For females Footnote 1 who do experience symptoms, these can include: In other cases, females Footnote 1 may mistake the symptoms for a bladder or vaginal infection. burning or itching at the opening of the penisįor females Footnote 1, the early symptoms of gonorrhea are often mild and non-specific and are often mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection and many of those with the infection have no symptoms at all.yellowish/white discharge from the penis.If symptoms do occur, they usually appear two to seven days after infection was contracted.įor men who do experience symptoms, these may include: People with a gonorrhea infection, especially females, may have no symptoms at all. The symptoms of gonorrhea infection are different in males and females Footnote 1. Having condomless vaginal, oral, or anal sex.Risk factors for contracting gonorrhea and other STIs include: If a person has gonorrhea and is pregnant, the infection can be passed to the baby in the birth canal during delivery, causing blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection.įor couples where one has HIV infection and the other doesn't (i.e., serodiscordant), the risk of contracting and transmitting HIV is increased if you or your partner already have another STI. If untreated, you and your partner are at risk of the infection spreading through the bloodstream and infecting other parts of the body, including joints. If left untreated, it can on rare occasions lead to infertility. Men can develop epididymitis, a painful inflammation in the tubes attached to the testicles. In females, untreated gonorrhea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID health risks include abdominal pain, fever, internal abscesses, long-lasting pelvic pain, and scarring of the fallopian tubes, which can cause infertility and increase the chance of ectopic and/or tubal pregnancies. Being aware of the risks of STI during travel (to any location) as well as using safer sex measures while travelling are important factors in preventing additional cases of drug resistant gonorrhea in Canada.
Of more concern, in recent years there have been two cases of drug-resistant gonorrhea in Canada related to travel to Southeast Asia. This bacterial infection is on the rise in Canada and is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. It can also be spread from mother to child during birth. Commonly known as "the clap", gonorrhea is transmitted through oral, genital, or anal sex with someone who has the infection. Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by infection with the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhea.