You can have gonorrhea without having any obvious symptoms. When symptoms do exist, they usually appear within 2 to 10 days after infection. If a baby gets gonorrhea during childbirth, one or both of the baby's eyes are severely inflamed. Many disorders and sexually transmitted diseases can cause symptoms similar to gonorrhea. To confirm that you have gonorrhea, the health care provider tests a sample of discharge from the urethra of the penis or from the cervix.
Gonorrhea is treated with antibiotic drugs, given either by mouth or as a shot.
If you are allergic to penicillin, tell your health care provider. The effects depend on how long you have had gonorrhea, how much the infection has spread, and if you have had gonorrhea before. In men, if only the urethra is infected, the gonorrhea will clear up about 2 days after treatment is started. However, even though the symptoms may be gone, oral medication must be taken for the full time prescribed. In women, if only the cervix is infected, the gonorrhea will clear up about 2 days after treatment is started.