Topic Overview
Gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). With 650,000 people infected each year, gonorrhea is the second most-reported infectious disease in the United States. Approximately 75% of all cases of gonorrhea reported by health professionals to the Centers for Disease Control are found in people who are 15 to 29 years old. Teenage girls ages 15 to 19 have the highest rates of infection.
Gonorrhea can be spread during vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected partner. A pregnant woman may pass the infection to her newborn during delivery.
In women, the infection usually occurs at the opening of the uterus (cervix) or in the tube that carries urine from the bladder (urethra). In men, the infection usually occurs in the urethra. The infection may spread to other parts of the body. The throat, anus, and rectum are common areas of infection in both men and women.
About half of infected women and men don't have symptoms. People who do not have symptoms may unknowingly pass the infection to their sex partners.
The risk of being infected with gonorrhea from a single act of unprotected sex with an infected partner is:
- 50% for women.
- 20% for men.
Many people who have gonorrhea also have chlamydia. Health professionals commonly treat chlamydia automatically in addition to treating gonorrhea.
About 20% of women with untreated gonorrhea of the cervix develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Pelvic inflammatory disease can cause problems such as an inability for a woman to have children (infertility).
The risk of becoming infertile after having PID is
- Up to 20% after one episode of PID.
- About 35% after two episodes of PID.
- Over 50% after three or more episodes of PID.
Gonorrhea in children who have not reached puberty, other than newborns infected at birth, is almost always a sign of sexual abuse. Gonorrhea is the most common sexually transmitted disease in sexually abused children.
Common terms for gonorrhea include clap, drip, or GC
Pictures of the Effects of Gonorrhea
Who is affected: Gonorrhea
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