Gonorrhoea

What is it?

Gonorrhoea is a common bacterial sexually transmitted infection

How is it passed on?

Gonorrhoea is easily passed from one person to another during oral, vaginal or anal sex. It can sometimes affect the eye if semen or vaginal fluid comes into contact with the eye

Sex toys can also pass on gonorrhoea if they are not washed or covered by a new condom each time they are used.

You can’t get gonorrhoea from sharing towels, cups, plates, cutlery or toilet seats.

What are the symptoms?

The majority of people with a vagina may not experience any symptoms when they have a gonorrhoea infection, whereas the majority of people with a penis will show symptoms.

How do you test for it?

Gonorrhoea tests can be done on a urine sample or swabs taken from the vagina, anus or throat, depending on the type of sex you have.

If there is a discharge a sample may be taken to look for gonorrhoea under the microscope in clinic.

It can take 2 weeks for Gonorrhoea to show up on tests. If you test whilst you are still within this “window period” you may need to repeat your tests once you are outside the window period. If you experience any concerning symptoms, please contact LSH so we can offer an assessment as soon as possible.

What happens if I don’t get treated?

If gonorrhoea is left untreated, it can lead to more serious health complications like problems with fertility.

What is the treatment?

Gonorrhoea is treated with antibiotics. This is likely to be in the form of an injection.

This treatment is effective for most people but because gonorrhoea is starting to show resistance to some antibiotics it is important you have a further test to make sure that the antibiotics have worked.