Gonorrhea and Symptoms |Health care

Gonorrhea is an infection caused by a sexually transmitted bacterium that can infect both males and females. Gonorrhea most often affects the urethra, rectum or throat. In females, gonorrhea can also infect the cervix.

Gonorrhea is most commonly spread during sex. But babies can be infected during childbirth if their mothers are infected. In babies, gonorrhea most commonly affects the eyes.

Gonorrhea is a common infection, and in some cases, causes no symptoms. You may not even know that you're infected. Abstaining from sex, using a condom if you do have sex and being in a mutually monogamous relationship are the best ways to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

Symptoms

Gonorrhea infection can affect multiple sites in your body, but it most commonly appears in the genital tract.

Gonorrhea affecting the genital tract 
Signs and symptoms of gonorrhea infection in men include:

• Painful urination
• Pus-like discharge from the tip of the penis
• Pain or swelling in one testicle

Signs and symptoms of gonorrhea infection in women include:

• Increased vaginal discharge
• Painful urination
• Vaginal bleeding between periods, such as after vaginal intercourse
• Abdominal pain
• Pelvic pain

Gonorrhea at other sites in the body 
Gonorrhea can also affect these parts of the body:

• Rectum. Signs and symptoms include anal itching, pus-like discharge from the rectum, spots of bright red blood on toilet tissue and having to strain during bowel movements.
• Eyes. Gonorrhea that affects your eyes may cause eye pain, sensitivity to light, and pus-like discharge from one or both eyes.
• Throat. Signs and symptoms of a throat infection may include a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
• Joints. If one or more joints become infected by bacteria (septic arthritis), the affected joints may be warm, red, swollen and extremely painful, especially when you move an affected joint.