Symptoms of Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea Fact Sheet (PDF
77 KB)
Often, gonorrhea has no symptoms. About one third of men and
two-thirds of women infected with gonorrhea show no symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they may begin
2 to 5 days after sexual contact with an infected person, but may take as
long as 30 days to appear.
When women have symptoms, they may experience:
- Increased vaginal discharge.
- Burning sensation when urinating.
- Vaginal bleeding between periods.
- Pain during sex.
These symptoms may occur alone or in combination and may range from
barely noticeable to severe.
Untreated gonorrhea in women can be a serious health threat. The
infection can spread to the fallopian tubes or ovaries and cause PID—pelvic
inflammatory disease—in up to 40 percent of infected women. PID can scar and
block the fallopian tubes, leading to infertility and potentially fatal
ectopic pregnancies (pregnancies occurring in the tubes). Women infected with
gonorrhea are also up to five times
more likely to become infected with HIV, if exposed.
When men have symptoms of gonorrhea, they may experience:
- Pain or burning during urination.
- White, yellow, or green discharge from the penis.
- Swollen or tender testicles.
Complications among men are rare, but infection can sometimes spread to
the epididymis (the tube carrying sperm from the testis), causing extreme
pain in the scrotum, fever, and in some cases, sterility.
In women and men who engage in receptive anal sex, gonorrhea may cause
the rectum to itch and bleed. Gonorrhea can also be found in the throats of
women and men having oral sex with an infected partner. |
