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Where does it come from? |
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it comes from a bacterium or germ called neisseria gonorrhoea, which likes to live in warm moist areas of the body |
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How do I get it? |
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it is sexually transmitted |
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How long does it take to show? |
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usually 2-10 days after contact with the infection |
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How might I notice? |
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Women |
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an unusual vaginal discharge - which may increase, become thin and watery, yellow or greenish |
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there may be a burning sensation when you are passing urine |
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there may be pain in the abdomen (just below the stomach) |
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2 out of 3 women with Gonorrhoea show no signs or symptoms |
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Men |
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a burning pain on passing urine |
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yellow discharge from the penis |
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tenderness in the testicles |
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sometimes there may be irritation or discharge from the anus ‘back passage’ |
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1 in 10 men with Gonorrhoea show no signs or symptoms |
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What tests would I have? |
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laboratory test in a GUM Clinic, where the sample is viewed on the spot |
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What treatment is there? |
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antibiotics – the course must be completed |
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What should I do after I finish the treatment? |
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it is essential that you return to the clinic for a check-up after the treatment has finished, to make sure that all the infection has gone |
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women should also attend for smear tests as instructed |
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What about my partner(s)? |
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it is important that you contact them, as many people have Gonorrhoea without realising it and it needs treatment |
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they should be seen at a GUM Clinic, tested and treated as necessary |
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What about sex? |
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it is essential not to have sex with anyone until you have been advised that it is safe to resume – and until your partner has been cleared of the infection too – otherwise you are likely to get it again, by becoming re-infected |
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to be advised by the doctor treating you |
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What about oral sex, anal sex and condoms? |
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there is a risk of passing on Gonorrhoea |
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What complications can come from having Gonorrhoea? |
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Men |
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a tube inside the testicle(s) may become inflamed and swell (epidydimitis) – causing pain |
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sterility of the affected testicle can occur (resulting in not enough fertile sperm to make a baby) |
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Women |
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the fallopian tubes may become inflamed (salpingitis) |
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you may get inflammation of the inside of the womb (endometritis) – although this can have other causes |
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there may be increased chance of tubal (ectopic) pregnancy |
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Men and women |
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there is an increased risk of infertility (being unable to have children) |
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there may be ‘septic arthritis of the joints’ |
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there may be skin boils |
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Babies |
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‘sticky eye’ or conjunctivitis (inflammation of the white area of the eye) if infection is passed on from a mother to her baby, during vaginal delivery |
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How can I avoid getting Gonorrhoea? |
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take time to get to know your partner, although they may not own up to previous infections |
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