Tests And Treatments Of Gonorrhea In Men

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection that occurs when someone practices unprotected penetrative sexual acts like oral, anal or vaginal sex with an infected partner.

Initially there may be no evident symptoms to help identify the infection however some men may experience suggestive symptoms such as:

Sensation of burning while urinating
Release of a thin whitish discharge from the penis
Pain and swelling in the testicles

Getting regularly tested for STIs can significantly reduce the likelihood of living with an undetected and untreated infection.

Tests For Gonorrhea

The doctor may recommend several tests for the diagnosis of this infection. These tests aren’t even painful however they may cause slight discomfort. Urine test is one of them. The doctor may ask the patient to collect the urine sample and submit it to the laboratory for urine analysis. The doctor may even perform a genital exam to assess various parameters. Swab sample from the urethra may help in detecting causative bacteria behind the infection. In case of anal or oral sex, rectal and throat swab will as well be required. Once collected, these samples are the examined under the microscope for the presence of the bacteria that causes gonorrhea.

Treating Gonorrhea

Treating gonorrhea is not as complicated as the infection. The doctor may prescribe an antibiotic course that can help in clearing away the infection. The down side is in many countries, researchers have found different strains of gonorrhea that have become resistant to many antibiotics. If the prescribed antibiotics fails to provide symptomatic relief and if the infection does not go away then it suggests a high likelihood of drug resistance. Treating the strain of this infection that is resistant to severalantibiotics can not only be difficult but also very expensive. However, researchers have devoted their time in studying new and alternative treatment approaches for treating drug resistant strain of gonorrhea.

After the treatment course is completed, the doctor may recommend a second test; this one for confirming that the infection has cleared away.

Living With Untreated Gonorrhea

If for some reason, the gonorrhea infection remains undetected and untreated that it can bring about several potential complications such as:

Prostatitis; inflamed prostate gland
Inflamed and painful testicles

If the sexual partner is female and she also remains untested and untreated then it can lead to some serious problems. In women, if the gonorrhea infection is untreated it can cause:

Obstruction of fallopian tubes which are responsible for the transportation of eggs to the womb. This in turn, can promote infertility or poor reproductive health.
Persistent pelvic discomfort and pain
Ectopic pregnancy

Let it be men or women, the outcome of untreated gonorrhea is usually inevitable and is beyond repair.

The best way to prevent the infection is by practicing safe and protected sex. Condoms can significantly reduce the risk of contracting such infections. It is also important to politely ask the sexual partner if they regularly get tested for STIs.

References

Rukh, S., Khurana, R., Mickey, T., Anderson, L., Velasquez, C., & Taylor, M. (2014). Chlamydia and gonorrhea diagnosis, treatment, personnel cost savings, and service delivery improvements after the implementation of express sexually transmitted disease testing in Maricopa County, Arizona. Sexually transmitted diseases, 41(1), 74-78.