Hey, Nurse Nettie here for a quick chat about gonorrhoea or “Gono” for short. I’ve even heard it called the “Clap” (no round of applause please!).
Gonorrhoea is an STI caused by bacteria called Neisseria Gonorrhoeae. What a word!
Just know that anyone can catch gonorrhoea by having oral, vaginal, or anal sex without a condom with someone who already has gonorrhoea. This STI is most common in guys who have sex with guys.
Often people don’t know they have gonorrhoea as they don’t experience any symptoms.
For people who do experience symptoms, they’ll be different depending on where the infection is. Guys may feel a burning or stinging sensation when urinating (peeing), or notice a lot of yellow discharge from their penis.
There may be discharge coming from the anus (bum) if this area is infected. If gonorrhoea is in the throat, there’s likely to be no symptoms!
Girls are not likely to have symptoms, but may get unusual yellow discharge from the vagina, stinging pain when urinating (peeing) like a urinary tract infection (UTI), experience pain during sex, or redness, swelling, and burning or itching of the vulval area.
Girls may also notice some unusual vaginal bleeding either between periods or after sex. If gonorrhoea is not treated it may lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), which may also lead to problems getting pregnant in the future.
Getting tested is so easy! Usually, it’s a urine (pee) test, or a self-collected vaginal or anal (bum) swab and a throat swab.
Simple hey!
If you need treatment your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. The Doc will also talk with you about your sexual partners. They need to get tested and treated too, as they may have gonorrhoea and not know it. This is known as contact tracing, but the Doc can help and support you with this.
How to keep safe from gonorrhoea? Use condoms with all vaginal, anal (bum) and oral sex, and remember to test regularly for STIs.
Check out the common STIs page for more info, or ring 1800 451 624 between 9:00am and 5:00pm Monday to Friday to talk with a sexual health nurse. It’s confidential and free if you call from a landline.
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