How do I Manage Gonorrhea?
Receiving a positive gonorrhea test result can be confusing and worrisome, but with adequate information and proper resources, it doesn’t have to be. The goal of STDtesting.com, a division of the Institute of Sexual Health, is to provide the most reliable and accurate information for those dealing with a positive gonorrhea test diagnosis.
Fortunately, for the 700,000 people infected with gonorrhea each year, this bacterial STD is completely curable with a specific antibiotic for gonorrhea – typically doxycycline. Gonorrhea will not self-resolve and treatment is not available over-the-counter. Within about a week after finishing the prescribed medication, symptoms of gonorrhea in women and men will disappear. It is important that all partners are tested and treated for gonorrhea and those infected abstain for sexual activity until treatment is completed.
If diagnosed and treated early, serious complications of gonorrhea can be prevented. Left undetected, gonorrhea can cause irreversible reproductive damage, particularly in women. Long term complications of gonorrhea in women include pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.
Since gonorrhea symptoms in men and women are often absent, the disease can go unnoticed causing complications and making treatment more difficult. An annual gonorrhea test is recommended for all sexually active adults. Furthermore, anyone diagnosed with gonorrhea is at an increased risk for HIV and other common STDs so it is critical to follow up with a comprehensive STD screen.
