When there are symptoms, two of the most common ones are painful urination (more common in men) and a cloudy discharge from the penis or vagina. This discharge may be thick and may have a greenish-yellow color. Many males who have gonorrhea have few or no symptoms. Again, it is quite possible to have a gonococcal infection and have no pain or discharge.

In women, gonococcal infections may cause no symptoms at all. There may be pain or burning on urination. Less commonly, there may be lower abdominal pain, painful intercourse, and abnormal bleeding from the vagina.

In either sex, when a gonococcal infection affects the rectum, there can be rectal pain, especially during a bowel movement. When a gonococcal infection affects the throat, the throat may be sore.

In males, an untreated gonococcal infection can cause scars to form inside the urethra (tube inside the penis that carries urine and semen), and these scars can make urination difficult. In females, an untreated gonococcal infection can spread upward from the vaginal area to cause acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) - an infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and abdominal cavity. Abscesses of the fallopian tubes can also occur. In women, damage and scars left by untreated gonococcal infections also can cause infertility.

In either sex, an untreated gonococcal infection can spread through the blood to parts of the body that are far from the sex organs. Rarely, this can lead to gonococcal infections of the joints (leading to acute arthritis in a particular joint such as the knee), skin (with a sometimes painful rash), bones, tendons (with tenderness to touch and on movement), heart, or the area around the liver.

Description:
Gonococcal infections are caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacteria that only infects humans. The bacteria are usually transmitted by intimate contact - sexual intercourse, and oral or anal sex.

Newborns can aquire gonococcal infections in their eyes if they are delivered vaginally while their mothers have a vaginal gonococcal infection. In most parts of the United States, less than 1% of pregnant women have a gonococcal infection at the time of delivery, but in some areas the percentage is higher.

In the United States, about one million cases of gonococcal infection are reported every year, but experts believe that there may be at least two million more cases that are never treated by a doctor. Highest rates for gonococcal infections are in young men 20 to 24 years old, followed by older teen males ages 15 to 19. Highest rates for females are in teens ages 15 to 19.

When one STD is present, others may be present. For example, many people who have gonorrhea also have another common STD called chlamydia. It's wise, therefore, for medical professionals to look for and treat other STDs when a gonococcal infection is diagnosed or suspected.

Prevention:
Gonococcal infections are considered sexually transmitted diseases, though - as with the example of the newborn passing through the birth canal - the infection is not always transmitted via sex.

Gonorrhea can be prevented by abstaining from sex or by correctly using a latex condom during sex. Gonococcal infections in newborns can be prevented by treating the infant's eyes with silver nitrate solution or other approved agents after birth. Antibiotics may also be used to prevent eye infection when given as an eye ointment.

Gonococcal infection in a child or young person may suggest that there has been sexual/child abuse and may require investigation by appropriate authorities.

Incubation
For gonococcal infections involving the sex organs, the incubation period is approximately 2 to 5 days in men and 5 to 10 days in women. Gonococcal eye infections in newborns usually begin 2 to 5 days after birth.