The time from exposure to gonorrhea until symptoms begin usually is 2 to 5 days. But it may take as long as 30 days before symptoms start. You can spread gonorrhea even if you don’t have symptoms. You are contagious until you have been treated.

Untreated gonorrhea can cause serious and permanent health problems in both women and men. In women, gonorrhea can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The symptoms may be quite mild or can be very severe and can include abdominal pain and fever 13.

This phase can include hair loss; a sore throat; white patches in the nose, mouth, and vagina; fever; headaches; and a skin rash. There can be lesions on the genitals that look like genital warts, but are caused by spirochetes rather than the wart virus.

How is Gonorrhea Treated? Even though gonorrhea is highly treatable, it will not go away without medication. Gonorrhea cannot be cured without medication. Someone who has gonorrhea will be prescribed antibiotic medication.

Gonorrhea is spread when semen (cum), pre-cum, and vaginal fluids get on or inside your genitals, anus, or mouth. Gonorrhea can be passed even if the penis doesn’t go all the way in the vagina or anus. The main ways people get gonorrhea are from having vaginal sex, anal sex, or oral sex.

Signs and symptoms of gonorrhea infection in women include: Increased vaginal discharge. Painful urination. Vaginal bleeding between periods, such as after vaginal intercourse.

If you have any symptoms of gonorrhoea, these will usually improve within a few days, although it may take up to 2 weeks for any pain in your pelvis or testicles to disappear completely.

Gonorrhea treatment options The most common treatment is a single antibiotic injection of ceftriaxone and a single dose of oral azithromycin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) treatment guidelines. Currently, there are no at-home treatments to cure gonorrhea.

Gonorrhea symptoms normally show up between 1 and 10 days after you get the infection. Some people don’t see any symptoms until after they’ve had the infection for months. Others — usually women — may never have symptoms at all.

In both men and women, signs of a gonorrhea or gonococcal infection can include painful urination, and discharge from the penis or vagina, though it often causes no symptoms, particularly in women. Even though gonorrhea often has no symptoms, it can still be contagious.

You can get tested for gonorrhea and other STDs at your doctor’s office, a community health clinic, the health department, or your local Planned Parenthood health center. In some states, you can do an online visit and take a gonorrhea test at home.

How long does it take to get results? It depends on the lab performing the test and the method used to diagnose your infection. Nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) methods can give results in one day to a few days. Cultures take longer and results are typically reported in three to five days.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea in Throat, Mouth, or Eyes Painful, burning or swollen glands in throat – This is a very common sign of a gonorrhea infection from oral sex. Sore throat or difficulty swallowing – Sometimes oral gonorrhea is accompanied by flu-like symptoms, such as a sore throat.

How soon do symptoms appear? In males, symptoms usually appear two to seven days after infection but it can take as long as 30 days for symptoms to begin. Often, there are no symptoms for people infected with gonorrhea; 10 to 15 percent of men and about 80 percent of women may have no symptoms.

Signs and symptoms that might indicate an STI include:

• Sores or bumps on the genitals or in the oral or rectal area.
• Painful or burning urination.
• Discharge from the penis.
• Unusual or odd-smelling vaginal discharge.
• Unusual vaginal bleeding.
• Pain during sex.

A couple of the most telltale symptoms of these STIs overlap between the two (for both men and women), such as:

1. burning when you pee.
2. abnormal, discolored discharge from the penis or vagina.
3. abnormal discharge from the rectum.
4. pain in the rectum.
5. bleeding from the rectum.

The symptoms of gonorrhea can become apparent 24-48 hours following exposure in some cases. However, in most cases, it will take 2-5 days. In other cases, it may take up to 30 days for symptoms to become apparent.

A flurry of research on pharyngeal gonorrhea was performed in the 1970s and 1980s, when it was demonstrated that gonorrhea infections in the throat can clear up without medical intervention within three months — with possibly half of infections going away after just a week.

Doctors usually will treat the patient with antibiotics that are effective on the locally occurring N. gonorrhoeae strains. Currently, the CDC recommends the following treatment for gonorrhea: ceftriaxone, 250mg IM plus a single dose of azithromycin, 1 g, orally.

The good news is that most STDs are curable and even those without a cure can be effectively managed or minimized with treatment.

STD testing chart

Although kissing is considered to be low-risk when compared to intercourse and oral sex, it’s possible for kissing to transmit CMV, herpes, and syphilis. CMV can be present in saliva, and herpes and syphilis can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, particularly at times when sores are present.

It is possible to spread syphilis or herpes to any part of your breast, including your nipple and areola.