Gonorrhea is one of the most common STDs in the world. Commonly known as the clap, gonorrhea is also treatable but may cause serious complications when not diagnosed in its early stages. People who have this disease also have a higher risk of developing other diseases such as pelvic inflammatory disease and certain cancers. It can also increase the risk for infertility in both men and women.

Gonorrhea: Overview

Gonorrhea is an STD caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It usually spread through sexual contact, such as vaginal, anal and even oral sex. Common areas that present symptoms include the external reproductive organs, the anus, urethra, and the throat. In rare cases, symptoms manifest in the eyes. However, there are many cases when the affected person does not exhibit any symptoms. In cases like these, the person may not know that he or she is infected and passes the infection off to another person. The disease can also be transmitted from the mother to her newborn during birth.

Symptoms

How do you know if you have gonorrhea? The following are symptoms that may appear in women:

–pain or burning sensation during urination

–abnormal, yellowish or bloody discharge from the vagina

–bleeding when you do not have your period

–pain in the lower abdomen

–fever

The following are symptoms that may appear in men:

–pain when urinating

–white, yellow-green penile discharge

–pain or swelling in the testicles

Other symptoms include:

–pain or itching around the anus

–discharge from the anus

–pain when defecating

— a sore throat

Treatment

Doctors often recommend both an injection and a round of oral antibiotics to treat the disease. The infected person may be advised to abstain from sex until the treatment is completed and repeat testing may be done to ensure that the treatment has worked. It is important to note that although completing treatment can cure gonorrhea, it cannot undo any permanent damage caused by the disease.

Importance of Early Testing

Treatment of gonorrhea is very effective. This is the reason why early testing even in persons who do not exhibit symptoms is very important. A urine test can be done to detect gonorrhea. For those who engaged in oral or anal sex, samples from the throat or the rectum may be taken to test for the disease.

Doctors may also recommend regular testing for women who are sexually active and less than 25 years old. Those with new sexual partners may also opt to get tested. Regular testing is also recommended for men who engage in same-sex intercourse.

Testing for Gonorrhea At Home

If you want to test for gonorrhea in the privacy of your home, you can opt for self-testing kits. One type of kit is a urine kit that you can use to take a urine specimen which you then send to the partner laboratory. Results usually come back 3 days after testing.

You can also opt for rapid screen test kits that can give you results in 15 minutes. These kits come with testing pads on which you apply the cotton swab that contains the sample specimen. This could be urine or any discharge coming from the vagina or the penis. The kit usually produces an accurate result after 15 minutes. The most reliable kits come with ISO and GMP certifications and are recognized by the FDA, WHO and other global organizations.

If you want to test for multiple STDs you can buy test kit packages that contain kits for chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea. These packages are useful because these infections can and often occur together. Testing for all three facilitates early detection and treatment of all STDs for total treatment and recovery.

Gonorrhea is a common STD that is fortunately very treatable as long as it is detected early enough. Early detection is made easier with convenient and affordable home test kits that are easy to use and provide accurate and reliable results in as short as 15 minutes, and all within the privacy of your home. If you are worried about letting anyone else know that you may have this STD, you can still continue with detection and treatment using these kits. Visit our http://www.gonorrheahometest.com for more information on gonorrhea test kits to know more about your options.