15 Signs that you have contracted Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea… the butt of sex jokes, oftentimes… actually has quite scary consequences.  And, also… it is rampant amongst the sex pool of the United States and abroad. 

Prevalence globally from highest to lowest rates starts with the Western Pacific area (in other words:  Australia and China), Africa, and then the Americas (North and South).  The list goes on, but these are the top three.  A .05% global rate is documented.  These numbers come from the Worth Health Organization (WHO)’s 2015 measures.  In 2016, the Center for Disease Control chronicled 468,514 cases in the United States. 

That is .15% of the US population.  Historically in the United States, gonorrhea rates peaked in the late 70’s and hit a low in the early 2000s.  The line graph has started to rise again slightly in recent years.  Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection that is sexually transmitted and will cause infertility if it is left untreated.

1. Painful Urination

It’s bad enough our day is interrupted (hopefully at least) 3 times a day or more to go to the bathroom… now… it’s going to hurt, too.  One of the symptoms of gonorrhea is painful urination. 

Especially if this is paired with any of the other symptoms on this list, it’s probably a good idea to go ahead and schedule yourself for some good old fashioned STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing at your local health center.  There’s no need to be embarrassed… this kind of testing is run of the mill (super standard and truly considered responsible) these days. 

Obviously, the first line of prevention here would be abstinence, and then condoms and monogamy.  Making sure your partner has been tested before engaging with them could save your life, as well.  Quite the bold, and completely honest statement there.  The less there is to wonder about, the better off your health will be.