i would like to know all this from youz and not "just go back for another checkup" is because where i live the only clinic that does testing like this is only open tuesdays and wednesdays[and i work during the week] and its a 3weeks waiting for the appointments and on top of that i waited over 3weeks for my results wich they also forgot to contect me with and i had to stay on the phone for 2hours on hold to speak to someone to help me. do you see my complications?

[wastedmistake]

please help me with your know how :]

[auntiejessi]

The urine test will test for chlamydia and gonorrhea at the same time.  

Its not likely that someone would go years without symptoms - I agree with your doc about that one.

So I'm kind of confused as to why you are asking?  Are you and your bf having symptoms?  Were your tests negative?

AJ

[wastedmistake]

yeah my tests were negative. but as i say, im pretty sure my doctor said i would need a papsmear for the gonorrhea test so im not to sure if it was included in the urine test[and like i said she advised me that i most likely dont have it, but  i wish i got it to].
sorry i was typing to fast... im was trying to ask what you answered for me there.. if it is unlikely for us to go fo more then a year without and symtoms (symptoms)?

[wastedmistake]

and also i would like to ask.... is the treatment for gonorrhea a shot or pills?

[auntiejessi]

I think you need to call your doc and ask what she tested you for.  

Gonorrhea can be cured with either a shot or pill form.

What is your boyfriend doing in all this?  Has he been tested?

AJ

[wastedmistake]

he was tested for the same as me becuz he we were told the same thing in our joint appointment.all his also came back negative] and he has no sy,ptoms either & i am quite sure she said the gonorrhea wasnt tested in the urine test. i phoned the clinic again and they cant see us until june. so we need some frame of mind. as to what me might be dealing with.

[wastedmistake]

are there other ways to get gonorrhea other then sexual?

[auntiejessi]

No, oral sex and sex is the only way.

If you tested negative for gonorrhea, then you don't have it.

AJ

[imjustme2008]

well i have a question...i was positive for gonorrhea and got the shot but the symptoms r still here??? what does that mean??? why didnt it cure me???

[Frightened19642011]

I have the same question as imjustme2008

I was treated for gonorrhea and chlaymdia on 3/2/11.  The past few days I have had vaginal and anal itching, urgency and discomfort to urinate. Sometimes I am nauseous.  I was also treated for trichomonasis with tindamax  which I finished 3/9.  I didn't even have these sypmtoms before I was treated!  I did not have sex.  Could this be something different or would I need more medication.?