Last year, over 51,000 diagnoses of gonorrhoea reported in England alone, a significant increase over the previous year’s figures, UK government statistics show. Gonorrhoea is believed to be the second most commonly infection that is transmitted sexually. It hardly shows symptoms especially in women, and could take up to 30 days or longer after exposure to the bacteria for symptoms to show. If detected early, gonorrhoea can be treated with a single dose of antibiotics.
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Peeing and gonorrhoea
This is a particularly dangerous sexually transmitted infection (STI) because if you have it, you can spread it to others even if you’re not showing any symptoms. According to Stanford Medicine, you are contagious until you have been treated. It may not cause symptoms until the infection has spread to other parts of the body. Without treatment, gonorrhoea can cause permanent blindness in a newborn baby or infertility.
Although symptoms tend to be more obvious in men than in women, both genders may present with symptoms associated with peeing. These are:
- Pain or burning sensation when you urinate
- The frequent urge to urinate
Other symptoms
Typical symptoms of gonorrhoea include a thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis, and in women, bleeding between periods. Others include:
- Anal itching, discomfort, bleeding, or discharge.
- Genital itching.
- Irregular menstrual bleeding.
- Pain in the lower belly.
- Fever and general tiredness.
- Painful sexual intercourse.
However, some people may not experience any of these symptoms. The NHS says on its website:
But around 1 in 10 infected men and almost half of infected women do not experience any symptoms.
This is a sneaky disease because of its ability to hide symptoms for long with infected people spreading it without knowing. It’s why it’s important to get regular STI tests.
Sources used:
NHS: Gonorrhoea
Planned Parenthood: What are the symptoms of gonorrhoea?
Stanford Medicine: What are the symptoms of gonorrhoea?
